What Coffee Project NY does

Coffee Project NY is a vertically integrated specialty coffee operator founded in 2015 by Chi Sum Ngai and Kaleena Teoh in New York City's East Village. The company operates six retail cafés across Manhattan (East Village, Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, Financial District, Tribeca), Brooklyn (Fort Greene), and Queens (Long Island City), where the Long Island City site also houses the New York headquarters, an in-house roastery, and the city's first Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Premier Training Campus. The roastery uses San Franciscan SF25 production roasters, an SF1 sample roaster, and a Stronghold S7 Pro electric halogen roaster overseen by Head Roaster Chi Sum Ngai, with café service equipment including Victoria Arduino Black Eagle Maverick, La Marzocco Linea PB AV, and Faema E71E espresso machines.

The business generates revenue across seven streams: physical café retail (espresso, pour over, cold brew, food); monthly coffee subscriptions priced $20-$33 per month; retail e-commerce for beans, ready-to-drink coffee, brew gear, and merchandise via Square; enterprise wholesale and consulting (sourcing, roasting, packaging, program development, training, equipment maintenance) for clients including Google, Salesforce, Tiffany & Co., IWC, Brooklyn Nets, NY Liberty, BCG, and Industrious; SCA-accredited education and Q Grading certification through the Academy; private and corporate events; and a new 3-day Partnership Conference launching October 2026 at $8,000 per ticket (up to two partners) for aspiring café entrepreneurs. Pricing is premium and transparent, with house espresso drinks at $4.50-$6.50, Classic Series pour overs at $15-$18, and Enthusiast Series single-origin pour overs at $20-$25.

The company is privately held, minority and women-led, and entirely bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or M&A history. Notable accolades include Top 100 Coffee Shops of North America and the Caribbean (2026), TimeOut NY Love Local Award, and extensive earned media across Forbes, NY Times, Good Morning America, NBC News, CNN, Bon Appetit, and Sprudge. Customer base metrics include 3,000+ regulars each with $1,000+ lifetime spend and 860,000+ cumulative cups served.

Name

Coffee Project NY

Legal name

Coffee Project Group Inc

Website

https://coffeeprojectny.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coffee Project NY is a vertically integrated specialty coffee operator founded in 2015 in NYC, running seven retail cafés, an in-house roastery, and New York's first SCA Premier Training Campus, serving consumers, corporate wholesale clients (Google, Salesforce, Tiffany & Co.), and coffee professionals through education, events, and subscription.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Retail and Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

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), Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG), Beverage Service (Coffee/Tea/Juice) & Refreshment Stations (HSACAGAJ)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee retail
• Coffee roasting services
• SCA barista training
• Coffee subscription boxes
• Wholesale coffee program

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Island City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Café Retail: Physical café locations serving espresso-based beverages, pour over coffee, cold brew, and food items. Revenue from walk-in customers at 7 NYC locations.
2. Coffee Subscriptions: Monthly subscriptions for roasted coffee beans, cold brew, and instant coffee pods. Customers customize plans delivered monthly. Subscription prices range from $20-33/month.
3. Retail Products: Online shop selling coffee beans, ready-to-drink coffee, brew gear, and merchandise through Square e-commerce platform.
4. Wholesale & Consulting: Full-service wholesale partnerships including sourcing, roasting, packaging, coffee program development, training, and equipment maintenance for B2B clients.
5. Education & Training: SCA certification classes, workshops, and professional training programs at the Academy in Long Island City. Classes include Barista Skills, Brewing, Roasting, Sensory, Green Coffee, and Q Grading.
6. Corporate Events: Private coffee tasting and latte art events for corporate clients, offered onsite in Long Island City, offsite around NYC, or remotely.
7. Partnership Conference: 3-day weekend conference (October 2-4, 2026) for aspiring café entrepreneurs at $8,000 per ticket. Includes business strategy, coffee skills, operational blueprint, and brand loyalty modules.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Coffee Project NY operates a multi-location specialty coffee café business in New York City combined with in-house coffee roasting, an e-commerce and subscription program, B2B wholesale and consulting services, and an SCA Premier Training Campus offering accredited coffee education (SCA Coffee Skills Program, Q Grading) and workshops. The company serves individual consumers through seven cafés, online subscriptions, and retail products, and serves business clients through wholesale coffee program development, private and corporate coffee events, and a 3-day Partnership Conference for aspiring café entrepreneurs.

Product overview

Coffee Project NY is a specialty coffee company operating a multi-location café chain across New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens), an in-house roasting operation, and an SCA-certified education and training campus. The business offers coffee subscriptions and retail products (beans, ready-to-drink, brew gear, merchandise), professional coffee education (SCA Coffee Skills Program, Q Grading certification, workshops), B2B wholesale and consulting services, and private/corporate events. The company was founded in 2015 and is led by co-founders Chi Sum Ngai (CEO) and Kaleena Teoh (Director of Education).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Academy at Coffee Project NY: Training campus at the Long Island City location offering SCA-certified coffee education and certification classes.

