Coffee beverages have always been an important part of our lives, and Postum was one of the most famous ones. Not so long ago, Postum has been discontinued by the company, but it was re-launched (there is a whole lot of story behind it that we will talk about in this article). However, people still keep thinking, “why is Postum so expensive?” If you have the same question, we are sharing the answers in this article!
Postum – What Is It?
Postum is known to be a roasted and powdered grain beverage that has become a famous alternative for coffee. This beverage was first designed and launched by the Post Cereal Company back in 1895. It was advertised to be the better and healthier substitute for coffee. However, this powdered grain beverage was replaced by the instant drink mix form, which was launched in the year 1912. If you are concerned about the ingredients, it is made from molasses and wheat bran (the wheat bran is roasted).
Initially, it was launched in one genuine flavor, but two new flavors have been introduced, such as cocoa-flavored and coffee-flavored. When it comes down to the production, it was discontinued back in the year 2007. However, the company sold the trademark of Postum in the year 2012 to Eliza’s Quest Food. In addition, the website was sold to the same company and the acquiring company re-launched Postum back in 2013. In particular, it returned to the grocery stores of Canada and the United States.
Over the course of years, the beverage has become extremely popular. The beverage is available in single-serving packets and jars. It is available in three flavors, such as cocoa, coffee, and original flavor. For now, it’s readily available at Natural Grocers, Walmart, Kroger, H-E-B, Albertsons, and Ingles. In addition, online websites also have it in stock.
Why Is Postum So Expensive?
Now that we have shared everything about Postum, let’s talk about the expensive price. Initially, the beverage mix was discontinued by Kraft because the demand was reduced. After this discontinuation, the prices spiked from merely $3 to over $20 on online platforms, such as eBay. Even more, people tried to copy the recipe, and various petitions were signed to bring the beverage back. That being said, the company was acquired by Eliza’s Quest Food, as we have already mentioned.
What’s most surprising is that the acquiring company was only founded to bring back Postum (talk about the obsession). There was a couple in North Carolina who founded the company. So, they brought back Postum and started selling them online. However, they started distributing Postum to the grocery stores in the year 2013. As the manufacturing and distribution started again, the supply increased, which reduced the price across different channels.
However, it’s important to outline that the demand for Postum was quite low, which gave a hard time to Eliza’s Quest Food (this is the same reason why they couldn’t stock Postum in grocery stores beyond the Western United States). Currently, Postum is available for around $11.75 on eCommerce websites, such as Amazon and Walmart. However, the price is around $10.5 on the official Postum website, but there are additional shipping charges (the shipping charges vary according to the location).
Even with this price, it’s safe to say that the current price tag is still expensive because the mixture only has wheat, molasses, and bran. If we talk about the current reasons behind high prices, it could be the lack of demand. Given the less demand, the company is unable to reduce the production costs and scale the product, which leads to higher production, hence the expensive price.
Can You Buy Postum At an Affordable Price?
Currently, the least price available for Postum is $10.5 available in the grocery stores. At this price, you will get an 8oz. jar, while the bigger jar (42oz. jar) is available for $50. But again, you can only buy it in grocery stores if you are in the Western United States. On the other hand, if you want to buy Postum online, Amazon is the best option because they don’t have any shipping fees. However, keep in mind that Amazon only has smaller jars available.