Trade Coffee
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
Trade Coffee firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Trade Coffee
- Legal name
- Seed Leaf Inc.
- Website
- https://drinktrade.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Trade Coffee industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee Subscription
- NAICS
- Specialty Food Retailers (4452), Food and Beverage Retailers (445)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Subscription Boxes & Curated Product Subscriptions (CRAFAIAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAD)
Keywords
Where Trade Coffee is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Trade Coffee business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Coffee Subscription (Recurring): Roasted-to-order specialty coffee delivered on a recurring schedule (weekly to every 6 weeks). Subscription plans are curated around coffee styles (cold brew, single origin, espresso, etc.) with the option for custom subscriptions guided by the taste quiz. Revenue is recurring, billed per shipment or pre-paid for multiple bags with discounts (10% for 3 bags, 30% for 6 bags).
- A la carte Coffee Purchases: Individual bags of coffee purchased one-time through the website. Customers can browse 500+ coffees from 55+ roasters and order without a subscription.
- Gift Subscriptions: Pre-paid coffee subscription gifts in 1, 3, 6, and 12-month durations. Recipients redeem by taking the quiz and setting preferences. One-time charge with no auto-renewal.
- Corporate / Group Gifting: Bulk gifting programs for businesses and teams. Corporate buyers fill out a form for a custom plan; recipients take the quiz individually. Volume discount of 20% for 50+ gifts.
- Coffee Equipment Sales: Brewing equipment and accessories sold individually on the platform, including coffee makers, grinders, kettles, scales, filters, and cold brew makers. Price range from ~$7.75 to $1,499.95.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Cold Brew Subscription — Standard Bag (10.93 oz, ~20 cups) |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Cold Brew Subscription — Big Bag (32 oz, ~60 cups) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Coffee Bags (per bag pricing varies by roaster) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Gift Subscription — 1 Month |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Gift Subscription — 3 Months |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Gift Subscription — 6 Months |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Gift Subscription — 12 Months |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Sets (Curated Multi-Roaster Boxes) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Equipment — Coffee Makers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Equipment — Manual Brewers & Accessories |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Trade Coffee product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Trade Coffee operates a personalized coffee subscription platform that aggregates 50-55 independent U.S. roasters into a single discovery and delivery service. Subscribers take a taste preference quiz covering roast level, brew method, and flavor profile, and are algorithmically matched with coffees from a catalog of 500+ SKUs, roasted-to-order and shipped within 48 hours via USPS across all 50 U.S. states. The platform also supports a la carte purchases, gift subscriptions (1/3/6/12 months), curated gift sets, Trade Secrets limited-release drops, brewing equipment retail, and bulk corporate gifting.
Product overview
Trade Coffee is a personalized coffee subscription marketplace that brings together over 55 independent roasters in one platform. The core offering is a taste-matching quiz that personalizes coffee recommendations, with coffees roasted-to-order and delivered fresh. The product portfolio includes the main Coffee Subscription, specialized Cold Brew Subscription, Gift Subscriptions (1/3/6/12 months), Gift Sets (Alma Tasting Set, Feast Experience Set, Passenger Foundational Bundle), Trade Secrets limited-release program (bi-weekly 24-hour drops), Crafted Collections (30 curated collections by roast/brew/origin), Coffee Equipment (brewers, grinders, accessories), Corporate Gifting services, and an educational Coffee Blog. The platform operates as a marketplace aggregator connecting customers with diverse independent roasters while providing personalization through preference matching.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Coffee Subscription Personalized specialty coffee subscription that matches subscribers with coffees from 50-55 independent roasters based on a taste preference quiz. Coffees are roasted-to-order and shipped within 48 hours on flexible schedules (weekly to every 6 weeks).
- Cold Brew Subscription Specialized cold brew coffee subscription featuring roasts crafted specifically for cold brewing, offered in Standard (10.93 oz) and Big Bag (32 oz) sizes with flexible schedules and prepay bundle discounts.
- Coffee Gift Subscription Pre-paid gift subscriptions available in 1, 3, 6, and 12-month durations; recipients redeem by taking the taste quiz and setting preferences. No auto-renewal.
- Gift Sets Curated multi-roaster coffee gift sets sold as one-time purchases, including the Alma Tasting Set ($49.99), Feast Experience Set ($69.99), and Passenger Foundational Bundle ($119.99).
- Trade Secrets Limited-release coffee drops every two weeks featuring rare, small-batch roasts with unique varieties or processing methods, available for purchase during a 24-hour window. SMS-based early access for subscribers.
- Coffee Equipment Brewing equipment and accessories sold individually on the platform, including coffee makers (Moccamaster KBGV $359, Fellow Espresso Series 1 $1,499.95, Aiden Precision $399.95), manual brewers (Chemex, Kalita Wave), grinders (OXO Conical Burr, Ode Brew Grinder Gen 2), kettles, scales, and cold brew makers.