Products and services

• Coffee Shops / Cafés Multi-location specialty coffee cafés in New York City serving espresso beverages, pour overs, cold brew, signature drinks, and food.
• Coffee Roasting In-house coffee roasting operations using San Franciscan SF25, SF1 sample roaster, and Stronghold S7 Pro electric halogen roaster for small-batch competition coffees.
• Coffee Subscriptions Monthly delivery subscriptions for roasted coffee beans, cold brew, instant coffee pods, and seasonal house drip coffees. Subscription prices range from $20 to $33 per month depending on product selection.
• Coffee Beans (Retail) Whole bean and ground coffee offered for retail purchase, including single origins, house blends, and seasonal selections.
• Ready to Drink Coffee Ready-to-drink canned and bottled coffee products including Coffee Palmer and 32 Degrees Cold Brew.
• Brew Gear Coffee brewing equipment and accessories sourced from competitions, design awards, and industry partners.
• Academy at Coffee Project NY (SCA Training) SCA-certified Premium Training Campus offering professional coffee education including the SCA Coffee Skills Program modules (Barista, Brewing, Green Coffee, Roasting, Sensory), Q Grading certification, and workshops, located in Long Island City.
• SCA Coffee Skills Program Professional certification pathway from the Specialty Coffee Association including Introduction to Coffee and five specialist modules (Barista Skills, Brewing Skills, Green Coffee, Roasting Skills, Sensory Skills), each at Foundation, Intermediate, and Professional levels.
• Q Grading Certification (SCA Evolved) Comprehensive advanced coffee cupping and quality control certification. Six-day program with nine exams (eight practical, one written) for specialty coffee professionals.
• Workshops Non-accredited coffee classes for beginners and enthusiasts including Barista Intensive, Coffee Tasting/Cupping, Pour Over Intensive, Latte Art Intensive, Coffee Entrepreneurship, and Sample Roasting on IKAWA. Classes are 1-3 hours long, offered online or on-site.
• Wholesale and Consulting Full-service wholesale partnerships and consulting including sourcing, roasting, packaging, coffee program development, barista training at the SCA campus, and equipment maintenance for hotels, restaurants, offices, and retail.
• Private and Corporate Events Educational coffee events including coffee tastings and latte art classes offered remotely, offsite around NYC, or onsite at the Long Island City Academy, including trivia competitions with goodie bag prizes.
• Partnership Conference
• Merchandise Branded coffee merchandise including apparel and accessories.

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 100 Coffee Shops of North America and the Caribbean ranking
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• LyseeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFashion brand partnership. Lysee is listed as a brand partner on the wholesale page with logo display.
• Lady WongminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood & beverage brand partnership. Lady Wong is listed as a brand partner on the wholesale page with logo display.
• IWC (International Watch Company)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLuxury watch brand wholesale client. IWC is listed as a wholesale coffee program partner with logo display.
• Tiffany & Co.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLuxury retail brand wholesale client. Tiffany & Co. is listed as a wholesale coffee program partner with logo display.
• TeelingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWhiskey brand partnership. Teeling is listed as a brand partner on the wholesale page with logo display.
• IndustriousminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoworking space wholesale client. Industrious is listed as a wholesale coffee program partner with logo display.
• Brooklyn NetsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional basketball team wholesale client. Brooklyn Nets is listed as a wholesale coffee program partner with logo display.
• NY LibertyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional basketball team (WNBA) wholesale client. NY Liberty is listed as a wholesale coffee program partner with logo display.
• SalesforceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology company wholesale client. Salesforce is listed as a wholesale coffee program partner with logo display.
• GoogleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology company wholesale client. Google is listed as a wholesale coffee program partner with logo display.
• Masterpiece Coffee (Berkeley)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPop-up partnership event. Coffee Project NY CEO Sum will be brewing coffee for seated tastings at Masterpiece Coffee in Berkeley on August 14, 2026.
• Prelude Coffee & Tea (Houston)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPop-up partnership event. Coffee Project NY CEO Sum will be brewing coffee at Prelude Coffee & Tea during the Origami Cup in Houston on August 6, 2026.
• The Espresso LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompetition tasting partnership. Hosted a tasting event featuring 2026 World Brewers Cup Championship competition coffee, brewed by 2026 UAE Brewers Cup Champion Ibrahim H. Al Mallouhi.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster and multi-location café operator with deep wholesale presence and significant capital backing (Nestlé). Closely comparable vertical integration — roastery, cafés, subscriptions, and ready-to-drink — and direct overlap in the US premium/specialty coffee consumer segment Coffee Project NY targets.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Pioneering third-wave specialty roaster with cafés, wholesale, and training programs. Directly comparable in roast-and-café model, B2B accounts, and a multi-city footprint; an industry reference point for the roaster-café hybrid Coffee Project NY is built on.
• Devoción: NYC-based specialty coffee roaster and café operator with a strong third-wave positioning and a flagship roastery. Competes head-to-head with Coffee Project NY for the same Manhattan/Brooklyn consumers and café foot traffic.
• Joe Coffee: New York City specialty coffee roaster with multiple Manhattan/Brooklyn cafés, wholesale accounts, and barista training programs. Closely aligned product mix, geography, and B2B/wholesale strategy.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster operating cafés plus a robust wholesale network and canned RTD coffee products (draft latte). Comparable vertical integration across roastery, retail, wholesale, and RTD — directly overlapping with Coffee Project NY's product portfolio.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster with a long-standing training/education arm (Counter Culture Coffee Headquarters) and direct-trade sourcing ethos. Closely comparable in combining roasting, education, and wholesale distribution that prioritizes quality.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Premium third-wave specialty roaster with cafés, wholesale accounts, and direct-trade sourcing programs. Directly comparable positioning to Coffee Project NY's Enthusiast/Classic pour-over lineup and specialty wholesale value proposition.
• Birch Coffee: NYC-based specialty coffee roaster and café operator focused on the Manhattan market. Direct competitor for NYC café foot traffic, wholesale contracts, and subscription customers.
• Toby's Estate Coffee: Specialty roaster with NYC cafés, wholesale accounts, and barista training. Comparable specialty positioning, café footprint, and B2B/wholesale mix in overlapping metro geography.
• Gregorys Coffee: Multi-location NYC specialty coffee chain with strong NYC presence and a broader beverage menu. Comparable as a competing multi-location premium coffee brand in the same neighborhoods.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/coffeeprojectny
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coffee-project-ny

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Coffee Project NY