The Missing Bean

What The Missing Bean does

The Missing Bean is an independent, founder-led specialty coffee company established in Oxford in 2009 by Ori Halup and Vicky Troth. It operates as a vertically integrated business spanning direct trade green coffee sourcing across seven countries (Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, Thailand, Kenya), in-house small-batch roasting at its East Oxford Roastery (currently a 30kg IMF unit, upgraded in 2025 from a Giesen 15kg), an in-house bakery established in 2023, and eight retail cafe locations across Oxfordshire. The company recently began producing bean-to-bar chocolate sourced from Brazil, Peru, and Costa Rica as an emerging product line.

Revenue is generated through multiple channels: retail cafe sales across Oxfordshire locations, DTC e-commerce for coffee beans, equipment, and merchandise (built on Shopify with Seal Subscriptions for recurring orders and BON Loyalty for the rewards program), B2B wholesale coffee supply (minimum 6kg/month, bundled with La Marzocco equipment and barista training), office coffee supply with bean-to-cup machines, venue hire, and mobile coffee cart catering. Pricing on retail beans ranges from £10.50 to £15.15 per 250g, with subscriptions saving up to 10%, and gift subscriptions available in 3, 6, or 12-month terms.

The customer base is broadly distributed across home-brewing enthusiasts, gift buyers, walk-in cafe customers across the Oxfordshire catchment, independent cafes and restaurants on wholesale terms, and corporate offices. The company holds no external investors, holds Oxford Living Wage employer accreditation, and pays farmers a weighted average 108% above the Fair Trade minimum (£6.30/kg vs. £3.47/kg). The next geographic step is Maidenhead in Berkshire, opening September 2026 as the first non-Oxfordshire location and the first with an evening wine-bar concept.

Name

The Missing Bean

Legal name

The Missing Bean Ltd.

Website

https://themissingbean.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vertically integrated specialty coffee company founded in 2009 in Oxford, UK. Operates eight cafes across Oxfordshire, an East Oxford roastery, an in-house bakery, and DTC e-commerce for freshly roasted beans, subscriptions, and emerging bean-to-bar chocolate, plus B2B wholesale and office coffee services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing from Cacao Beans (311351)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Direct trade coffee
• Coffee subscriptions
• Wholesale coffee supply
• Specialty coffee beans

Headquarters

HQ city

Witney

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Coffee Bean Sales: Freshly roasted specialty coffee beans sold online (250g, 500g, 1kg) with various grind options. Core products include single origin coffees from multiple countries, house blends (The Original, The Remake), and direct trade varieties.
2. Coffee Subscriptions: Recurring subscription service offering single coffee subscriptions (same beans on repeat), premium rotating selections (handpicked by roaster), and gift subscriptions (3, 6, or 12 months). Weekly, fortnightly, three-weekly or monthly delivery options. Subscribers save up to 10%.
3. Cafe Retail Operations: Eight physical cafe locations across Oxfordshire (Turl St, East Oxford Roastery, Abingdon, Botley, Woodstock, Charlbury, Cowley, Maidenhead opening 2026) serving specialty coffees, pastries, sandwiches, and cakes.
4. Wholesale Coffee Supply: B2B wholesale coffee beans for cafes, restaurants, offices (minimum 6kg/month). Includes barista training, equipment supply (La Marzocco machines), and custom blend development.
5. Office Coffee Machines: Bean-to-cup office coffee machine supply, installation, programming, and ongoing coffee bean supply for workplace environments.
6. Bakery Products: In-house bakery established 2023 supplying sourdough bread, pastries, sandwiches, and cakes to all cafe locations. Uses regeneratively grown British flour from Bruern Farms and Matthews Cotswold Flour.
7. Merchandise and Events: Branded merchandise (hoodies, enamel mugs, tote bags, stickers, beanies), event venue hire across all locations, mobile coffee cart for festivals and corporate events, and chocolate tasting workshops.
8. Chocolate (Emerging): Bean-to-bar chocolate production from cacao sourced from Brazil (Fazenda Takahashi), Peru (Comunidad Chinim Wawas), and Costa Rica (Hacienda Dos Lagunas). Handcrafted in East Oxford roastery, launching soon.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Missing Bean is an independent specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator founded in Oxford in 2009. It roasts specialty coffee beans daily at its East Oxford Roastery and sells them through its own e-commerce shop, eight cafe locations across Oxfordshire, and a wholesale B2B channel for cafes, restaurants, and offices. The company also operates an in-house bakery, offers home brewing equipment, merchandise, subscriptions, gift vouchers, and is launching a bean-to-bar chocolate line.

Product overview

The Missing Bean is an independent specialty coffee company founded in Oxford in 2009, operating as a vertically integrated specialty coffee business with multiple product lines and service offerings. The core product is freshly roasted specialty coffee beans available as single origin (Ethiopia Echemo, Brazil Sitio Posses, Kenya Sakami, Peru Chingama, Nicaragua El Jaguar, Mexico Finca Hamburgo), house blends (The Original, The Remake), and decaf options (Colombia Chevere, Mexico Sueño). The business operates subscription services including the MB Premium Subscription (rotating selection), Single Coffee Subscription (repeat favorite), and Gift Subscriptions. Home brewing equipment is offered including Hario V60 drippers and bundles, Aeropress makers and bundles, Pezzetti Moka Pots, Timemore Cafetieres, and Hario Cold Brew makers. The company is expanding into bean-to-bar chocolate products from Brazil, Peru, and Costa Rica. Retail merchandise includes enamel mugs, hoodies, tote bags, beanies, and Keep-Cups. B2B services include wholesale coffee beans for cafes/restaurants (minimum 6kg/month), office coffee supplies with bean-to-cup machines, venue hire across six Oxfordshire locations, and mobile coffee cart catering. The company operates eight cafe locations across Oxfordshire (Turl Street, East Oxford Roastery, Abingdon, Botley, Woodstock, Charlbury, Cowley) with a ninth opening in Maidenhead in September 2026. An in-house bakery established in 2023 provides daily fresh pastries and bread to all cafes. A loyalty program (Missing Bean Rewards) powered by BON Loyalty enables customers to earn and redeem points.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MB Premium Subscription Service: Rotating selection coffee subscription with handpicked specialty coffees delivered monthly
• Gift Coffee Subscription
• Missing Bean Chocolate
• Missing Bean Bakery

