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How to invest in coffee
Find out how you can invest in one of the world's most traded commodities.
Coffee can be complex, nuanced and volatile so it’s essential to do your research, be knowledgeable about how and where coffee is made and understand the risks.
The rest of this guide explains how to smartly invest in coffee, and maximise your returns.
Compare online brokers to trade coffee stocks, ETFs and CFDs
3 ways to invest in coffee
1. Buy coffee ETFs
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are a type of investment made up of a collection of commodities, equities, bonds or currencies, allowing for diversification across an entire industry by tracking its overall success. Take a look at our ETF guide.
Commodity-based coffee ETFs operate with an arbitrage mechanism designed to allow investors to directly track the performance of the coffee market as a whole.
Currently, there are two Exchange Traded Funds available that are exclusively invested in coffee: iPath Dow Jones-UBS Coffee Subindex Total Return ETN (JO) and the iPath Pure Beta Coffee ETN (CAFE).
Pros
- ETFs provide instant diversification across the coffee industry as a whole.
- Investments come at a low price, with lower risk than stocks in a single company.
- A single transaction adds an entire market to a portfolio.
- A simple, low maintenance way to invest.
Cons
- The collection is decided for you, meaning you relinquish some of your control.
- Though diverse, ETFs are not immune to volatility.
2. Buy shares in coffee companies
Another option for investing in the coffee industry would be to purchase stock in a company who sell the commodity or who are involved in the production process. Industry leaders include Starbucks (SBUX), Dunkin’ Brands (DNKN), and J.M. Smucker (SJM). It can be a good idea to invest in more than one company which would be a safer option than having all your eggs in one basket.
A way to reduce your risk even further would be to purchase stock in a company that sells coffee in addition to other products, such as Nestle, Kraft or Procter and Gamble.
Stock shares are a simple way to access the market because they can be purchased with an online broker or financial advisor.
Pros
- You can build and tailor your own portfolio.
- Investing is simple and accessible.
Cons
- Stocks are volatile, factors out of our control can impact prices, making them unpredictable.
- The risk of losing your investment is higher.
3. Purchase coffee futures
Futures are one of the most direct ways to trade a commodity. When you purchase a future, you are buying a contract to purchase a commodity, in this case, coffee, at a future date at a specified price.
Investing in coffee futures essentially means betting on what the coffee will sell for at a specific date and place. The Coffee C contract offers trades five times a year and covers coffee bean deliveries from 19 countries. Each contract is for 37,000 pounds of coffee, so not a small investment.
Futures can be extremely volatile and are far riskier than other investment options. They also offer the greatest potential return, but, you have to get the timing and price movement right to see a profit on your investment.
Pros
- Because of the lot size, small moves in the script, such as 1% can mean good gains.
- Investing is simple and accessible.
Cons
- Futures are volatile investments. No one can predict with any degree of certainty how the pice of coffee will fluctuate.
- The risk of losing your investment is high, small moves against you can mean big losses.
- Futures expire. Failure to exercise them prior to expiry makes them worthless.
What are the risks?
The price of coffee can fluctuate depending on a range of factors, many of which are out of our control, making the commodity volatile and unpredictable. These factors include:
- Weather conditions in the countries producing the coffee.
- Economic and political factors impacting coffee-producing countries.
- Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.
- Changing trade regulations and restrictions.
- Changes in the supply and demand of coffee.
Frequently asked questions
Disclaimer: This information should not be interpreted as an endorsement of futures, stocks, ETFs, CFDs, options or any specific provider, service or offering. It should not be relied upon as investment advice or construed as providing recommendations of any kind. Futures, stocks, ETFs and options trading involves substantial risk of loss and therefore are not appropriate for all investors. Trading CFDs comes with a higher risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Consider your own circumstances, and obtain your own advice, before making any trades.
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