What Proud Mary Coffee does

Proud Mary Coffee is a specialty coffee roaster founded in 2009 by Nolan and Shari Hirte in Collingwood, Melbourne, Australia, operating as Proud Mary Coffee Roasters Pty Ltd. The company sources green coffee directly from farmers in Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Ethiopia, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Papua New Guinea through multi-year direct-trade partnerships, then roasts, packages, and distributes the coffee through a diversified multi-channel model: (a) Shopify-powered e-commerce subscriptions ($16-$46/month across Mild, Curious, Wild, Deluxe, Surprise Me, and Blend tiers) with Recharge Payments infrastructure and free Australian shipping; (b) one-time retail coffee sales ($15-$43 per bag) plus brewing equipment from premium brands (Fellow, Baratza, Comandante, Breville) ranging from $8 filter papers to $1,274 premium kits; (c) B2B wholesale supply to cafes and hospitality businesses; (d) four company-owned retail cafe locations—two in Melbourne (Proud Mary Café and the Aunty Peg's roastery/cellar door experience), plus Portland, Oregon and Austin, Texas—offering all-day breakfast, lunch, table service, and weekly public cuppings; and (e) branded merchandise, gift subscriptions (3/6/12-month), teas and chocolates. The core proprietary asset is the four-tier classification system (Mild/Curious/Wild/Deluxe) that maps curated coffee profiles to customer preference, alongside access to Cup of Excellence winners and world-first processing techniques reserved for Deluxe subscribers.

The company has built its position through 15+ years of direct-trade sourcing relationships (since 2009), brand validation including being named '4th Best Coffee Shop in the World' by The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops, three back-to-back Golden Bean gold medals for the Ghost Rider blend in Australia, and a celebrity endorsement from Heston Blumenthal. The 2025 equity crowdfunding raise of $1.23 million on StartEngine (top 5% of platform campaigns) is being deployed to expand the café footprint to additional neighborhoods. With 51-100 employees and a transpacific operational footprint, Proud Mary serves specialty coffee enthusiasts across both consumer and wholesale channels in Australia and the United States.

Name

Proud Mary Coffee

Legal name

Proud Mary Coffee Roasters Pty Ltd

Website

https://proudmarycoffee.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Proud Mary Coffee is a Melbourne-founded specialty coffee roaster (est. 2009) that direct-trade sources green coffee from 8+ origins and sells it through subscriptions, e-commerce, four retail cafés (Melbourne, Portland, Austin), B2B wholesale, and brewing equipment retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing (AFAFADAJ), Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Direct trade coffee
• Coffee subscription services
• Coffee wholesale supply
• Café food service

Headquarters

HQ city

Collingwood

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Coffee Subscriptions: Recurring monthly or fortnightly coffee deliveries across multiple tiers (Mild, Curious, Wild, Deluxe, Surprise Me, Blend). Customers subscribe to receive curated coffees delivered on their schedule. Includes free shipping within Australia.
2. One-Time Coffee Purchases: Single bags of specialty coffee sold at various price points from $15-$43, including single origin, blends, limited editions, and specialty instant coffee products.
3. Café Food & Beverage Service: All-day breakfast, lunch, high-end tea, fresh juice, smoothies, cakes, pastries, and table-service at Proud Mary café locations in Melbourne and Portland.
4. Merchandise: Branded apparel including t-shirts ($29-$32), hoodies ($61), long sleeves ($36), hand totes ($25), and limited edition mugs ($22).
5. Brewing Equipment Retail: Sale of brewing equipment including espresso machines, grinders, kettles, scales, filters from brands like Breville, Fellow, Baratza, Moccamaster, Hario, and Comandante.
6. Wholesale B2B Coffee Supply: Supplying coffee beans to other cafes and hospitality businesses, with support from an industry professional network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Proud Mary Coffee is a vertically integrated specialty coffee roaster and retailer that sources green coffee direct from origin, roasts it at its Collingwood facility, and distributes the finished product through company-owned cafés, a global e-commerce subscription business, a wholesale channel for hospitality operators, and ancillary brewing equipment, merchandise, and tea retail. Its core offer is roasted specialty coffee organized by roast profile and tier, delivered through subscriptions, café service, and wholesale supply.

Product overview

Proud Mary Coffee is a specialty coffee roaster founded in 2009 by Nolan and Shari Hirte in Melbourne, Australia, operating as a vertically integrated coffee business. The company offers a portfolio of coffee products organized into four roast profiles—Mild (approachable, smooth coffees), Curious (adventurous single origins), Wild (intense, fruit-forward coffees), and Deluxe (ultra-rare award-winning lots)—alongside signature blends (Ghost Rider, Humbler, Angel Wings) and specialty instant coffee. The core product lines include recurring subscription services (powered by Recharge Payments) delivering 250g-1kg bags monthly or fortnightly with free Australian shipping; single-origin offerings from direct-trade relationships across Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Ethiopia, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Papua New Guinea; and the premium Deluxe subscription featuring Cup of Excellence winners in 100g tins. Complementary offerings encompass brewing equipment (espresso machines, grinders, kettles, scales), branded merchandise (apparel, accessories), teas and chocolates, filter paper subscriptions, and gift subscription packages in 3/6/12-month durations. The company operates two physical cafe locations in Melbourne (Proud Mary Cafe and Aunty Peg's roastery experience) and serves wholesale B2B customers across Australia and America. The online store is powered by Shopify e-commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Aunty Peg's: A welcoming space and cellar door to Proud Mary Coffee Roasters, offering some of the best coffee brewed for customers by baristas, with brewing equipment and roastery tours.
• Proud Mary Café

