Roasted Coffee
Bulk Ground Coffee
Quick answer
Ground coffee may be supplied in bulk where the destination cannot grind or the application requires it. Grind is specified as a target application plus an agreed reference sample, not as a single number, because every grinder produces a distribution of particle sizes rather than one size.
A grind is a distribution, not a number
No grinder produces particles of a single size. It produces a spread — a large population around the target, plus fines at the bottom end and boulders at the top. Two grinders set to the "same" medium grind can produce meaningfully different distributions, and the fines fraction in particular changes extraction behaviour sharply.
This is why "medium grind" on a purchase order is not a specification. It names a region of a curve without saying anything about its shape, and it gives neither party anything to measure against when a delivery is questioned.
| Application | Grind description | What tends to go wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso | Fine | Small changes in distribution move extraction time significantly |
| Moka / stovetop | Fine to medium-fine | Often confused with espresso grind in specifications |
| Filter — drip and batch brew | Medium | The broadest category and the most loosely specified |
| Pour-over | Medium to medium-coarse | Fines cause the bed to stall |
| French press | Coarse | Fines pass the mesh and muddy the cup |
| Turkish | Powder-fine | Requires a purpose-built mill, not a fine setting on a standard one |
How to specify grind so it holds
- 1State the application the coffee is going into, and the equipment if it is known.
- 2Agree a reference sample of the actual grind, retained by both parties.
- 3Where either side has particle-size instrumentation, record the distribution and the method used to measure it — sieve stack and mesh sizes, or laser diffraction. The two methods do not produce comparable numbers.
- 4State the acceptable variance against the reference between production batches.
- 5Confirm the packing, which for ground coffee is not a separate question — see below.
Packing has to work harder for ground coffee
Grinding exposes an enormous internal surface area to air, and it releases much of the retained CO₂ at once. Both effects run in the same direction: ground coffee stales faster than whole bean, and it stales fastest in the days immediately after grinding.
- Barrier material rather than plain kraft — aromatics and oxygen both move through paper.
- Valve, flush or vacuum, because passive sealing alone does not hold a useful shelf life.
- Shorter planned transit and stockholding, built into the shipment schedule rather than discovered later.
- Grind-to-pack immediacy — the interval between grinding and sealing is itself a specification item.
Availability
Bulk roasted and ground coffee is supplied subject to product specification, origin availability, roasting capacity and commercial agreement. Nothing on this page is an offer or a confirmation of stock — availability, lead time and minimum quantity are confirmed per enquiry.
Ground coffee enquiries
Tell us the application, the packing format and the destination. If you have a reference sample, that is the fastest route to a specification both sides can hold.
Request Coffee OfferFrequently asked questions
Can you match a grind from a sample we send?
How long does ground coffee keep?
Do you supply ground coffee for food manufacturing?
Tell us the coffee you need
Lots can be specified by origin, region, process, grade, screen, moisture, defect tolerance, crop year and packaging. Send what you know and we will confirm what each origin realistically supports.