Highwire Coffee Roasters

What Highwire Coffee Roasters does

Highwire Coffee Roasters is an East Bay (California) specialty coffee roaster and tea company, founded in May 2011 by Robert Myers and Rich Avella, with Steve Ford serving as Director of Coffee. The company roasts coffee and blends tea at its Emeryville headquarters (4059 Emery St) and operates nine retail cafe locations spanning Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, and Walnut Creek, including a newly opened VESPR cafe near Lake Merritt (November 2025). Its product portfolio centers on house coffee blends (Shadow Play, Tightrope, The Core, Bauhaus, Conscientious Objector), single-origin coffees sourced through direct-trade relationships in Honduras, Mexico, Costa Rica, Uganda, and Ethiopia, a decaf line (After Hours), and the 4 Track Tea sub-brand offering loose-leaf, bagged, and premium single-origin teas including Matcha Kansai stone-ground Japanese green tea from Kagoshima. Branded merchandise and brewing equipment (AeroPress, Chemex) round out the assortment.

The business model is a hybrid direct-to-consumer and wholesale operation. Consumer revenue is generated through nine retail cafes, a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront, an iOS mobile app, and a Subscribe & Save subscription program with progressive tiered discounts (10–30% based on cadence and tenure). A B2B wholesale program supplies other businesses via inquiry. Pricing for 310g coffee bags is $21.50–$25.00, 4 Track Tea products range $12.50–$71.50, and shipping is a flat $5. The company raised prices in February 2025, citing green coffee commodity costs that had doubled. Marketing is primarily organic, anchored on The Roastery Log blog, Instagram, an email newsletter, and the iOS app. Highwire is privately held, founder-operated, and discloses no external investors or institutional backing.

Name

Highwire Coffee Roasters

Legal name

Highwire Coffee Roasters

Website

https://highwirecoffee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Highwire Coffee Roasters is an East Bay specialty coffee roaster and tea company operating nine retail cafes, a Shopify e-commerce store, an iOS app, and a wholesale program, serving individual consumers with direct-trade coffee and the 4 Track Tea brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasting & Grinding (AFAFADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE), Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA), Espresso Bars & Coffee Bars (THAFADAD)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Loose leaf tea
• Coffee subscriptions
• Retail coffee shops
• Wholesale coffee supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Coffee and Tea Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of roasted coffee beans and tea products through both e-commerce (Shopify) and physical retail locations. Products include house blends, single origins, and 4 Track tea line.
2. Subscription Services: Recurring subscription model offering regular deliveries of coffee and tea with tiered discounts (20% off weekly, scaling to 30% after 10 orders; similar structure for bi-weekly and monthly cadence).
3. Wholesale: B2B wholesale supply of coffee and tea products to other businesses through wholesale inquiry process.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Highwire Coffee Roasters is an East Bay-owned and operated specialty coffee roasting and tea company. It roasts its own coffee, blends and packages loose leaf and bagged teas under its 4 Track Tea label, and distributes through a network of retail cafes, a direct-to-consumer online store, a subscription program, and a wholesale channel for other businesses.

Product overview

Highwire Coffee Roasters is an East Bay owned and operated coffee roasting and tea company offering approachable, balanced cups of coffee and tea. The product portfolio centers on two core offerings: (1) Coffee products including house blends (Shadow Play, Tightrope, The Core), single origin coffees (Santa Maria de Dota, Worka Chelbessa, Cifuentes Family), decaf (After Hours), and subscription services; (2) 4 Track Tea branded loose leaf and bagged teas including East Bay Breakfast, Earl Grey Remix, Just Like Honey, Gone Green Sencha Organic, and specialty Matcha Kansai. The company also offers coffee brewing equipment (AeroPress, Chemex) and branded merchandise. Multiple retail locations throughout the East Bay provide beverages and pastries alongside retail product sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 4 Track Tea: A tea brand and product line under Highwire Coffee Roasters featuring various loose leaf teas and tea bags including East Bay Breakfast, Earl Grey Remix, Just Like Honey, and others.

