BUYING BETTER / 3 MIN READ
How to compare wholesale coffee quotes beyond the price per kilo
Ploomi Journal · Research checked 15 November 2026
Two quotations can look similar at first glance while including different coffees, quantities, delivery and services. Make each quote comparable before choosing the lower number.
Ask what coffee is actually quoted
Record the coffee or blend name, origin information that is available, roast style, package size and whether the quoted coffee is the sample you tasted. Ask whether the composition can change and how the supplier communicates changes. A placeholder name or tasting description is not a substitute for a confirmed product.
Compare quantities on the same basis
Convert prices to the same unit and check whether taxes and delivery are included. An example: ₹1,000/kg and ₹1,100/kg differ by ₹100/kg, or ₹1.80 per 18 g dose before waste and other costs. The example is illustrative and is not a market price or Ploomi’s quotation. Ask what volume and ordering frequency each price assumes.
Make delivery and lead time explicit
Ask where delivery is available, the charge for your address, the expected lead time and what happens when stock is temporarily unavailable. Ploomi offers free wholesale delivery across Kerala; delivery to other Indian locations is confirmed in the quotation. Paid samples have a separate delivery charge, communicated before payment.
Separate included support from possible support
If training, brewing advice or equipment guidance matters to your team, ask what is included, where it happens, whether there is a fee and who to contact. Do not assume an item is included simply because a supplier describes it on its website.
Run the taste and service test
Compare samples on your own equipment and in your most popular drinks. Keep dose, yield and tasting notes. The SCA describes sensory attributes separately from personal or market preference: this can help your team distinguish what it tastes from whether it fits your customers. Read the SCA framework.
A checklist to send each supplier
- Which coffee is being quoted, and what information about its origin and roast can you share?
- What is the price per kg at our expected order size? Are tax and delivery included?
- Is there a minimum quantity? What is the expected lead time to our location?
- What do samples and their delivery cost, and how do we request them?
- Which payment terms and support services apply to our quotation?
Keep the responses together and review them whenever your volume or menu changes. Ploomi has no minimum order quantity for wholesale enquiries; pricing and payment terms are discussed against your requirements.
Sources and further reading
- SCA: Coffee Value Assessment.
- Coffee Board: India coffee statistics, for production context rather than roasted wholesale pricing.