Grind
Grind is a London-founded specialty coffee company operating 14+ cafés, a D2C subscription e-commerce business, grocery retail, B2B commercial machines, and exclusive enterprise supply to British Airways and Soho House worldwide, anchored by the UK's first certified home-compostable coffee pods.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Grind does
Grind Coffee Roasters Limited is a London-headquartered specialty coffee company founded in 2011 by David Abrahamovitch and Kaz James. The company operates an integrated omnichannel business spanning 14+ owned cafés, restaurants, and cocktail bars across London (with additional sites in Manchester and Dubai Airport), direct-to-consumer e-commerce with a recurring subscription model shipping to the UK, EU, and US, grocery retail through Waitrose, B2B commercial coffee through the GrindPro machine programme, and exclusive enterprise supply contracts with British Airways (premium cabins and lounges globally) and Soho House & Co. worldwide.
The core product portfolio centres on home-compostable Nespresso-compatible coffee pods — the UK's first certified home-compostable pods, manufactured from PHA biopolymer with an oxygen barrier for freshness — supported by Grind One and Grind Two pod machines built in partnership with Sjöstrand of Stockholm, whole-bean and ground coffee, craft instant coffee (launched October 2025), and ready-to-drink iced coffee cans acquired through the 2023 Bottleshot Coffee acquisition. Coffee is roasted at an in-house London roastery (20+ staff roasting hundreds of tonnes annually) under Q Grader Howard Gill, with direct-trade sourcing from farms in Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and India at above-Fairtrade pricing. Sustainability and brand credentials include B Corp certification (2024), the Better Coffee Foundation ocean-plastic-recovery initiative, and "Brand of the Year" at The Grocer's Gold Awards (2025).
Revenue is generated through six primary streams: (1) D2C e-commerce with subscription pricing offering 15% off the third delivery, free Grind tin, and free shipping; (2) café and restaurant operations including food, beverage, cocktails, and private-hire events; (3) grocery retail one-time sales; (4) GrindPro hardware sales and leases to workplaces, health clubs, hotels, and lounges, with ongoing coffee supply; (5) airline and hospitality supply contracts (notably British Airways' ~12 million coffees per year across 200+ destinations); and (6) accessories including milk frothers, French presses, reusable cups, and machines. The customer base spans individual at-home coffee enthusiasts, café and restaurant guests, commercial B2B clients, premium airline passengers, and private members' clubs, with Grind Rewards loyalty (1 point per £1 spent) linking channels.
Grind firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Grind
- Legal name
- Grind Coffee Roasters Limited
- Website
- https://grind.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Grind is a London-founded specialty coffee company operating 14+ cafés, a D2C subscription e-commerce business, grocery retail, B2B commercial machines, and exclusive enterprise supply to British Airways and Soho House worldwide, anchored by the UK's first certified home-compostable coffee pods.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Grind industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE), Single-Serve Coffee (Pods, Capsules) (CRADAHAH), Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG)
Keywords
Where Grind is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Grind business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct-to-Consumer E-commerce: Online sales through grind.co.uk including one-time purchases and subscription deliveries of coffee pods, ground coffee, whole beans, and accessories. Subscription model with recurring revenue, offering 15% off third delivery, free tin, and free shipping.
- Café & Restaurant Operations: 14+ café and restaurant locations across London plus Manchester. Revenue from food, beverages, cocktails, and private hire events. Cafés operate as coffee shops by day and cocktail bars by night.
- Grocery Retail: Coffee beans, pods, and iced coffee cans available in major UK grocers including Waitrose. Ready-to-drink iced coffee cans following Bottleshot acquisition.
- GrindPro B2B Commercial: Commercial coffee machines (GrindPro and GrindPro+) sold or leased to workplaces, health clubs, hotels, and airport lounges. Machine sales and lease revenue plus ongoing coffee supply.
- Airline & Hospitality Supply: Exclusive coffee supplier to British Airways for all premium cabins and lounges. Serves 12 million coffees annually. Also exclusive global supplier to Soho House & Co.
