Ikawa
IKAWA is a UK-based designer and manufacturer of precision sample roasting equipment for the specialty coffee industry, serving roasteries, producers, and green coffee traders in over 100 countries via direct sales and a global distributor network, with a recent expansion into production-scale roasting through a Bühler partnership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Ikawa does
IKAWA Ltd is a UK-based, privately held designer and manufacturer of precision sample roasting equipment for the specialty coffee industry, founded in 2010 and headquartered in London. The company's core product line comprises the IKAWA GO (entry-level 50g roaster), the IKAWA PRO SERIES (50g/100g roasters), and the IKAWA PRO X SERIES (advanced model with a humidity/moisture-release sensor, Auto-Detect 1st Crack, and Moisture Release Graph). All Pro units are controlled via the IKAWA Pro App on iOS and Android, which provides profile creation, roast logging, profile sharing, and access to the Online Roast Profile Library. Under a 2026 strategic partnership with Bühler, IKAWA also resells the RoastMaster20 production-scale drum roaster (5–20kg batches, up to 70kg/hour), extending its offering from sample to production roasting.
The business is hardware-led, with revenue from one-time roaster sales, accessories and parts (e.g., Peli cases, Origin Bag), an annual IKAWA Care extended warranty, and a Full Service programme. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with a typical 2-week lead time and a 12-month standard warranty. IKAWA sells directly through its website to customers in 100+ countries and supplements this with a network of 11 authorized regional distributors handling sales, support, and repairs across Latin America, Asia, North America, and Europe. Its customer base spans small and mid-size roasteries, coffee producers and cooperatives, green coffee traders, marketplaces, research and training organizations, and barista competitors — making it a B2B/professional segment play rather than a consumer or mass-market business. The company is bootstrapped and founder-led (Andrew Stordy), with no disclosed external funding rounds or institutional investors.
Ikawa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ikawa
- Legal name
- IKAWA Ltd
- Website
- https://ikawacoffee.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- IKAWA is a UK-based designer and manufacturer of precision sample roasting equipment for the specialty coffee industry, serving roasteries, producers, and green coffee traders in over 100 countries via direct sales and a global distributor network, with a recent expansion into production-scale roasting through a Bühler partnership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ikawa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Coffee Sample Roasting Equipment
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)
- SIC
- Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Coffee Roasting & Grinding (AFAFADAB)
Keywords
Where Ikawa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ikawa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales - Sample Roasters: Sale of professional sample roasting equipment including IKAWA GO, PRO50, PRO100, and PRO X Series roasters. Available in 100V, 110-120V and 230-240V voltages.
- Accessories and Parts: Sale of accessories including Peli case (travel case), Origin Bag, power cables, and replacement parts.
- IKAWA Care Extended Warranty: Extended warranty program covering 2 years with all parts, labour and shipping costs plus 50% discount on unlimited repairs from accidental damage and Full Services within 2 years.
- Full Service: Comprehensive service including shipping to/from service centre, replacement/upgrade of select components (heating element assembly, seals, power cable), full disassembly, cleaning, QC testing and recalibration.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | IKAWA GO - Entry-level professional sample roaster |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | PRO50 - 50g capacity professional sample roaster |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | PRO100 - Dual capacity (50g/100g) professional sample roaster |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | PRO X Series - Advanced model with moisture sensing |
| Subscription | Annual | IKAWA Care Extended Warranty |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Full Service |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Ikawa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ikawa designs, manufactures, and sells precision sample coffee roasters — the IKAWA GO (50g entry-level), IKAWA PRO Series (Pro50/Pro100, 50-120g), and IKAWA PRO X Series (with humidity/moisture release sensing and auto first-crack detection) — used by coffee professionals for quality control, profile development, and green coffee evaluation. Through a strategic partnership with Bühler, Ikawa also offers the RoastMaster20 production-scale drum roaster, and supports customers with a free mobile app, an Online Roast Profile Library, accessories, and service/warranty programs.
