Café William
Café William is a Sherbrooke, Quebec-based coffee roaster founded in 2003 that roasts organic and fair-trade certified coffee at a LEED Silver certified factory for North American retail and US private-label distribution.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersSherbrooke, Canada
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Café William does
Café William is a Sherbrooke, Quebec-based coffee roaster founded in 2003 that specializes in organic and fair-trade certified coffee, importing green beans from Colombia via cargo sailboat as part of a differentiated sustainability proposition. The company operates a LEED Silver certified production facility in Sherbrooke built in 2023, roasting coffee for distribution across Canadian and US retail channels and supplying US private-label clients with bulk roasted coffee under retailer brands. Its customer base spans North American consumers and retailers seeking certified ethical coffee as well as American retailers procuring private-label supply, supported by company-owned roasting operations, multi-channel distribution (Canadian retail, US retail, US private-label direct sales), and a $27M CAD private equity round from Le Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Fondaction in February 2024 to finance North American expansion.
The business model is straightforward commodity-plus processing economics: Café William purchases green coffee, adds value through certified organic/fair-trade roasting at its Sherbrooke facility, and sells finished roasted coffee through retail SKUs and private-label contracts. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company differentiates against larger commodity roasters through verifiable sustainability credentials (organic, fair-trade, LEED Silver manufacturing, low-carbon sailboat logistics) rather than price, and competes in the premium and ethically certified segment of the North American coffee market. Headcount sits in the 51-100 range and the company is privately held with no disclosed parent or subsidiaries.
In early 2025 Café William temporarily relocated a portion of US-facing production south of the border after tariffs exceeding 35% threatened American private-label contracts, and in February 2026 it began repatriating that production to Quebec following a US Supreme Court ruling that removed tariffs on coffee imports into the US. The repatriation was executed without layoffs and is accompanied by new hiring to support expanded capacity at the Sherbrooke factory, reinforcing North America-focused growth and the centrality of the Sherbrooke site to the production footprint.
Café William firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Café William
- Legal name
- Café William
- Website
- https://cafewilliamspartivento.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Café William is a Sherbrooke, Quebec-based coffee roaster founded in 2003 that roasts organic and fair-trade certified coffee at a LEED Silver certified factory for North American retail and US private-label distribution.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Café William industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Roasted Coffee
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing (AFAFADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)
Keywords
Where Café William is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sherbrooke
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Café William business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Coffee Product Sales: Café William generates revenue through the roasting and sale of organic and fair trade coffee products. The company serves both retail and private-label/bulk channels across Canada and the United States.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Café William product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Café William is a Sherbrooke-based coffee roaster that sources organic and fair trade certified coffee beans from Colombia (including via cargo sailboat), roasts them at a LEED Silver-certified production facility in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and distributes the finished roasted coffee products across Canada and the United States through retail channels and private-label supply contracts with American clients.
Product overview
Café William is a Sherbrooke-based coffee roaster specializing in organic and fair trade coffee products. The company operates a LEED Silver-certified production facility (built in 2023) and offers a core line of roasted coffee products distributed across Canadian and U.S. markets. The company's sustainable sourcing includes importing coffee beans by cargo sailboat from Colombia, with an emphasis on ecological footprint reduction while maintaining increased production capacity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Café William Coffee Products
Quantifiable outcome
- LEED Silver certified sustainable factory
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Café William
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Café William technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Café William partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Café William competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kicking Horse Coffee: Canadian organic and fair-trade coffee roaster with national retail distribution and private-label contracts across North America; directly comparable in product positioning, organic/fair-trade certification, and Canada-US GTM motion.
- Ethical Bean Coffee: Vancouver-based roaster specializing in organic, fair-trade, and shade-grown coffee for retail and foodservice; matches Café William on values-led sourcing, single-origin emphasis, and Canadian/US retail distribution.
- Cameron's Coffee: Mid-sized Canadian roaster of premium and organic coffees distributed in North American retail; comparable scale, channel mix, and product format to Café William.
- Counter Culture Coffee: US specialty roaster with strong sustainability, transparency and direct-trade credentials, serving wholesale and retail; directly comparable in values-led, organic/specialty positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Van Houtte Coffee: Iconic Quebec-based coffee brand now owned by Keurig Dr Pepper; serves retail, foodservice and private-label across North America, providing a much larger benchmark incumbent in the same regional category as Café William.
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Premium US specialty roaster (now part of Peet's) with direct-trade sourcing and broad retail/foodservice presence; comparable product positioning though larger scale and deeper national distribution.
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters: US specialty roaster with own cafes plus retail and draft RTD; comparable in single-origin and sustainable sourcing ethos, but materially larger and more diversified across channels.
- Green Mountain Coffee Roasters: Large US specialty roaster known for fair-trade and organic K-Cup and bagged coffee, owned by Keurig Dr Pepper; provides a scale-up benchmark for an established sustainable roaster with retail and private-label presence.
- Timothy's World Coffee: Canadian specialty roaster of gourmet, organic and fair-trade coffees under Keurig Dr Pepper; comparable product mix and Canadian retail heritage as a benchmark for an established brand absorbed by a larger player.
Emerging players
- Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers: US-based specialty coffee importer focused on transparent, relationship-based sourcing from Latin America; overlaps with Café William's direct Colombian sourcing narrative and its private-label / roaster customer base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Café William social profiles
Digital presenceCafé William compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Café William financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Café William leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Café William funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Café William 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 Café William
What does Café William do?
Café William is a Sherbrooke-based coffee roaster that sources organic and fair trade certified coffee beans from Colombia (including via cargo sailboat), roasts them at a LEED Silver-certified production facility in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and distributes the finished roasted coffee products across Canada and the United States through retail channels and private-label supply contracts with American clients.
Is Café William a public or private company?
Café William is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Café William founded?
Café William was founded in 2023. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Café William based?
Café William is headquartered in Sherbrooke, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Café William make money?
One revenue line is on record: coffee Product Sales.
Who are Café William's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kicking Horse Coffee, Ethical Bean Coffee, Cameron's Coffee and Counter Culture Coffee. Broad incumbents are Van Houtte Coffee, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, La Colombe Coffee Roasters, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Timothy's World Coffee. Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers is listed as an emerging player.
Does Café William have an API?
No public API is recorded for Café William.
What industry is Café William in?
Café William's product category is Roasted Coffee. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFADAD, Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing, with a secondary code of CRAHAGAI, Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories). Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 2080.