Caffe Vita

What Caffe Vita does

Caffe Vita Coffee Roasting Co. is an independent, privately-held specialty coffee company founded in 1995 in Seattle by Deming Maclise, operating as Vita Coffee LLC. It runs three roasting facilities (Seattle as headquarters, Brooklyn as East Coast hub, and Phoenix as newest Southwest hub) and nine company-owned cafes spanning Seattle, Brooklyn, the Lower East Side in Manhattan, and Phoenix. The portfolio includes hand-roasted coffee blends, single-origin, organic, and decaf offerings, plus ready-to-drink products—Vita Cold Shot using BKON's patented RAIN technology for cold espresso extraction and shelf-stable Cold Brew cans developed with Common Collabs' latent-heat extraction process. Coffee is hand-selected by Coffee Director Sam Spillman, a U.S. Barista Champion, through direct-trade partnerships.

The business operates across three revenue streams: direct-to-consumer e-commerce with a Vita Coffee Club subscription (25% off first order, free shipping on subscriptions); wholesale coffee service to cafes, restaurants, hotels, offices, colleges, grocery stores, and bars nationwide, bundled with equipment service, barista training, and account management; and cafe retail operations including merchandise. Distribution is supported by three roasteries enabling nationwide DTC shipping to all 50 US states plus Japan and Canada, and a wholesale field sales motion complemented by a multi-tier Vita Rewards loyalty program (Bronze, Silver at $200 spend, Gold at $350 spend).

The company is differentiated by 30 years of independent craft heritage, community integration through flagship partnerships (notably KEXP radio and Smith Tower), and an embedded wholesale service model. All coffees are kosher certified, with cold brew cans as the exception. The firm has remained independent with no disclosed outside investors, venture capital, or private equity involvement, and CEO Deming Maclise remains actively involved in operations.

Name

Caffe Vita

Legal name

Vita Coffee LLC

Website

https://caffevita.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Caffe Vita is an independent specialty coffee roaster founded in 1995, operating three roasteries and nine cafes across Seattle, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Phoenix. It sells hand-roasted coffee, RTD cold beverages, and accessories via DTC e-commerce, subscription, retail cafes, and a nationwide wholesale program serving hospitality, corporate, education, and grocery accounts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

RTD Coffee Production (Non-Dairy/Non-Alcoholic) (AFAFABAE), Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA), Independent Neighborhood Cafes (THAFADAC)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Wholesale coffee service
• Coffee subscription service
• Ready-to-drink coffee
• Specialty cafe retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-Consumer Coffee Sales: Online e-commerce sales of whole bean coffee, ground coffee, and ready-to-drink products. Subscription model with recurring orders offering 25% off first order and free shipping. Core products include blends, single origins, and seasonal releases.
2. Wholesale/B2B Coffee Service: Partnerships with cafes, restaurants, hotels, venues, offices, colleges, grocery stores, and bars nationwide. Provides coffee program, equipment, training, and ongoing support.
3. Cafe Retail Operations: Nine company-owned cafe locations in Seattle, Brooklyn, and Phoenix. In-store coffee service, food, and merchandise sales.
4. Equipment Service & Training: Expert service technicians provide installation, maintenance, repair, and consultation. Extensive training program for wholesale partners including sourcing education, hands-on equipment training, and barista certification.
5. Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise including apparel, accessories, drinkware, and gift items sold online and in cafes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Caffe Vita is an independent specialty coffee roaster that hand-roasts coffee blends, single origins, organic, and decaf coffees at three regional roasteries (Seattle, Brooklyn, Phoenix). It sells these products through direct-to-consumer e-commerce, a subscription service (Vita Coffee Club), nine company-owned cafes, and a nationwide wholesale program serving cafes, restaurants, hotels, offices, colleges, grocery stores, and bars, supported by equipment service and barista training programs. It also produces ready-to-drink innovations including Vita Cold Shot and shelf-stable cold brew.

