According to agricultural advocacy project The Hand That Feeds U.S., sugar and cream make up just four cents of the cost of a US$1.85 cup of coffee.
The project uses a profit breakdown released recently by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. That association claims that the coffee itself costs 64 cents and serving it costs 33 cents. Other costs include 13 cents for the cup, three cents for the lid, 11 cents for the lease on the land where the coffee shop sits, four cents for utilities, five cents for advertising and marketing, three cents for research, and 13 cents for taxes and interest. The profit is only 10 cents.