Coffee Cost Per Cup: What Does a 5-Lb Bag Cost to Brew?

For churches, offices, and events, the useful comparison is not only the bag price: it's the cost of the ground coffee in each brewed cup. Here's a transparent example using current Love Beyond Borders Coffee five-pound bag prices.

Cost per 8-ounce serving

A five-pound bag contains about 2,268 grams. At a starting ratio of 60 grams per liter of brewing water, it makes approximately 37.8 liters of brew water, equivalent to about 160 eight-fluid-ounce servings before brewing losses before accounting for retained water or waste. Brew strength, equipment, and actual beverage yield affect the result.

5-lb blend	Bag price	Approx. coffee cost / 8-oz cup
Salama Sunrise	$80	$0.50
Sunset	$82	$0.51
Midnight	$85	$0.53

Prices checked against the store's listed product prices when this guide was prepared. Taxes, shipping, filters, cups, creamers, labor, equipment, and wasted coffee are not included. Product prices may change.

Important: These serving and cost estimates use brew-water volume as a planning approximation. Some water remains in the coffee grounds, so the number of cups actually served may be lower and the true ingredient cost per served cup may be higher.

Cost per full 2.5-liter airpot

At a 150 g (5.3 oz by weight) dose per full 2.5-liter airpot, a five-pound bag provides about 15 full batches. Based on the listed bag prices above, the ground-coffee cost is approximately $5.29 for Salama Sunrise, $5.42 for Sunset, or $5.62 for Midnight per airpot. This excludes filters, cups, creamers, shipping, taxes, and equipment.

Calculate your own cost per cup

Formula: bag price ÷ estimated brewed servings = coffee ingredient cost per serving. For example, $80 ÷ 160 ≈ $0.50 per eight-ounce serving. If you prefer stronger coffee, your servings per bag decrease and your cost per cup increases.

Choose a blend: Salama Sunrise (balanced), Sunset (richer), or Midnight (dark roast). Select whole bean or ground at checkout.

What about the total cost of serving coffee?

Add disposable cups and lids, filters, milk or creamer, sweeteners, water, cleaning supplies, and delivery or shipping. The ingredient cost alone is not the full cost of your coffee ministry or breakroom.

Planning recurring coffee service

For weekly orders, use our coffee needs calculator and five-pound serving guide. These help estimate how many bags to purchase instead of guessing.