Products and services

• House Blend Coffee
• Single Origin Coffee
• Decaf Coffee
• Coffee Subscription
• 4 Track Tea — Loose Leaf
• 4 Track Tea Bags
• Tipu's Chai
• Matcha Kansai
• Coffee Brewing Equipment
• Branded Merchandise
• Wholesale Coffee and Tea Supply

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rosalba Cifuentes (Cifuentes Family, Mexico)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Rosalba Cifuentes Tovia helps small-plot farmers in the Bella Vista coffee community of Chiapas, Mexico earn better prices for their coffee. She personally exports coffee directly to the Bay Area. Highwire sources from Eugenio Roblero, Froilan Roblero Cifuentes, Otoniel Roblero Cifuentes, and Omar Roblero Cifuentes through her network.
• Benjamin Paz (La Salsa Gesha, Honduras)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Benjamin Paz is a coffee producer from Honduras who won Cup of Excellence in 2022 (top prize) and took 5th place in 2021 and 2023. Highwire sources his La Salsa Gesha coffee, featuring it as a holiday and web exclusive offering. The relationship involves direct access to small lots from his farm in the Santa Barbara mountains.
• CoopeDota (Cooperativa de Caficultores de Dota, Costa Rica)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoopeDota is a cooperative in Santa Maria, Dota canton of Costa Rica, in business since 1960. They have a certified carbon-neutral mill with hydro-powered energy consumption, water efficient eco-pulpers, and mechanical dryers fueled by coffee parchment. Highwire sources Santa Maria de Dota coffee from this cooperative.
• Undugu (Uganda)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUndugu is a project connecting coffee farmers in East Africa with specialty roasters. Founded by former colleagues Maina, Damien, Kimiti, and Raj Dev. They work with farmers to adapt to climate change and improve economic outcomes through innovative processing techniques. Highwire sourced their first coffee from producer Elijah in Uganda.
• SNAP Specialty Coffee / Negusse Debela (Worka Chelbessa, Ethiopia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSNAP Specialty Coffee, established by Negusse Debela in 2008, operates the Worka Chelbessa washing station in Gedeb, the southernmost part of the Gedeo region of Ethiopia. The area is known for spectacular coffees and utilizes traditional underwater fermentation methods.
• Japanese Tea Partner (Kagoshima)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraditional Japanese tea supplier from Kagoshima region. Sources Matcha Kansai stone-ground Japanese green tea. The facility produces only 125 lbs of matcha per day using traditional stone-grinding methods to preserve flavor and aroma quality.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Philadelphia-origin specialty roaster with national cafe footprint, wholesale, and DTC subscriptions including draft latte. Comparable hybrid cafe + DTC + wholesale model.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Oakland-founded specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator (now owned by Nestlé). Direct competitor in Bay Area specialty coffee with overlapping cafe, DTC, and subscription channels.
• Verve Coffee Roasters: Santa Cruz/San Francisco-origin specialty coffee roaster with direct-trade sourcing and a network of West Coast cafes. Highly comparable to Highwire in category (third-wave coffee + retail), geography (California), and subscription model.
• Ritual Coffee Roasters: San Francisco-based specialty roaster with flagship cafes and wholesale accounts. Comparable in third-wave positioning, cafe-led retail, and Bay Area geography.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Durham, NC-based specialty roaster with direct-trade sourcing, training centers, and national wholesale accounts. Comparable in producer-relationship-led sourcing and subscription/DTC programs.
• Equator Coffees: Bay Area specialty roaster with direct-trade producer relationships, multiple retail cafes, and wholesale accounts. Closely comparable in scale, sourcing model, and geographic footprint.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Portland-origin specialty roaster (now owned by Peet's) operating cafes, wholesale, and DTC subscriptions. Direct comparable in product mix, subscription model, and cafe-retail hybrid.
• Sightglass Coffee: San Francisco specialty roaster operating roastery-cafes with direct-trade sourcing and wholesale distribution. Similar multi-channel DTC + cafe + wholesale model to Highwire.

Regional players

• Philz Coffee: Bay Area specialty coffee chain known for customized pour-over drinks and a strong local brand. Competes for the same East Bay morning-commuter customer base but with a different preparation model.

Broad incumbents

• Peet's Coffee: Berkeley-founded incumbent coffee company (now part of JDE Peet's) with national retail, grocery, and foodservice distribution. Overlaps with Highwire in wholesale accounts and Bay Area geography but operates at materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/highwirecoffee
• Xx.com/highwirecoffee
• Facebookfacebook.com/highwirecoffee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Highwire Coffee Roasters