Ueshima Coffee Company has shrunk packs of its whole bean and ground coffee by a fifth while prices at the major multiples have remained unchanged.
Whole beans and ground packs in Fuji Mountain, House Blend and Tokyo Blend have shrunk from 250g to 200g in recent months, with Ocado the only retailer still stocking larger packs in Tokyo Roast at the time of writing [Assosia 52 w/e 20 January 2026].
The 200g packs were initially introduced last summer and have now replaced nearly all of Ueshima’s 250g packs in Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose and Ocado. Tesco, which listed Ueshima in 580 stores last June, has only ever stocked the 200g bags.
Despite being 20% smaller, the 200g packs retail at the same price (£4.75/£5 in Waitrose) as their predecessors.
The decision to reduce pack sizes was made “in response to unprecedented high costs of arabica coffee, driven by market factors”, said Louise Tabor, marketing director at Ueshima Coffee Company.
“Our pricing ensures we can continue to deliver what our Ueshima brand stands for: high-quality, sustainably sourced coffee, that brings an authentic taste of Japanese coffee to consumers across the UK,” she added.
Tight supply caused by adverse weather, shipping disruptions and US tariffs pushed arabica and robusta prices to new highs in 2025.
Elevated prices have since filtered through into retail, with the average prices of ground and instant coffee up 5.5% and 3% per kilo year-on-year respectively [NIQ 52 w/e 6 September 2025].
Ueshima is not the only supplier to have shrunk packs in response to rising costs. In August, Nestlé slimed down Nescafé Original and Decaf granules from 200g to 190g – equivalent to a 5% rise in price per 100g.
Recent changes to Ueshima’s pack sizes were “a supplier-led decision, implemented across all supermarkets stocking the brand,” an Ocado spokeswoman said.
“Our pricing for the new 200g packs either matches, or is less than, that of the other major retailers,” she added.
Sainsbury’s and Morrisons declined to comment. Waitrose had not responded to requests at the time of publication.
No comments yet