- Coffee Accessories: Sale of proprietary accessories including reusable coffee cups, French Press, milk frother, and machines. Accessories complement core coffee offerings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 10 Coffee Pod Box |
| Subscription | Monthly | 30 Coffee Pod Letterbox Pack |
| Subscription | Monthly | 60 Coffee Pod Refills |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 100 Coffee Pod Bulk Box |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Grind One Coffee Pod Machine |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Cafetière (French Press) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Grind Milk Frother |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Reusable Coffee Cup |
| Subscription | Monthly | Subscription Discount |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels8 records
Grind product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Grind is a London-based specialty coffee company that roasts, packages and distributes speciality-grade coffee products (home-compostable pods, beans, ground coffee, craft instant, ready-to-drink iced coffee) direct-to-consumer and through grocery retail, while also operating cafés, restaurants and cocktail bars and running a B2B commercial coffee machine programme (GrindPro/GrindPro+) plus exclusive supply partnerships with British Airways and Soho House & Co. The core proposition combines ethically sourced coffee, the UK's first certified home-compostable pods, and a multi-channel presence spanning home, café, workplace and travel.
Product overview
Grind is a London-based specialty coffee company operating a multi-channel business spanning cafés, restaurants, cocktail bars, retail (online/grocery), and B2B operations. The core product portfolio centers on home-compostable Nespresso® compatible coffee pods (UK's first certified home-compostable pods), complemented by the Grind One pod machine, commercial GrindPro/GrindPro+ machines for workplaces, craft instant coffee, ready-to-drink iced coffee cans (via Bottleshot acquisition), and bean & ground coffee. The ecosystem includes a subscription service with letterbox-friendly deliveries, the Grind Rewards loyalty program, and the Grind at Work B2B program. Coffee accessories include milk frothers, French presses, and reusable cups. The company sources from farms in Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and India, with sustainability credentials including B Corp certification and home-compostable packaging.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- GrindPro: Grind's commercial coffee programme for modern businesses, offering premium fully automated coffee machines for workplaces, health clubs, airport lounges, and hotels.
- Better Coffee Foundation®
- Grind Rewards
Products and services
- Home-Compostable Coffee Pods UK's first certified home-compostable coffee pods made from plant-based PHA biopolymer. Compatible with original-style Nespresso machines and Grind's own pod machines, available in 19 blends including House, Dark, Light, Long, Extra Dark, Decaf, and flavoured options. Sold in 10-pod, 30-pod, 60-pod and 100-pod packs.
- Grind One Pod Machine Nespresso-compatible coffee pod machine with polished stainless steel design, aeroplane-style toggle switches, 19 bars of pressure, 1.2L removable water tank and programmable dosing. Built in partnership with Sjöstrand in Stockholm; comes with a one-year warranty and free London repairs.
- GrindPro Commercial Coffee Machine
Quantifiable outcome
- 12 million coffees served annually to British Airways passengers
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Grind
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Grind technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Grind partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- British AirwaysflagshipExclusive worldwide contract to supply all British Airways premium cabin and lounge coffee. Grind designed a bespoke coffee blend with Brazilian Arabica beans specifically formulated to retain flavour at 35,000ft altitude, co-created with BA's Master of Wine Tim Jackson. Serves approximately 12 million coffees annually across 200+ destinations, replacing incumbent Union Coffee.
- One RetailcorePartnership with One Retail for first standalone travel café at Waterloo station. New café serves coffee, cocktails, and food to commuters starting December 15, 2025.
- Bottleshot CoffeecoreAcquisition of UK ready-to-drink coffee manufacturer for $17.1 million (£15m investment round). Led to integration of Bottleshot's team into Grind and relaunch of canned coffee under Grind brand, expanding into RTD coffee market.
- Ocean Co.corePartnership for ocean-bound plastic recovery. In 2023 and 2024 combined, recovered 120,000kg of plastic (approximately 85.6 million pods' worth). Grind recovers plastic equivalent for every pod, can, and cup sold.
- CleanHubcoreInitial plastic recovery partnership before Ocean Co. collaboration. Funded recovery of plastic in Kerala, South West India through education, recycling incentives, beach cleanups, and improved recycling infrastructure.