Products and services

• Coffee Beans Freshly roasted specialty coffee beans sourced from around the world, available as single origin, blended, decaf, organic, and direct-trade varieties. Roasted daily in Oxford and delivered across the UK in 250g, 500g, and 1kg bags.
• MB Premium Subscription Rotating selection subscription where the roaster handpicks a different specialty coffee each delivery, accompanied by origin cards telling the story of each coffee. From £11.00 per delivery with weekly, fortnightly, three-weekly, or monthly options; subscribers save up to 10%.
• Single Coffee Subscription
• Gift Coffee Subscription
• Missing Bean Chocolate (Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica) Bean-to-bar chocolate made from single-origin cacao sourced from small farms and cooperatives in Brazil, Peru, and Costa Rica, handcrafted at the East Oxford roastery using Forastero, Trinitario, and Criollo varieties grown in agroforestry systems.
• Home Brewing Equipment
• Branded Merchandise
• Gift Vouchers

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% of coffee from Direct Trade in 2024-25, aiming for 80% by FY2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Belco CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen bean suppliers and hosts of annual Belco Primeurs event. Missing Bean attends this key industry event in France to connect with producers and learn about new origins. Long-standing relationship supporting specialty coffee sourcing.
• Oxford City FarmminorOthersNonprofit partnership for coffee grounds recycling. Oxford City Farm collects used coffee grounds from all cafes weekly to use as natural compost and fertilizer, reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Oxford Living Wage CampaigncoreOthersAccredited Oxford Living Wage Employer, committed to paying all team members fairly above the national living wage. Partnership demonstrates commitment to employee welfare and ethical business practices.
• Short Let Space (Woodstock)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHospitality partnership where guests staying in Short Let Space Woodstock properties receive 5% discount on in-store purchases at Missing Bean Woodstock cafe.
• Short Let Space (Charlbury)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHospitality partnership where guests staying in Short Let Space Charlbury properties receive 5% discount on in-store purchases at Missing Bean Charlbury cafe.
• This Side UpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFacilitated trade partner for sourcing from Kenya. Through This Side Up, Missing Bean forged close relationships with farmers Gloria and Jane and their farms in the Sakami region. Partnership enables direct trade relationships with remote farms.
• Bruern FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of regeneratively grown British wheat and flour used in Missing Bean Bakery. Partnership supports local, sustainable agriculture and quality artisan baking.
• Matthews Cotswold FlourcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier of specialty flour for Missing Bean Bakery, complementing regeneratively grown ingredients from Bruern Farms. Supports quality artisan baking program.
• La MarzoccocoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial UK stockist of La Marzocco espresso machines. Provides top-tier commercial espresso equipment for wholesale customers, matching the quality standards used in Missing Bean's own cafes. Machines can be fully customized.
• Darby & ParrettminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal food and drink producer partnered with Missing Bean for the 'Journey Through The Cotswolds' co-hosted event, united by shared passion for quality food and drink.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Union Hand-Roasted Coffee: UK specialty roaster with strong B2B wholesale and office coffee programmes — directly comparable on the wholesale-and-office coffee supply side of Missing Bean's mix.
• Workshop Coffee: Vertically integrated UK specialty coffee roaster with a multi-site café/roastery format, wholesale, and DTC — the closest scale and structure analog to The Missing Bean's roastery-plus-café-plus-e-commerce model.
• WatchHouse: Specialty coffee roaster operating a growing network of design-led cafés across the UK with direct-to-consumer coffee and brewing equipment retail — directly comparable on café-led specialty expansion.
• Notes Coffee: Independent UK specialty coffee company combining wholesale supply, a growing café estate, and a DTC e-commerce platform — comparable multi-channel specialty operator.
• Square Mile Coffee Roasters: London-based specialty coffee roaster known for direct trade sourcing, wholesale supply to London cafés, and DTC bean sales — strong analog on roastery-plus-wholesale model.
• Caravan Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster with cafés, restaurants, and wholesale supply across the UK; comparable vertically integrated roaster-restaurant-café positioning.
• Origin Coffee Roasters: Cornwall-based specialty coffee roaster combining direct trade, a physical café, wholesale, and DTC — comparable regional specialty operator with ethical-sourcing emphasis.
• Hasbean Coffee: Long-running UK specialty coffee roaster focused on direct trade and DTC e-commerce — comparable on small-batch roastery and direct-to-consumer subscription/bean sales.
• Monmouth Coffee: London-based specialty roaster with retail cafés and wholesale supply, deep direct-trade relationships, and a strong provenance-led brand — relevant analog on craft specialty positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Gail's Bakery: Scaling UK bakery-café chain with strong coffee program; overlapping on the in-house bakery and café format but operating at larger scale and broader footprint than Missing Bean.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/themissingbean
• Facebookfacebook.com/themissingbean
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-missing-bean
• Instagraminstagram.com/missingbeancoffeeroasters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 The Missing Bean