Spot Coffee

What Spot Coffee does

Spot Coffee (Canada) Ltd. is a specialty coffee café operator and franchisor founded in 1995 in Buffalo, New York, and publicly traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CVE: SPP). The company designs, builds, and operates community-oriented cafés, with its core technology centered on a custom-built small-batch drum roaster at its downtown Buffalo roastery, which produces signature blends (House, Espresso, Decaf, Dark Roast) and rotating single-origin offerings. Spot Coffee serves general consumers through approximately 10 café locations concentrated in Western and Central New York, plus franchisees, catering customers, and online retail buyers.

The company operates a dual-format franchise model: full SPoT Café locations of 2,500–3,000 sq. ft. targeting communities of at least 30,000 residents, and a compact SPoT Express format of up to 1,500 sq. ft. aimed at high-traffic, non-traditional venues such as transit hubs, hospitals, libraries, and shopping centers. Revenue is generated across five streams: in-store café sales (coffee, espresso, food, retail), franchise fees and royalties, e-commerce sales of beans, iced coffee, and gift cards via spotcoffee.com, catering services through EzCater and direct phone ordering, and wholesale distribution via spot-direct.com. Pricing is unit-based, with brewed coffee starting at $2.95, specialty espresso drinks at $5.25–$5.95, coffee beans priced from $16.95 to $92.50, and gift cards in fixed $15–$100 denominations.

Spot Coffee's go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer retail (both owned and franchised cafés), franchise-led expansion with end-to-end operator support, and digital channels including Toasttab-powered online ordering, pickup, delivery, and the SPoT Coins rewards program. The company maintains dual headquarters in Buffalo, NY (US) and Toronto, Ontario (Canada). Leadership comprises Anton Ayoub as President & CEO, Ying Chen as CFO, and founder Sally Morin. The input financials indicate persistent operating losses across 2018–2022, and revenue figures are not directly disclosed by the company.

Name

Spot Coffee

Legal name

SPoT Coffee

Website

https://spotcoffee.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Spot Coffee is a publicly traded specialty coffee café operator and franchisor founded in 1995 in Buffalo, NY, serving consumers, franchisees, and catering customers across approximately 10 Western and Central New York locations via two café formats and e-commerce channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Shops & Cafés

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee cafes
• Coffee roasting services
• Cafe franchising
• Event coffee catering
• Ready-to-drink coffee

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Café Sales: In-store sales of coffee, espresso drinks, food items, and retail products (coffee beans, merchandise) at owned and franchise locations.
2. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Initial franchise fees for full SPoT Café and SPoT Express locations, with ongoing royalty support for the franchisor.
3. E-commerce Sales: Online sales of whole bean and ground coffee, ready-to-drink iced coffee, and gift cards through the company's e-commerce storefront.
4. Catering Services: Catering orders for events including brewed coffee, tea, food items, and beverages. Orders through EzCater or direct phone with 24-hour notice for food.
5. Wholesale: Wholesale distribution of coffee products to franchisees and potentially other businesses through spot-direct.com.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SPoT Coffee designs, builds, and operates community-oriented cafés that serve specialty coffee roasted in-house at its Buffalo, NY roastery alongside a full breakfast and lunch menu. Beyond café operations, the company runs a franchise program offering full SPoT Café (2,500-3,000 sq. ft.) and SPoT Express (up to 1,500 sq. ft.) formats, supplemented by e-commerce retail coffee sales, ready-to-drink iced coffee, gift cards, event catering, and wholesale distribution.

Product overview

SPoT Coffee operates as a specialty coffee cafe chain with two distinct business lines: retail cafe operations offering coffee, food, and retail products; and a franchise program with two cafe formats (Full Cafe and SPoT Express). The core product portfolio includes signature coffee blends (House, Espresso, Decaf, Dark Roast), single-origin offerings, and a recently launched ready-to-drink iced coffee in 4-packs. Additional revenue streams include gift cards, catering services, and wholesale coffee sales. The franchise program offers two models: traditional full-size cafes (2,500-3,000 sq. ft.) and compact SPoT Express locations (up to 1,500 sq. ft.).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SPoT Express: A streamlined cafe model designed for speed, convenience, and quality, delivering award-winning coffee and a curated menu in a compact format for high-traffic environments like transit hubs, hospitals, libraries, and shopping centers.