- Soho House & Co.coreExclusive global coffee supplier to international hotel group and private members club chain. Grind provides coffee to all Soho House locations worldwide.
- OatlyminorStrategic brand partnership with Swedish oat milk company; aligned sustainability values and target demographic.
- BrewdogminorStrategic brand partnership with Scottish craft brewer; Grind at Brewdog Waterloo is a franchise location.
- SjöstrandcorePartnership with Stockholm-based Sjöstrand for manufacturing Grind One and Grind Two coffee pod machines, plus Grind Milk Frother. Machines designed to Grind specifications with stainless steel durability focus.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves22 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Grind competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Workshop Coffee: London specialty coffee roaster with cafés and a strong DTC subscription business. Direct competitor in the London specialty café and at-home coffee subscription space.
- Allpress Espresso: Specialty coffee roaster operating cafés and B2B wholesale globally with strong UK presence. Closely comparable roastery + café + wholesale hybrid business model.
- Pact Coffee: UK specialty coffee subscription and wholesale business with comparable online subscription, B2B office coffee, and direct trade sourcing model. Most direct competitor on the at-home specialty pod/coffee subscription side of Grind's business.
- Origin Coffee: UK specialty coffee roaster supplying restaurants, hotels, and offices; direct trade sourcing and B Corp credentials closely mirror Grind's positioning and channels.
- Caravan Coffee: London-based specialty coffee roaster with cafés, wholesale supply, and DTC coffee offering. Comparable hybrid roastery/café/wholesale model with strong London brand overlap.
- WatchHouse: UK specialty third-wave coffee shop operator with own roastery, retail café locations, and DTC product sales including coffee pods. Directly comparable on the roastery-café-retail hybrid model Grind operates.
- Notes Coffee: UK specialty coffee company operating cafés in London alongside a Nespresso-compatible pod range — directly competes with Grind on both the café and home pod fronts.
Broad incumbents
- Nespresso: Nestlé-owned global coffee pod incumbent. Defines the category that Grind competes in with its Nespresso-compatible home-compostable pods; controls the installed machine base and has vastly larger scale and marketing.
- Lavazza: Italian coffee major with a broad pod, bean, and foodservice portfolio. A scaled European competitor that competes on pods (Espresso Point, A Modo Mio) and in airline/hospitality supply where Grind has enterprise wins.
- Costa Coffee: UK's largest coffee chain (owned by Coca-Cola), with grocery packaged coffee and pod products. Establishes the mass-market benchmark Grind competes against in UK cafés and grocery.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks3 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Grind social profiles
Digital presenceGrind compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Grind financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Grind leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Grind subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Grind funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Grind M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Grind
What does Grind do?
Grind is a London-based specialty coffee company that roasts, packages and distributes speciality-grade coffee products (home-compostable pods, beans, ground coffee, craft instant, ready-to-drink iced coffee) direct-to-consumer and through grocery retail, while also operating cafés, restaurants and cocktail bars and running a B2B commercial coffee machine programme (GrindPro/GrindPro+) plus exclusive supply partnerships with British Airways and Soho House & Co. The core proposition combines ethically sourced coffee, the UK's first certified home-compostable pods, and a multi-channel presence spanning home, café, workplace and travel.
Is Grind a public or private company?
Grind is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Grind founded?
Grind was founded in 2011. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Grind based?
Grind is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Grind make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Direct-to-Consumer E-commerce is the primary driver. The others are café & Restaurant Operations, grocery Retail, grindPro B2B Commercial, airline & Hospitality Supply and coffee Accessories.
Who are Grind's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Workshop Coffee, Allpress Espresso, Pact Coffee, Origin Coffee, Caravan Coffee, WatchHouse and Notes Coffee. Broad incumbents are Nespresso, Lavazza and Costa Coffee.
Does Grind have an API?
No public API is recorded for Grind.
What industry is Grind in?
Grind's product category is Specialty Coffee. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFADAA, Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave), with a secondary code of THAFADAE, Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes). Its NAICS code is 31192 and its SIC code is 2080.