Gastronomy Cup of coffee approaches the five-franc mark
For a café crème in a Swiss restaurant, guests paid an average of 7 centimes more this year than in 2024. This is the sixth time in a row that the price of coffee has risen and is approaching the CHF 5 threshold.
24.11.2025, 10:06
24.11.2025, 11:24
SDA
In a café, bakery or restaurant in German-speaking Switzerland, a café crème will cost an average of CHF 4.65 in 2025. This is 7 centimes more than in the previous year, as the CafetierSuisse association announced on Monday.
This continues the longstanding upward trend. Over the past ten years, the price of cafè crème has risen by a total of 45 centimes. Twenty years ago, it was even one franc and 8 centimes cheaper.
Higher costs
According to the association, the main reasons for this are increased costs for staff, energy and operation. The economic situation is challenging for many catering businesses, with demand often falling short of expectations.
Despite this, a lot of coffee is still being drunk. According to CafetierSuisse, Switzerland is still one of the world leaders with an average of 1237 cups per person per year - including cups drunk at home. Although consumption has normalized somewhat after a strong previous year, it is still above the long-term average.
Matcha instead of café crème
"The slight decline has to do with the new products that are increasingly being added to the drinks menu," said Hans-Peter Oettli, President of CafetierSuisse, at a media conference. There is a slight trend away from café crème towards alternatives. For this reason, cappuccino was also examined for the first time this year. This costs guests an average of 5.37 francs.
Oettli also referred to matcha, the green tea powder originating from Japan. "Matcha is mainly consumed by younger, health-conscious guests who value it as an alternative to classic caffeine consumption."
Competition in the gastronomy scene has clearly intensified, Oettli continued. "In addition to traditional cafés, more and more other businesses are offering drinks and snacks, such as hairdressing salons, health centers, insurance companies and 7-day stores." At the same time, visiting times are shifting due to working from home and flexible working models: "While lunchtime and morning peaks are stable in some regions, spontaneous visits in the afternoon or after work are missing in many places."
Café decline continues
"Around ten percent of the 670 establishments we surveyed stated that they were temporarily or permanently closed," said Oettli. This illustrates how tense the situation is. And those that do not close completely often reduce their opening hours.
He expects further adjustments to the price of coffee to be necessary in the coming year. The association expects the increase to be as high as in previous years. "The price is influenced by the costs," said Oettli - and added: "But I can't read coffee grounds."
