Pricing guide · Café drinks
How to price cold brew: cost per cup and what to charge
Cold brew uses a lot of coffee per batch but almost no labour once it is steeping. Cost the batch, then divide by servings.
Example batch cost
$6.50
Cost per cup
$0.81
Price at 20% food cost
$4.07
Cold brew cost calculator
Cold brew (batch, 16 oz serves)
Enter your price to see food cost % and profit.
The app keeps your ingredient prices. When butter goes up, every dish that uses it updates — no re-typing.
Worked example: Cold brew (batch, 16 oz serves)
This batch makes 8 cups. Here is where the money goes, most expensive first:
| Ingredient | Used | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee beans (coarse) | 250 g | $4.50 |
| Clear cups (16 oz) | 8 piece | $1.20 |
| Lids | 8 piece | $0.48 |
| Straws | 8 piece | $0.32 |
| Total for 8 cups | $6.50 | |
That is $0.81 per cup. At a 20% food cost the price should be at least $4.07. Across the usual 15–25% range for café drinks, that is $3.25 (at 25%) to $5.42 (at 15%) per cup — before your time and overheads.
What drives the cost of cold brew
- •Coffee-to-water ratio (stronger brews use more beans)
- •Ice displacing liquid in the cup
- •Clear cups, lids and straws
Tips for pricing cold brew
- ✓Measure servings with ice in the cup — it changes how many cups a batch makes
- ✓Sell concentrate in bottles at a higher price per serve
- ✓Add sweet cream or syrups as paid upgrades
Sell by the cup in two sizes, and bottled concentrate to take home.
Don’t forget your time and overheads
Drinks carry a low food cost % because the price also pays for the barista’s time, the machine, rent and waste. Count cups, lids and sleeves as ingredients — on a cheap drink they can cost more than the coffee.
Keep your cold brew prices up to date
Save this recipe in the free CostMyDish app. Your ingredient prices live in one Library — when coffee beans (coarse) goes up, every recipe that uses it recalculates, and you see which items need a new price.
Get the free appCommon questions about pricing cold brew
How much does it cost to make one cup?+
In our example (Cold brew (batch, 16 oz serves), makes 8 cups), the ingredients cost $6.50 in total, or $0.81 per cup. Enter your own prices in the calculator for your exact cost.
What food cost % should I use for cold brew?+
For café drinks most businesses aim for 15–25%. At 20%, the example works out to at least $4.07 per cup before labour and overheads.
How much does cold brew cost per cup?+
Divide the batch cost by the number of cups it fills. With the example prices it is a small fraction of a typical menu price.
Should I count ice?+
Ice is usually negligible in cost, but it reduces how much cold brew goes into each cup — so set “It makes” to the real number of servings.
More café drinks pricing guides
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