Over the past five years, the price of Arabica coffee has quadrupled. At the beginning of 2025, it reached a record $4.3. per pound of unroasted beans. The Robusta variety also breaks records. Price increases include: the effect of drought in Brazil, lower harvests in Vietnam and weather problems in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The growing demand for coffee in China and India is additionally driving up prices for this product.
As a result, counterfeit coffee is increasingly found in stores, warns “Rzeczpospolita”. Fraudsters impersonate reputable brands such as Lavazza, offering lower quality products. The problem also concerns Poland.
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Soy is added to the packaging. It is cheaper than coffee beans
According to “Rz” reports, soy is most often added to counterfeit coffee. It is a popular legume, rich in protein and fat, and at the same time much cheaper than coffee beans. Fraudsters use it in the form of flour, extract, soy protein or roasted and ground grains. They increase the weight of the product and reduce production costs. At the same time, counterfeiters manage to maintain the appearance of the original. Roasted soy gives the drink a dark color, bitter aroma and intensity, making it resemble real coffee, especially in ground and instant blends.
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Shelf with coffee in the supermarket
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Piotr Kamionka/REPORTER/East News / East News
Counterfeit packs of Lavazza coffee are being sold
The practice of coffee counterfeiting is confirmed in an interview with “Rzeczpospolita” by the head of the Lavazza concern, Giuseppe Lavazza. “This is the problem of success, others may try to imitate you,” says the president and admits that counterfeits of his brand also appear on the European market. A kilogram of the original product costs from several dozen to over PLN 100. If the packaging is confusingly similar, but the price is much lower, it may mean that the coffee is counterfeit.
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