Coffee, a favorite drink and an indispensable part of the daily routine of many Croatians, could become a luxury.

Despite the fact that it is on the list of products with limited prices, a price increase of as much as 50 percent is expected, writes Dnevnik.hr. Croatia is among the European countries with the highest coffee consumption, and it is unlikely that even sudden price hikes will change that habit.

According to Marko Brajković, a long-time coffee importer, the rise in prices is a consequence of global trends, while a decline in consumption has been recorded for years. "Coffee has always been the cheapest luxury in the world because you do not need it for either hunger or thirst. Coffee consumption, when I started doing this 20 years ago, was far higher, meaning sales have fallen by as much as 70 percent. And there is only one single reason, and that is money," explains Brajković.

Prices on the global market have risen by almost 40 percent in the last three months. However, the importer warns that the real increase in costs is still smaller than what is being reflected in domestic prices. "Coffee has become more expensive per kilogram, but here we are talking about something like one or two euros per kilo over the last 10 years, which is not a justified way to raise prices the way they have been raised," he claims.

To the dissatisfaction of consumers, coffee in Zagreb and other Croatian cities is more expensive than in Italy, a country known for its espresso-drinking culture. "It is more expensive than in Italy. We were just in Florence, coffee there is 1.20 or 1.30 euros in the center, and here with us it is still a bit more expensive," said Igor from Zagreb.