- Corporate Gifting Bulk gifting solution for businesses to send personalized coffee subscriptions to employees or clients, with custom plans created via a dedicated form and a 20% volume discount at 50+ gifts. Recipients independently take the taste quiz on redemption.
Quantifiable outcome
- Wirecutter (NYT) named Trade Coffee #1 Coffee Subscription in America
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Trade Coffee
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Trade Coffee technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Trade Coffee partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- 55 Independent US Coffee Roasters (Aggregator)coreTrade Coffee aggregates 55 independent local roasters (Airship, Alma, Anodyne, Bird Rock, Dune, Greater Goods, Huckleberry, ReAnimator, PERC, Sightseer, Sparrows, Wonderstate, 8th and Roast, Irving Farm, and 40+ others) into a single discovery and delivery platform. Roasters provide the coffee products; Trade provides national distribution, customer acquisition, taste matching, and subscription management. Each roaster is vetted by Trade's team (cupping for quality). Roasters retain their brand identity and direct customer relationships where applicable.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Trade Coffee competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Blue Bottle Coffee: Nestlé-owned specialty coffee company with its own nationwide subscription program. Most direct overlap with Trade's positioning; named alongside Trade in Serious Eats 2026 review. Backed by far greater capital, but limited to Blue Bottle's own coffees rather than a multi-roaster aggregation.
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster and cafe chain with a subscription offering and broad retail distribution. Comparable on quality positioning and direct-to-consumer subscription but with broader cafe and wholesale channels that Trade lacks.
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Peet's-owned specialty roaster with subscription, cafe, and wholesale channels. Comparable on subscription model and quality tier; represents both a partner-roaster alternative and a competitor threat given its DTC investments.
- Peet's Coffee: Major specialty coffee chain owned by JAB Holding (also a Trade investor). Broad incumbent with subscription, cafe, and grocery distribution; relevant as both a competitive threat and a strategic investor relationship that could shape Trade's trajectory.
Direct peers
- Mistobox: Direct-to-consumer curated coffee subscription service aggregating coffees from multiple independent roasters with taste preference personalization. Closest direct competitor on the multi-roaster aggregation model explicitly named in Trade's third-party reviews.
- Atlas Coffee Club: Subscription coffee service shipping international single-origin coffees from around the world. Direct competitor in the curated subscription model with a geographic-discovery angle, and importantly serves Canada and international markets that Trade does not.
- Driftaway Coffee: World Coffee Research-verified specialty coffee subscription with taste profile personalization and roaster storytelling. Direct peer offering a curated multi-origin subscription with similar personalization mechanics to Trade.
- Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster with a direct subscription program and strong sustainability/education positioning. Comparable in roaster quality and educational content but operates its own single-roaster subscription rather than an aggregator model.
- Intelligentsia Coffee: Specialty coffee pioneer with subscription offerings and nationwide cafe presence. Comparable on quality positioning and third-party review comparisons (mentioned alongside Trade in Serious Eats 2026 roundup).
- Crema.co: Specialty coffee subscription marketplace connecting consumers with roasters; positioned similarly to Trade as a multi-roaster discovery platform. Direct peer on the curated aggregator business model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Trade Coffee social profiles
Digital presenceTrade Coffee financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Trade Coffee leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Trade Coffee funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Trade Coffee M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Trade Coffee
What does Trade Coffee do?
Trade Coffee operates a personalized coffee subscription platform that aggregates 50-55 independent U.S. roasters into a single discovery and delivery service. Subscribers take a taste preference quiz covering roast level, brew method, and flavor profile, and are algorithmically matched with coffees from a catalog of 500+ SKUs, roasted-to-order and shipped within 48 hours via USPS across all 50 U.S. states. The platform also supports a la carte purchases, gift subscriptions (1/3/6/12 months), curated gift sets, Trade Secrets limited-release drops, brewing equipment retail, and bulk corporate gifting.
Is Trade Coffee a public or private company?
Trade Coffee is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Trade Coffee founded?
Trade Coffee was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Trade Coffee based?
Trade Coffee is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Trade Coffee make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Coffee Subscription (Recurring) is the primary driver. The others are A la carte Coffee Purchases, gift Subscriptions, corporate / Group Gifting and coffee Equipment Sales.
Who are Trade Coffee's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Blue Bottle Coffee, La Colombe Coffee Roasters, Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Peet's Coffee. Direct peers are Mistobox, Atlas Coffee Club, Driftaway Coffee, Counter Culture Coffee, Intelligentsia Coffee and Crema.co.
Does Trade Coffee have an API?
No public API is recorded for Trade Coffee.
What industry is Trade Coffee in?
Trade Coffee's product category is Specialty Coffee Subscription. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAIAF, Subscription Boxes & Curated Product Subscriptions, with a secondary code of CRAHAGAI, Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories). Its NAICS code is 4452 and its SIC code is 5140.