EP1693 Part 3 of 5 | The Real Cost of Building a Quality Coffee Business (George Howell) | Map It Forward
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Episode Description
This is part 3 of a new 5-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, hosted by Lee Safar. Our guest on the podcast for this series is George Howell, founder of George Howell Coffee, returning for the 2026 edition of our annual series, “The Coffee Industry According to George Howell.”
In this episode, we explore the growing tension between quality and economics in today’s coffee market.
Coffee prices have risen significantly, producers are becoming more involved in determining what their coffee is worth, operating costs remain high, and coffee businesses are having to decide how much of those increases they can absorb before passing them on to customers.
For George Howell Coffee, however, the starting point remains the same: quality comes first.
George explains that the coffees he buys are selected from samples based on flavour, sweetness, cleanliness, and whether they meet the standards he is looking for. Only then does the conversation about price begin.
We discuss why higher coffee prices can change the incentives around producing exceptional quality, why some farmers remain driven to produce extraordinary coffees regardless of market conditions, and why George values relationships with producers who approach coffee as artisans.
George also explains the economic reality of developing deeper relationships with farms. Supporting producers with visits, infrastructure, and long-term collaboration requires resources, meaning even a successful coffee company can only invest meaningfully in a limited number of those relationships at a time.
The conversation then turns to one of the biggest misconceptions about high-end specialty coffee businesses: that quality-focused companies must be generating enormous profits.
George reflects on the early years of both The Coffee Connection and George Howell Coffee, including long periods of breaking even, costly mistakes, the challenges of growth, and why building a sustainable artisan coffee business is a long game.
We also discuss why growing too quickly can threaten quality, how investment expectations can change the priorities of a business, shifting consumer behaviour, and why coffee businesses need to understand the risks involved in the economic environment ahead.
Connect with George Howell Coffee:
https://georgehowellcoffee.com/