New Data: 155 Coffee Business Owners Share Their Salary Levels
Fresh Cup, a coffee industry publication, published the results of the industry’s first personal compensation survey for coffee shop and roasting company owners.
- 155 owners participated, offering data-backed insights into what independent owners take home across business types, geographies, metro sizes, and other variables.
Estimations for personal compensation for coffee shop and roasting company owners in the United States have historically been anecdotal. Fresh Cup completed the first-ever survey of business owner salaries in order to offer realistic expectations for new business owners, as well as give existing owners a benchmark for understanding their own contexts.
“Increasing the clarity around owner compensation will help our industry have more precise and productive conversations about how value is shared equitably,” Garrett Oden, Fresh Cup’s publisher, said. “And we hope our findings help business owners plan sustainable budgets for long-term growth and well-being for everyone across their organizations”.
The survey results, verified by a data analyst partner and published across three articles, identify average compensation levels, track commonalities among high-earners, and highlight trends in business owner sentiment. Among the findings are these key takeaways:
- The average coffee shop owner’s salary is $48,234.
- The average coffee roaster owner’s salary is $53,374.
- Owners of both coffee shops and roasters averaged higher salaries: $61,635.
- High earners ($100K+) own slightly older businesses, have more locations, and report focusing more time on growth, development, and strategy.
- 10% of business owners reported that they intentionally keep their own wages low, citing reasons like their businesses are new, they have debt, or the business cannot support them.
The full report is available across three articles, beginning with Survey Results: The 2023 Coffee Business Owner Salary Report.
Fresh Cup is a coffee industry publication that serves professionals and has been on the forefront of industry education and reporting for over three decades.