Products and services

• Café Menu (Beverages, Breakfast, Lunch) Full-service café offering of coffee, espresso drinks, shakes, smoothies, all-day breakfast items, sandwiches, wraps, soups, and salads served to in-store guests at SPoT Coffee locations.
• Signature Coffee Beans (House, Espresso, Decaf, Dark Roast) Retail whole bean and ground coffee blends (House Blend, Espresso, Decaf, Dark Roast) roasted in small batches at the Buffalo, NY roastery, sold in 12 oz and 5 lb sizes through the e-commerce shop.
• Single Origin Coffee Rotating single-origin coffee offerings featuring focused flavors from various countries, available seasonally at SPoT cafés and online.
• SPoT Iced Coffee (4-Pack) Ready-to-drink canned iced coffee crafted in-house with ethically sourced beans and sold in 4-packs of 12 oz cans via the online shop and in-café retail.
• Gift Cards Physical SPoT Coffee gift cards available in $15, $25, $50, $75, and $100 denominations, mailed via first-class mail within 3-5 business days.
• Catering Services Event catering service for businesses and individuals delivering SPoT coffee, tea, cold drinks, breakfast platters, sandwich trays, salads, and desserts to events. Orders placed via EzCater or direct phone, with 24-hour notice required for food orders.
• Full SPoT Coffee Café Franchise Full-size SPoT Coffee café franchise concept (2,500-3,000 sq. ft.) offering owner-operators a community-focused café with full kitchen, retail section, patio, and community murals in markets with 30,000+ non-transient residents.
• SPoT Express Franchise Compact SPoT Coffee franchise format (up to 1,500 sq. ft.) designed for high-traffic venues such as transit hubs, hospitals, libraries, and shopping centers, offering a curated menu of top-selling items.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ToasttabcoreTechnology or IntegrationToasttab powers SPoT Coffee's online ordering system for pickup and delivery, as well as the SPoT Coins rewards program. Customers can order online through Toasttab's platform at designated locations.
• GhirardelliminorOthersGhirardelli chocolate is used for SPoT's Hot Chocolate Jug O'Joe catering product - freshly steamed milk combined with rich Ghirardelli chocolate.
• Harney & SonsminorOthersHarney & Sons tea is featured as part of SPoT's catering and café menu offerings. Small serving (10 people): $25.95; Large serving (20 people): $49.50.
• EzCatercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEzCater provides the online platform for SPoT Coffee catering orders. Catering orders can be placed through the EzCater brand page at ezcater.com/brand/pvt/spot-coffee.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster operating cafés plus a growing RTD canned coffee line — directly comparable to SPoT's café-plus-roaster-plus-RTD product architecture.
• Caribou Coffee: Specialty coffee café chain of similar scale and Northern U.S. footprint, with company-owned and franchised stores, in-house roasting, and a comparable community-café positioning to SPoT.
• Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Specialty coffee and tea café chain with company-owned and franchised locations, premium bean/leaf retail, and a comparable full-menu café format that overlaps SPoT's beverage and food offering.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Craft coffee roaster with a network of cafés and wholesale distribution. Direct overlap with SPoT on in-house roasting, signature blends, single-origin offerings, and premium positioning.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Third-wave specialty roaster and café operator known for single-origin and direct-trade sourcing. Highly comparable to SPoT on craft positioning, single-origin rotation, and café-roastery integration.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster with regional cafés and a training/education program. Comparable to SPoT on craft roasting, sustainability messaging, and third-wave café experience.

Broad incumbents

• Tim Hortons: Canada's largest coffee chain and the dominant café brand in SPoT Coffee's Canadian home market. Comparable franchise-led coffee and baked-goods model with a national footprint SPoT cannot match at scale.
• Starbucks: Global specialty coffee incumbent operating cafés with roasted coffee, food, and digital ordering. Comparable menu, café experience, and bean retail, but at vastly greater scale and brand reach than SPoT.
• Dunkin': Mass-market coffee and breakfast chain with a heavily franchised U.S. footprint. Competes with SPoT on convenience, breakfast food, and everyday coffee pricing in overlapping Northeast markets.
• Peet's Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster and café chain with company-owned and franchised units across the U.S. Comparable premium craft positioning, in-house roasting heritage, and bean retail channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SpotcoffeeHQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/spotcoffeecafe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spotcoffee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spot Coffee