Railing against cost of coffee as prices soar | Personal Finance | Finance

Caffe Nero has ratcheted up the cost of a large latte from £3.30 last summer to £3.80 today. Large cappuccinos are also up 50p, from its Manchester Piccadilly branch.

Meanwhile, Costa says “increasing costs” are behind its price hikes. Last year a large latte or cappuccino was £3.85 at its West-minster Underground station in London, but this year the same drink costs £4.15.

A large Americano has gone up from £3.35 to £3.60 and a flat white from £3.30 to £3.55.

Costa said: “Like all retailers, we continue to face increasing costs and have had to make the difficult decision to raise the prices of our drinks.

The changes depend on the product and location – such as rail stations where operating costs are significantly higher.” The largest increase we found at Costa was a large mocha, which has soared from £4 to £4.35 in just over 12 months.

Susannah Streeter, from Hargreaves Lans-down, said: “We’ve seen scorching rises in the price of already pricey cups of coffee over the past year.

£4 certainly seems a lot to pay, but companies have faced price hikes in operational costs. Wages bills have been shooting up and they’re paying more for ingredients.”

Caffe Nero was contacted for comment.