Intercontinental Coffee Trading
Intercontinental Coffee Trading is a San Diego-based specialty green coffee importer founded in 2009, sourcing beans directly from origins worldwide and selling them wholesale to coffee roasters across the USA and Canada through a 10-warehouse distribution network, Q Grader-led quality verification, and a self-serve live inventory portal.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Intercontinental Coffee Trading does
Intercontinental Coffee Trading (ICT Coffee) is a US-based specialty green coffee importer founded in 2009 in San Diego, California. The company sources unroasted (green) coffee beans directly from producing countries including Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Brazil, and Nicaragua, and sells them wholesale to coffee roasters of all sizes across the USA and Canada. Core products include standard wholesale green coffee lots, microlots (small-batch offerings from specific farms), and a Private Label Coffee Producer service that supplies green beans for custom-branded roaster programs. Supporting services include cupping events, free samples, and inbound/outbound logistics.
ICT's operational platform is built around a 10-node North American warehouse network spanning the US West Coast (San Leandro CA, Alameda CA, Auburn WA), Gulf Coast (Houston), Southeast (Jacksonville FL), Mid-Atlantic (Middle River MD, Carteret NJ, Edison NJ), and Western Canada (Delta BC). Each warehouse publishes published cutoff times for next-day fulfillment and rush fees ($35-$105). Quality control is delivered in-house by certified Q Graders (licensed professional coffee tasters), who cup every lot at offer, pre-shipment, arrival, and inventory stages. The proprietary HACOFCO CONNECT sustainability standard, recognized in 2025 by the Global Coffee Platform as equivalent to the Coffee SR Code, supports ESG positioning. A self-serve Live Inventory portal exposes 150+ origin lots with grades, bag sizes, and warehouse location, complementing the consultative trader-led sales motion.
The business model is straightforward B2B (business-to-business) wholesale: revenue is generated from per-bag sales of green coffee (30-70 kg units) at quote-based pricing that varies by origin, grade, and certifications (organic, fair trade, bird friendly), plus separately invoiced freight and logistics charges. The go-to-market is hybrid, pairing account-managed traders (Stanley Slater, Banks Thomas, Celi Hernandez, Keely Thomas) for consultative selling with a product-led self-serve portal for smaller roasters. Content marketing (blog, Instagram, YouTube, newsletter) supports top-of-funnel demand. The company is privately held with no disclosed outside funding and operates as a founder-led specialty distributor.
Intercontinental Coffee Trading firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Intercontinental Coffee Trading
- Legal name
- Intercontinental Coffee Trading Inc.
- Website
- https://ictcoffee.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Intercontinental Coffee Trading is a San Diego-based specialty green coffee importer founded in 2009, sourcing beans directly from origins worldwide and selling them wholesale to coffee roasters across the USA and Canada through a 10-warehouse distribution network, Q Grader-led quality verification, and a self-serve live inventory portal.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Intercontinental Coffee Trading industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Green Coffee Wholesale
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing (AFAFADAJ)
Keywords
Where Intercontinental Coffee Trading is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices10 records
Markets served
Intercontinental Coffee Trading business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Green Coffee Bean Sales: ICT Coffee generates revenue by importing and selling wholesale green coffee beans to roasters across the USA and Canada. Roasters purchase green coffee at wholesale prices, typically in bag quantities (30-70 kg bags), with pricing based on origin, grade, and contract terms. The company also arranges shipping on behalf of clients, invoicing for the green coffee plus freight charges.
- Freight and Logistics Services: ICT arranges shipping on behalf of clients, including discounted pallet rates to most destinations. The purchaser is responsible for all shipping, freight, and delivery charges, which are invoiced separately. Additional services such as inside delivery or lift gate use are billed as add-on charges.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wholesale green coffee beans sold by bag or contract to roasters of all sizes — startups through large corporate roasters. |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Intercontinental Coffee Trading product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Intercontinental Coffee Trading imports and wholesales specialty green coffee beans from origins worldwide to coffee roasters across the USA and Canada. The company sources directly from producing regions, evaluates every lot using certified Q Graders, and distributes through a multi-warehouse network offering same-day and next-day fulfillment. Beyond green coffee sales, ICT offers microlots, private label coffee production, cupping events, and logistics services.
Product overview
Intercontinental Coffee Trading (ICT Coffee) is a specialty green coffee bean importer and wholesale supplier operating since 2009. The company offers a portfolio of green coffee products including wholesale green coffee beans (the core product), microlots, and private label coffee production services. Supporting services include live inventory management, cupping events, logistics services with a multi-warehouse US network, and commercial roaster support. The company operates a direct-to-roaster model serving customers from startups to large corporate roasters across the USA and Canada.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Green Coffee Beans Wholesale specialty green coffee beans sourced from origins worldwide (Ethiopia, Colombia, Guatemala, Kenya, Brazil, Honduras, and others), sold by bag (30–70 kg) to roasters from startups to large corporate operations. Quality is verified by certified Q Graders at multiple supply-chain stages, and the offering includes organic, fair trade, and bird friendly certifications.
- Microlots Small-batch, high-quality green coffee lots from specific farms or producers with distinctive flavor profiles, targeted at specialty roasters seeking differentiated offerings for their menus.
- Private Label Coffee Production Custom branded coffee production service that allows roasters and commercial buyers to source green coffee for their own private label programs, supporting white-label and OEM-style supply.
