· Origin
Coffee futures in plain words
The C price is a reference for commodity arabica. Specialty invoices often sit beside it, not inside it.
Coffee futures (the "C" contract in New York for arabica) let traders lock a price for coffee that has not yet been delivered. Producers, exporters, and roasters use it to manage risk when harvests and freight move. The number on the screen is not the price of a named Gesha lot on your shelf.
Specialty coffee is often priced as C plus a differential, or on a fixed contract that ignores the screen for that lot. When news says "coffee prices surged", check which market: commodity screen, auction hammer, or café menu. They move on different clocks.
For drinkers, futures are background weather. For reading a year of prices, they explain why the same origin can feel expensive before the bags even leave the port.
One note a day. Origin notes are about the farms and lots in this guide, using the cupping scores already listed. Competition notes repeat published 2025 results and link the source.