Wholesale vs Private Label vs White Label Coffee

Sourcing the perfect coffee is one of the key decisions you’ll need to think about when designing a successful coffee programme.

Do you go with a wholesale coffee roaster and serve one of their existing coffee brands? Do you choose a white label coffee and put your own brand on a wholesale bag? Or, do you invest in private label coffee and build on your own brand by sourcing and selecting something bespoke and tailored to your customers?

There are definitely benefits and drawbacks to every option. So understanding the differences between each will help you decide which is the best fit for your business. In this blog, we’ll break down the distinctions between wholesale, private label, and white label coffee. By the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of the options and which one aligns with your goals.

What is Wholesale Coffee?

Wholesale coffee refers to purchasing coffee in bulk directly from a coffee roaster or supplier, typically without any customisation. You simply choose the best wholesale coffee company for your business and select one of their delicious coffees chosen with your target customers in mind, whether it's a single origin or blend. Then, when you have the coffee chosen, set up a wholesale account and then begin buying and serving it to your customers.

It’s a no-nonsense solution to buying large quantities of coffee for a business, providing access to a range of coffee blends, single origins, roast levels and taste profiles.

How Much Does Wholesale Coffee Cost?

Wholesale coffee in 2025 typically costs between £10 and £25 per kilo, with prices varying between suppliers. There are a large number of coffee roasters to choose from, so we suggest doing your research and tasting some coffee!

Here at Bridge Coffee Roasters, our wholesale coffees are typically priced within the £12 to £20 range, depending on the quality of the coffee, its scarcity, the roast level, its traceability, certifications, and order volumes. Found out more here -> Pricing.

Benefits of Buying Wholesale Coffee

Compared to white label and private label coffee, wholesale coffee is the more affordable option, making it ideal for businesses prioritising cost control over customising the coffee branding or flavour. You’ll be selecting from a coffee roaster’s range of existing products, benefitting from their existing relationships, certifications, experience, and operational efficiency.

Many roasters offer a wide range of blends and single origins, giving you plenty of flexibility to experiment and find a coffee that aligns perfectly with your target customers. As part of an initial consultation and coffee tasting, roasters like ourselves can guide you through your options to choose a coffee that both suits your budget and delights your customers.

What Are The Drawbacks of Ordering Wholesale Coffee?

With wholesale coffee, it’s harder to create a unique identity for your business, as the coffee is not exclusive to you. Similar flavour profiles may be available at other coffee shops using the same roaster, blends or origins, making it more challenging to charge premium prices and build your own brand around coffee.

However, because the roaster will be supplying an existing product rather than building something bespoke, you can typically expect some cost savings by buying wholesale.

What is Private Label Coffee?

Private label coffee involves working with a roaster to create a completely bespoke coffee blend or roast that’s exclusive to your brand. This option is perfect for businesses aiming to stand out and offer something unique, or for those that have a specific flavour profile in mind.

Private labels usually cost more - because you’re developing your own coffee and brand from scratch - but gives your business a unique coffee and can make it easier for you to charge more.

How Does Private Label Coffee Work?

Suppliers will differ on how they deliver your private label, but here’s our 5 step process to designing and delivering your private label coffee:

1. The initial Consultation

We start with a detailed consultation to understand your brand’s vision, customer preferences, and goals. You’ll discuss your desired flavour profile, target audience, and budget with the roaster so we have an idea of what we can do.

2 . Coffee Selection and Tasting

You’ll get to explore a variety of coffees. You’ll taste different origins, roast levels, and flavour profiles to see what you like, or what you think your customers will like if you’ve done any market research. At this stage we’ll help you choose the beans that best align with your goals and customer expectations.

3. Crafting the Blend 

You’ll work closely with us to create a bespoke blend, where appropriate, that matches your chosen flavour profile and ensures commercial profitability. Our ‘Post-Roast’ blending technique allows us to get the best out of every bean, enhancing individual bean flavours for a consistent and memorable cup.

4. Custom Branding and Packaging

We’ll work with you to develop packaging and branding that reflects your business identity.  This process involves everything from collaborating on designs for labels, bags, and other physical and digital materials to ensure a polished, market-ready product.

5. Ongoing Support

Maintain a partnership with us for consistent supply and quality. Adjust the blend, branding or strategy as needed to keep your coffee programme competitive and aligned with customer needs.

Benefits of Ordering Private Label Coffee

If you want a distinctive coffee taste or brand that no-one else can replicate, private label could be the way to go. And this is something we have a lot of experience in: Notcutts Garden Centres asked us to develop a new coffee brand that tapped into their heritage, leading to the creation of the 1897 coffee brand with a new blend, bespoke packaging, point of sale and marketing collateral that their customers loved.

Creating your own brand through white or private label allows you to bring your coffee under your own roof and tap into your existing brand and heritage.

Potential downsides of ordering private label coffee

Developing a bespoke coffee blend involves time, resources, and costs. Custom blends require precision, which can introduce challenges in production. Moreover, creating and marketing private label coffee requires significant input and planning – especially if customers aren’t aware of you already.

There’s also the risk that customers won’t like your custom flavour if you’ve focused too much on what you like, and not what appeals to the marketplace. An experienced private label coffee supplier should regularly conduct market research into what flavours your potential customers enjoy so they can guide you through the process of developing a coffee your customers will love.

What is White Label Coffee?

White label coffee allows you to take an existing coffee blend or single origin roast from a supplier and put your own branding and label on it.

It can be a good choice for businesses looking to build a brand around their coffee (or sell it in bags to consumers) without the cost of developing your own flavour from scratch.

 

Benefits of Investing in a White Label Coffee

Creating your own brand of coffee through white labels is a fantastic way of bringing a new product into your existing offering. It allows you to create a unique identity without having to develop a bespoke blend, and is therefore the simplest way of creating a coffee under your own brand and label.

Branded coffee can command higher prices compared to unbranded wholesale options, and it’s an excellent choice for offering retail-ready products that can be sold to customers to grind at home (or you could grind them instore for customers to enjoy at home)

While it’s more cost-effective than private label, it still provides branding flexibility and retains the variety of wholesale coffee.

Potential Downsides of Ordering White Label Coffee

The drawbacks of a white label coffee aren’t likely to be make or break for your business, but they’re important to consider when analysing all three options.

You’re still buying from a roaster’s existing product range so there’s no real room for customising the flavour beyond choosing a roast or profile that you like.

It also means other brands could offer similar products to you, which could reduce differentiation in the coffee flavour – if that was something you want to focus on.

What’s the Difference Between White Label vs Private Label Coffee?

Private label involves creating a bespoke coffee blend or roast developed specifically for your brand. White label coffee uses existing coffee from a roaster’s range, rebranded as your own.

Both options are ideal for businesses looking to build a brand around their coffee, but private label offers greater exclusivity and customisation.

Which is the Best Type of Coffee for Your Business?

There’s no universal “right” answer when choosing between wholesale, private label, or white label coffee. The best option depends on your business goals, budget, and customer preferences.

Wholesale coffee is ideal for businesses focusing on affordability and flexibility without the need for a unique brand. White label coffee is a great middle ground for businesses wanting to create a branded coffee experience without the complexities of custom blends. Private label coffee is perfect for businesses aiming to create a premium brand with exclusive coffee tailored to their vision.