- Logistics Services Distribution and delivery services operated through ICT's ten-warehouse network across the USA and Canada (San Leandro CA, Alameda CA, Auburn WA, Delta BC, Houston TX, Jacksonville FL, Middle River MD, Carteret NJ, Edison NJ), offering will-call pickup, LTL shipping, and same-day or next-day order fulfillment with rush fees for expedited orders.
- Cupping Events Coffee cupping events and tasting sessions that allow roasters to evaluate green coffee samples before placing wholesale orders, supporting purchase evaluation and relationship-building with the ICT sales team.
Quantifiable outcome
- ICT's sustainability standard HACOFCO CONNECT holds Global Coffee Platform recognition as equivalent to the Coffee SR Code.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Intercontinental Coffee Trading
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Intercontinental Coffee Trading technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Intercontinental Coffee Trading partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- World Coffee ResearchcoreICT Coffee partners with World Coffee Research (WCR), a global collaborative nonprofit research organization working to ensure the future of coffee in the face of climate change. ICT participates in the WCR Checkoff Program, where roasters contribute pennies per pound toward WCR's research agenda and ICT matches contributions — doubling the impact. WCR's work includes the world's largest network of farmer field trials, global sensory studies, and breeding hubs in East Africa and Central America.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Intercontinental Coffee Trading competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cafe Imports: Cafe Imports is a specialty green coffee importer and wholesaler serving North American roasters with a multi-warehouse footprint and direct-from-origin sourcing. It is arguably the closest direct competitor to ICT in product mix, customer base (specialty roasters), and go-to-market model.
- Royal Coffee New York: Royal Coffee is one of the oldest specialty green coffee importers in the US, offering a live inventory platform, Q Grader cupping, and direct-from-origin supply to roasters across North America. The product catalog, customer segment, and live-inventory GTM parallel ICT's model closely.
- Atlas Coffee Importers: Atlas Coffee Importers is a specialty green coffee importer focused on relationship-based sourcing, microlots, and quality-verified lots for US roasters. It overlaps with ICT on direct trade, cupping-based quality, and serving specialty roaster accounts.
- Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers: Sustainable Harvest is a specialty green coffee importer with a strong relationship-based and sustainability-led sourcing model serving North American roasters. It is directly comparable to ICT on direct-from-origin specialty supply and sustainability positioning (similar to HACOFCO CONNECT).
- Crop to Cup Coffee Importers: Crop to Cup is a relationship-focused specialty green coffee importer supplying roasters in the US with traceable lots from specific farms and origins. It competes with ICT for premium roaster accounts and shares the microlot/direct-trade positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Olam Specialty Coffee (ofi): ofi (Olam Food Ingredients) operates a large specialty coffee division that sources, imports, and distributes green coffee worldwide to industrial and specialty roasters. It competes with ICT at the larger end of the roaster base and offers a much broader origination footprint.
- Volcafe (ED&F Man): Volcafe is one of the world's largest green coffee traders, sourcing from origins globally and supplying roasters and food-service operators. It competes with ICT on commodity and specialty supply, with far greater scale, capital, and origination staff.
- ECOM Trading Group: ECOM is a major global coffee and cocoa merchant with operations across producing origins and importing countries. It represents the commodity-trader flank of competition for ICT, especially on commercial-grade and volume programs.
Regional players
- Mercanta North America: Mercanta is a UK-headquartered specialty green coffee importer with growing presence in North America, focused on single-origin and microlot supply to roasters. It is a comparable specialty importer but its primary geographic base is outside ICT's core US/Canada footprint.
- Belco / CTR (Coffee Trade Referral): Belco is a European-based specialty green coffee importer that serves roasters in Europe and beyond with traceable, relationship-sourced beans. It is a relevant comparable specialty trader, though it primarily operates in a different geography than ICT.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Intercontinental Coffee Trading social profiles
Digital presenceIntercontinental Coffee Trading financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Intercontinental Coffee Trading leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Intercontinental Coffee Trading funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Intercontinental Coffee Trading 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 Intercontinental Coffee Trading
What does Intercontinental Coffee Trading do?
Intercontinental Coffee Trading imports and wholesales specialty green coffee beans from origins worldwide to coffee roasters across the USA and Canada. The company sources directly from producing regions, evaluates every lot using certified Q Graders, and distributes through a multi-warehouse network offering same-day and next-day fulfillment. Beyond green coffee sales, ICT offers microlots, private label coffee production, cupping events, and logistics services.
Is Intercontinental Coffee Trading a public or private company?
Intercontinental Coffee Trading is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Intercontinental Coffee Trading founded?
Intercontinental Coffee Trading was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Intercontinental Coffee Trading based?
Intercontinental Coffee Trading is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Intercontinental Coffee Trading make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Green Coffee Bean Sales are the primary driver. The others are freight and Logistics Services.
Who are Intercontinental Coffee Trading's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cafe Imports, Royal Coffee New York, Atlas Coffee Importers, Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers and Crop to Cup Coffee Importers. Broad incumbents are Olam Specialty Coffee (ofi), Volcafe (ED&F Man) and ECOM Trading Group. Regional players are Mercanta North America and Belco / CTR (Coffee Trade Referral).
Does Intercontinental Coffee Trading have an API?
No public API is recorded for Intercontinental Coffee Trading.
What industry is Intercontinental Coffee Trading in?
Intercontinental Coffee Trading's product category is Specialty Green Coffee Wholesale. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIAKAD, Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale, with a secondary code of AFAFADAJ, Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing. Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 5140.