When you start talking to coffee roasters about supplying your café, you'll quickly discover that "wholesale pricing" covers a very wide range of arrangements. The price per kilo is only one dimension — the structure of the agreement, what's included, and what you're committing to matters just as much.
Here are the main models and what each one means in practice.
Model 1: Simple Per-Kilo Wholesale
This is the most straightforward arrangement. You buy coffee at a set wholesale price per kilogram, there's no minimum term, and you're free to source from other roasters if you want to.
Prices vary enormously depending on the roaster and the coffee quality: budget-end wholesale might be £10–£12/kg for a commercial blend; specialty-grade wholesale from a quality roaster will typically sit in the £16–£24/kg range; exceptional single origins and limited lots can go higher.
What's typically included: The coffee itself. Sometimes initial training.
What's typically not included: Equipment, ongoing technical support, machine servicing.
Best for: Cafés that want full flexibility, are confident in their sourcing instincts, and either own their equipment already or have secured it separately.
Watch out for: Price increases over time with no contractual protection. If you've built your menu pricing around £18/kg and it rises to £22/kg, that's a meaningful margin hit.
Model 2: Equipment-for-Coffee (Loan Agreement)
A roaster provides an espresso machine — and sometimes a grinder — on loan in exchange for a commitment to purchase their coffee exclusively for an agreed period, typically two to five years.
This model has been the backbone of UK café equipment supply for decades, and it can be genuinely good value. A quality two-group machine on loan removes £10,000–£18,000 from your opening capital requirement. For a first-time operator managing a tight fit-out budget, that's significant.
What's typically included: Equipment loan, servicing and maintenance of loaned equipment, sometimes initial training.
What's typically not included: Accessories (tampers, milk jugs, knock boxes), consumables, your own grinders.
Best for: First-time operators with tight capital, who have found a roaster they genuinely love and are confident in committing to.
Watch out for: Buyout clauses if you exit early, exclusivity requirements, and maintenance terms that require you to use the roaster's approved engineer (sometimes at a premium rate). Read the full agreement, not just the headline terms.
Model 3: Flexible Wholesale with Tier Pricing
Some roasters offer volume-based pricing: the more you buy, the lower your per-kilo rate. This model rewards loyalty and growth without requiring exclusivity or locking you into a fixed term.
A typical structure might look like:
- Up to 5kg/week: £22/kg
- 5–15kg/week: £20/kg
- 15kg/week+: £18/kg
This model is increasingly common among quality-focused independent roasters who want long-term partnerships without the administrative complexity of formal tied agreements.
What's typically included: Coffee, and increasingly: seasonal guidance, occasional site visits, dial-in support.
What's typically not included: Equipment or guaranteed pricing protection.
Best for: Growing cafés that want the benefit of pricing rewards as they scale, without locking in.
Watch out for: Volume thresholds that feel achievable but depend on seasonal peaks. Know your average weekly volume, not your best week.
Model 4: Full Partnership / White-Label
At the higher end of volume, some roasters offer white-label or co-branded arrangements: coffee roasted to your specification, packaged with your branding, potentially with a bespoke blend profile. This is typically only viable at volumes of 20kg/week or above, and often involves a longer-term contract.
This is less relevant for most first-time operators — it's a growth-stage decision — but worth knowing about if your ambition includes a retail product or multiple locations.
How to Think About the Trade-offs
The right model depends on your situation at opening:
| Priority | Suggested Model | |----------|----------------| | Minimise upfront capital | Equipment-for-coffee loan agreement | | Maximum flexibility | Simple per-kilo, no term | | Growth incentives without lock-in | Flexible tier pricing | | Own brand + scale | White-label partnership |
Whatever model you choose, the unit economics matter most. Before signing, work out your coffee cost per drink — and make sure that, at your projected volume and the contracted price, your food cost percentage on espresso drinks sits in a healthy range.
For a structured approach to evaluating suppliers and modelling the financial implications of different agreements, the coffee sourcing consultancy process is designed to do exactly that — before you commit to anything.
The Question Worth Asking Yourself
Before you enter any wholesale arrangement: if this roaster's quality drops, their prices rise significantly, or the relationship becomes difficult — what are your options?
If the answer is "not many," that's a risk to price into the decision. Flexibility has value, even if it's not on the price list.