Product overview
IKAWA is a professional coffee sample roasting technology company offering a portfolio of precision sample roasters and production roasters designed for coffee professionals. The core product line includes: IKAWA GO (entry-level 50g roaster), IKAWA PRO SERIES (industry-standard 50g/100g roasters), and IKAWA PRO X SERIES (advanced model with humidity sensing and First Crack detection). Through a partnership with Bühler, IKAWA also offers the RoastMaster20 production-scale drum roaster (5-20kg batches). All Pro roasters are controlled via the free IKAWA Pro App (iOS/Android), which accesses an Online Roast Profile Library for downloadable roasting profiles. The company sells directly in over 100 countries with authorized distributors in Colombia, Panama, Thailand, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, China/Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan, Canada, Turkey, Spain/Portugal, and Europe.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- IKAWA GO: Entry-level sample roaster with 50g capacity, raw anodised aluminium case
- IKAWA PRO SERIES
- IKAWA PRO X SERIES
- RoastMaster Series
Products and services
- IKAWA PRO Series (Pro50 and Pro100) Portable, app-controlled professional sample roaster for precise, consistent, repeatable coffee sample roasting. Available in Pro50 (40-60g) and Pro100 (50-120g) capacities with 100V, 110-120V, and 230-240V power options. Used by roasteries, traders, producers, and barista champions worldwide for QC, evaluation, and profile development.
- IKAWA PRO X Series Advanced sample roaster with humidity/moisture release sensor that detects moisture from beans at all stages of the roast. Features Auto-Detect 1st Crack, Target Development Mode, and Moisture Release Graph for objective data and flavor control. Designed for green buying, flavour profiling, and scaling from sample to production roasting.
- IKAWA GO Entry-level precision sample roaster with a raw anodised aluminium case, 50g sample capacity, zero wait time between roasts, and one-button control. Designed to bring precision sample roasting to a wider range of coffee professionals at a lower price point.
- RoastMaster20 Production-scale drum coffee roaster developed in partnership with Bühler. Supports 5-20kg batches up to 70kg/hour, with the Playone digital control platform (500+ named profile storage), 10-step programmable roasting, adjustable airflow, and Bühler Insights integration for advanced analysis. Designed for specialty roasters scaling from sample roasting to full production.
- IKAWA Origin Bag Travel bag designed to transport IKAWA sample roasters on coffee origin trips and professional travel.
- Custom Peli Case Bespoke hard-shell travel case designed specifically for IKAWA Pro roasters, with custom foam inserts, fitting overhead airplane compartments as carry-on luggage.
- IKAWA Care Extended Warranty Subscription-based extended warranty program covering 2 years with all parts, labour and shipping costs, plus 50% discount on unlimited repairs from accidental damage and Full Services within the 2-year period.
- Full Service Comprehensive service including shipping to/from service centre, replacement/upgrade of select components (heating element assembly, seals, power cable), full disassembly, cleaning, QC testing, and recalibration. Comes with an additional 6-month warranty on parts and labour.
Companies that use Ikawa
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ikawa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability4 records
Feature9 records
Ikawa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BühlercoreStrategic partnership bringing the RoastMaster20, Bühler's industry-leading drum coffee roaster, to IKAWA's customers. This partnership helps specialty roasters scale from sample roasting to production without losing profile clarity or roast consistency. The collaboration combines IKAWA's precision sample roasting expertise with Bühler's decades of process engineering expertise and global installation track record.
- CropstercoreIntegration enabling IKAWA users to export their roast history to the Cropster platform for further roast and QC analysis. The integration facilitates communication between the IKAWA App and Cropster's csar.cropster.com platform, allowing tracking of IKAWA roasts and synchronization with samples managed in Cropster for roast compare and QC analysis. Currently in invitational beta phase.
- Amor Perfecto (Colombia)minorAuthorised distributor and repair centre for Colombia.
- Panama Coffee ClubminorAuthorised distributor and repair centre for Panama with additional coverage for Central America & Caribbean.
- Bluekoff (Thailand)minorAuthorised distributor and repair centre for Thailand with additional coverage for Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos.
- Kijeong Int'l Co.,Ltd (Korea)minorAuthorised distributor and repair centre for Korea.
- DCS Co.,Ltd (Japan)minorAuthorised distributor and repair centre for Japan.
- Mesin Kafe (Indonesia)minorAuthorised distributor and repair centre for Indonesia with additional coverage for Singapore & Malaysia.