Product overview

Caffe Vita Coffee Roasting Co. is an independent coffee company founded in 1995 offering a portfolio of hand-roasted coffee products across three roasteries in Seattle, Brooklyn, and Phoenix. The core product lineup consists of coffee blends (Caffe Del Sol, Caffe Luna, Theo Blend, Nor'Wester, KEXP Blend, Queen City, Bistro Blend), organic coffees (Organic Fiore Espresso, Organic Sumatra Gayo River, Organic Fiore French), and decaf options (Novacella Decaf, Organic Fiore Decaf). Ready-to-drink offerings include Vita Cold Shot (cold espresso extraction using BKON RAIN technology), Vita Cold Brew Can (Classic and Nitro varieties using Common Collabs' extraction process), and Vita Cold Brew 6pk. The company operates subscription services through Vita Coffee Club (Evergreen Blends, Roaster's Choice Blend, Roaster's Choice Single Origin), a retail loyalty program (Vita Rewards), a wholesale program serving cafes/restaurants/hotels/offices/grocery/bars, equipment service, and barista training. Accessories include brewing filters (Chemex, Aeropress, Hario V60), drinkware (Vita Sunset Tumbler, Vita Gold Mug), and merchandise (tote bags, apparel, bumper stickers). Gift options include physical Cafe Gift Cards and digital Online Shop Cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fiore: Organic coffee collection including Organic Fiore Espresso, Organic Fiore French, and Organic Fiore Decaf blends.

