Scottish farm selling the UK’s most expensive cup of coffee

By Jordan Pagkalinawan

A Scottish dairy is offering what’s believed to be the most expensive cup of coffee in the United Kingdom, and it comes with a twist.

Mossgiel Organic Dairy is selling a flat white for 272 British pounds ($344). The coffee comes with a share of the farm’s crowdfunding campaign “to enlarge its sustainable operation and produce more milk,” according to the Associated Press. Investors who purchase 34 shares receive a certificate for a free flat white that can be redeemed at one of 13 Scottish coffee shops using the farm’s milk.

“This coffee costs nearly 80 times the price of an average flat white in the U.K. — but it’s much more than just a lovely drink,” owner Bryce Cunningham told the AP. “We know it sounds crazy, but when you break it down, it’s a pretty good deal. How much is the future of farming worth?”

Investors receive other perks besides a cup of joe, including farm tours, milk delivery discounts, and invites to special events. The flat white’s special price beats out the previously most expensive cup of coffee in the UK: a 265-pound flat white from Shot London made with rare beans from Okinawa, Japan.

Cunningham is attempting to get a 900,000-pound loan to help double the farm’s operations and eventually expand out of Scotland. He’s asking for 300,000 pounds from small investors, and had raised a third of that before starting this promotion.

Todd Whiteford, one of the owners of Glasgow’s The Good Coffee Cartel, is serving the expensive flat white and has used Mossgiel’s milk for years. He cites the milk’s quality and consistency as reasons why he’s stuck with them, as it makes for “rounder, smoother and sweeter” cappuccinos, lattes and flat whites — and better coffee art.”

“Theirs is the best. I’ll argue with anyone about that,” he added.

When customers buy one of Mossgiel’s flat whites, Whiteford hopes they realize they’re doing more than getting their typical cup of coffee.

“They’ll have the self-transcendence that coffee is doing greater good than just perhaps buying it otherwise,” Whiteford said.