- Jascaffe (China/HK/Macau/Taiwan)minorAuthorised distributor and repair centre for China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
- Cafune Boutique (Canada)minorAuthorised distributor and repair centre for Canada.
- Tin Coffee (Turkey)minorAuthorised distributor and repair centre for Turkey.
- MAE Coffee Liaison (Spain & Portugal)minorAuthorised distributor and repair centre for Spain and Portugal.
- Coffee Machines Sale (Europe)minorAuthorised distributor and repair centre for Poland and Europe.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ikawa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stronghold Technology: Stronghold Technology builds electric sample coffee roasters (e.g., the Stronghold S9 Pro) focused on repeatability and profile-based sample roasting. It directly competes with IKAWA in the precision sample roaster category for specialty professionals.
- Mill City Roasters: Mill City Roasters manufactures both small/sample and commercial drum coffee roasters for specialty roasters. Comparable to IKAWA in serving the same specialty customer base with sample and small-batch roasting equipment.
- Cropster: Cropster provides coffee roasting software for production planning, roast curve analysis, and QC — overlapping with IKAWA's app/profile/data layer and integrated directly with IKAWA Pro via beta. Comparable as the data/analytics peer around the same sample-roast workflow.
- Aillio: Aillio makes the Bullet R1, a precision electric sample/small-batch coffee roaster with app control and profile management. It is the closest direct competitor to IKAWA's PRO Series in the pro-sumer and small specialty roaster segment, targeting similar users with a comparable app-driven workflow.
- Roest: Roest is a Norwegian manufacturer of electric sample coffee roasters designed for QC and profiling. Like IKAWA, it targets green coffee buyers, roasters, and producers seeking precision, repeatability, and digital control — making it a direct functional peer.
Broad incumbents
- Petroncini: Petroncini is an Italian manufacturer of industrial and specialty coffee roasters. It represents the broader established equipment-making incumbent set that IKAWA now intersects via the Bühler-RoastMaster20 production roaster.
- Diedrich Manufacturing: Diedrich is a long-established US manufacturer of commercial coffee roasters (drum and infrared). It is a broad incumbent in the coffee roasting equipment space where IKAWA now competes via the Bühler-RoastMaster20 partnership.
- Loring Smart Roast: Loring manufactures energy-efficient commercial coffee roasters with digital profile control. Comparable as an established player in digital, profile-driven coffee roasting equipment overlapping with IKAWA's production ambitions.
- Probat: Probat is the world's largest industrial coffee roasting equipment maker, supplying drum roasters at industrial scale. It is a broad incumbent relevant now that IKAWA has expanded into production roasting through Bühler.
Emerging players
- Behmor: Behmor makes app-connected home and small-batch coffee roasters with profile control. It is an adjacent emerging player in the connected sample/home roasting category that overlaps with IKAWA's lower-tier IKAWA GO positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ikawa social profiles
Digital presenceIkawa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ikawa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ikawa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ikawa 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 Ikawa
What does Ikawa do?
Ikawa designs, manufactures, and sells precision sample coffee roasters — the IKAWA GO (50g entry-level), IKAWA PRO Series (Pro50/Pro100, 50-120g), and IKAWA PRO X Series (with humidity/moisture release sensing and auto first-crack detection) — used by coffee professionals for quality control, profile development, and green coffee evaluation. Through a strategic partnership with Bühler, Ikawa also offers the RoastMaster20 production-scale drum roaster, and supports customers with a free mobile app, an Online Roast Profile Library, accessories, and service/warranty programs.
Is Ikawa a public or private company?
Ikawa is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ikawa founded?
Ikawa was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ikawa based?
Ikawa is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Ikawa make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales - Sample Roasters are the primary driver. The others are accessories and Parts, IKAWA Care Extended Warranty and full Service.
Who are Ikawa's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stronghold Technology, Mill City Roasters, Cropster, Aillio and Roest. Broad incumbents are Petroncini, Diedrich Manufacturing, Loring Smart Roast and Probat. Behmor is listed as an emerging player.
Does Ikawa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ikawa.
What industry is Ikawa in?
Ikawa's product category is Coffee Sample Roasting Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFADAB, Coffee Roasting & Grinding. Its NAICS code is 31192 and its SIC code is 3580.