Products and services

• Caffe Del Sol Caffe Vita's flagship espresso blend featuring a Brazil Natural, Ethiopia Natural, and Guatemala Washed combination with tasting notes of milk chocolate, caramel, and dark cherry. Sold as 12oz and 5lb whole bean/ground coffee for home brewing and cafes.
• Caffe Luna A dark roast blend named after the night, featuring South and Central American coffees with tasting notes of almond, s'mores, and dark chocolate. Available in 12oz and 5lb bags.
• Campfire Blend Seasonal medium roast blend with tasting notes of roasted marshmallow, golden lager, and good times, with limited seasonal availability for summer. Available in 12oz and 5lb bags.
• Nor'Wester Blend Light roast blend paying homage to Pacific Northwest roots with tasting notes of Rainier cherry, malt chocolate, and maple. Available in 12oz and 5lb bags.
• KEXP Blend Coffee for a cause blend created to support KEXP nonprofit radio station, with tasting notes of fudge, brown sugar, and fig. Available in 12oz bags.
• Theo Blend Certified organic blend designed to pair with chocolate, featuring tasting notes of dark chocolate, baking spice, and dark berries. Available in 12oz and 5lb bags.
• Organic Fiore Espresso Crown jewel organic espresso blend from the Fiore sub-brand with Typica and Bourbon varietals, featuring tasting notes of chocolate fudge, brown sugar, and blueberry. Available in 12oz and 5lb bags.
• Organic Sumatra Gayo River Certified organic single origin from Indonesia with wet-hulled processing, featuring tasting notes of roasted almond, brown sugar, and nougat. Available in 12oz bags.
• Novacella Decaf Superior decaf blend from Colombia's Huila region, decaffeinated using natural sugarcane process with tasting notes of nutmeg, cocoa powder, and candied orange. Available in 12oz bags.
• Vita Cold Shot Ready-to-use cold espresso extraction brewed using BKON's patented RAIN (Reverse Atmospheric Infusion) technology, yielding up to 25 cold espresso drinks per 25oz bottle (approximately 90-110mg caffeine per 1.5oz serving). Tasting notes of milk chocolate, caramel, and dark cherry. Shelf-stable format.
• Vita Cold Brew Can Shelf-stable cold brew made with Caffe Del Sol base, available in Classic or Nitro varieties, brewed using Common Collabs' proprietary latent-heat extraction process. Available in 12oz cans (sold individually or in 6-packs). Shelf-stable for up to one year.
• Vita Coffee Club Subscription Coffee subscription service offering free shipping, early access to new products, and exclusive subscriber discounts. Three subscription tiers: Evergreen Blends, Roaster's Choice Blend (monthly rotating blend), and Roaster's Choice Single Origin (monthly rotating single origin). 25% off first subscription order.
• Wholesale Coffee Program Coffee service partnership offering for cafes, restaurants, hotels, colleges, offices, grocery stores, and bars nationwide. Includes wholesale coffee supply, equipment service, comprehensive training program, and dedicated account management. Direct delivery from three regional roasteries.
• Equipment Service Coffee equipment maintenance and repair service including emergency response, preventative maintenance, new equipment sales, and cafe layout consultation, provided by expert service technicians for wholesale partners.
• Barista Training Program Professional barista training program including sourcing education, hands-on equipment training, monthly cuppings (public tastings at KEXP), and Barista School courses. Available for wholesale partners and the public.
• Vita Rewards Loyalty Program Points-based loyalty program with three tiers (Bronze free, Silver at $200 spend, Gold at $350 spend) offering birthday rewards, anniversary discounts, exclusive flash sales, and points for purchases and social follows. Redeemable for discounts up to $120 off.
• Cafe Gift Card Physical gift card redeemable at Vita cafe locations. Available in $10, $25, and $50 denominations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Shelf-stable products with 1-year shelf life
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• BKONcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for Vita Cold Shot product. BKON provides patented RAIN (Reverse Atmospheric Infusion) technology enabling espresso-caliber cold extraction at industry scale. This innovative product development partnership created the groundbreaking ready-to-use cold espresso extraction.
• Common CollabscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for cold brew production using Common Collabs' proprietary latent-heat extraction process. This technology efficiently extracts desirable coffee compounds while leaving bitter and tannic compounds behind, enabling shelf-stable cold brew with 1-year shelf life.
• KEXPflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with nonprofit radio station KEXP. Caffe Vita operates the cafe inside the KEXP Gathering Space featuring a La Marzocco lab. The partnership supports music programming and community events. KEXP Blend coffee commemorates the cafe opening and supports the nonprofit station.
• Smith TowercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with historic Seattle landmark Smith Tower to operate a cafe location in Pioneer Square. Brings high-quality coffee back to Seattle's first neighborhood with local bakery partnerships.
• Rine BloomminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal artist collaboration for NYC Branch T-shirt design representing Vita in New York City.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Portland-originated specialty roaster with cafes, wholesale, and RTD cold brew (nitro cans); mirrors Caffe Vita's blend of DTC, wholesale, and cafe retail.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Third-wave roaster with direct trade sourcing, cafes, and a strong wholesale training program, directly comparable to Caffe Vita's specialty positioning.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Craft coffee roaster with cafes, DTC subscriptions, and growing RTD/cold brew distribution; competes in the same premium specialty segment.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty roaster with deep training/education programs (similar to Caffe Vita's Barista School) and direct trade wholesale accounts.
• Verve Coffee Roasters: Independent third-wave roaster with cafes in multiple U.S. cities, DTC e-commerce, and wholesale; similar size, brand, and channel mix to Caffe Vita.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster with cafes, DTC, and a strong RTD cold brew draft latte platform; competes head-to-head in the wholesale and RTD categories Caffe Vita targets.
• Chameleon Cold-Brew: Shelf-stable RTD cold brew brand with broad grocery distribution; directly comparable to Caffe Vita's Cold Brew cans and shelf-stable platform.

Emerging players

• Onyx Coffee Lab: Competition-grade specialty roaster with competition-winning coffees, DTC subscriptions, and a growing cafe footprint; comparable craft positioning though smaller scale.

Broad incumbents

• Peet's Coffee: Large-scale established specialty/CPG roaster (now owner of Stumptown); competes with Caffe Vita across wholesale and grocery with much broader distribution.
• Starbucks Reserve: Premium/Roastery arm of Starbucks targeting specialty experiences; represents the scaled incumbent whose cafe and RTD ecosystem Caffe Vita competes against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CaffeVita

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Caffe Vita