Products and services

• Proud Mary Coffee Subscriptions Recurring coffee delivery service offering multiple roast profiles (Mild, Curious, Wild) and blend options with free shipping within Australia. Targeted at home-brewing specialty coffee enthusiasts.
• Monthly Deluxe Coffee Subscription Premium monthly subscription featuring award-winning, rare coffees including Cup of Excellence winners, world-first processing techniques, and highest-scoring coffees, delivered monthly in 100g tins. Targeted at the most dedicated specialty coffee collectors.
• Single Origin Coffees Direct-sourced single origin coffees from countries including Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Ethiopia, and Papua New Guinea, categorized by roast profile.
• Blend Coffees Signature blend offerings including Ghost Rider, Humbler, and Angel Wings, designed for various brewing methods.
• Proud Mary Specialty Instant Coffee Single-serve specialty instant coffee made from high-quality, thoughtfully sourced single-origin coffee, including the Benti Nenka Ethiopia variety.
• Brewing Equipment Selection of brewing equipment including espresso machines (Barista Pro, Dual Boiler, Bambino Plus), grinders (Comandante C40, Baratza Encore ESP), kettles (Fellow Stagg EKG Pro), scales, drippers, and filter papers.
• Proud Mary Merchandise Branded apparel including Snail Tee, Rattlesnake Tee, Stay Curious Tee, Rattlesnake Hoodie, and Hand Tote bags.
• Tea and Chocolate Curated selection of teas including Kuura Fujian Black Tea and White Peony, plus 45% and 60% drinking chocolates.
• Gift Subscriptions Prepaid coffee subscription gift options available in 3, 6, and 12-month durations across Deluxe, Single Origin, and Blend categories.
• Filter Paper Subscriptions 3-month subscription service for V60 and No.4 filter papers, ensuring customers never run out of brewing supplies.
• Proud Mary Café Melbourne Flagship café location at 172 Oxford St, Collingwood VIC, offering all-day breakfast, lunch, high-end tea, fresh juice, smoothies, cakes, pastries, and table-service alongside coffee.
• Aunty Peg's Roastery and Cellar Door Coffee showcase and roastery experience at 200 Wellington St, Collingwood VIC, featuring one-on-one barista service, cuppings, and brewing equipment retail.
• Wholesale Coffee Supply Coffee wholesale program for cafes and hospitality businesses, providing direct-sourced beans and partnership support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached $1.23 million equity crowdfunding goal in under 70 days, ranking in top 5% of StartEngine campaigns
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• COCARIVE CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian coffee cooperative providing technical support and access to a network of quality-focused producers. Proud Mary partner farm Sítio Dois Irmãos joined COCARIVE in 2013, enabling the shift from volume-driven to quality-focused production.
• Vilas Boas Family (Sítio Dois Irmãos)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily-run coffee farm in Brazil's Mantiqueira de Minas region. Since partnering with COCARIVE in 2013, the farm has shifted to quality-focused practices. Proud Mary has sourced from them since 2025.
• Silva Family (Finca La Siberia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix-generation coffee family in El Salvador since 1870. Finca La Siberia has been transformed into one of the most renowned estates in El Salvador. Proud Mary has sourced from them since 2015.
• Garrido Family (Mama Cata Estate)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily cultivating coffee in Boquete, Panama since 1959. Mama Cata is one of Boquete's oldest farms, established in 1911. Proud Mary has sourced from them since 2023.
• Nahun FernandezcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee producer from Las Flores, Santa Barbara, Honduras. Proud Mary's first producer partner in the region since 2012. Nahun is now a processing specialist and community leader, placing 3rd in 2025 Honduras Cup of Excellence.
• KuuraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTea supplier providing curated selection of teas including Puer, White Tea, and other varieties. Proud Mary offers Kuura products in their Tea + Chocolate category.
• Caravan ChaiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChai supplier for the 'CHAI HARD' collaborative product (Proud Mary x Caravan Chai) sold at $17.00.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Seven Seeds Coffee Roasters: Melbourne specialty roaster with adjacent Carlton café, direct-trade sourcing, and strong local reputation. Most direct Australian head-to-head competitor given shared Melbourne origin and similar premium positioning.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Durham, NC-based specialty roaster with deep direct-trade relationships, training centers, and wholesale focus. Comparable ethos and three-tier sustainability model mirrors Proud Mary's farmer-relationship moat.
• Verve Coffee Roasters: Santa Cruz and LA-based specialty roaster with cafés, subscription, and direct-trade sourcing. Comparable premium positioning, multi-city café footprint, and DTC subscription model.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Philadelphia-based specialty roaster with cafés, wholesale, and ready-to-drink coffee. Recently sold to a strategic acquirer; comparable direct-trade sourcing and DTC model with broader product range.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Craft coffee roaster and café operator with strong direct-trade positioning and global café presence. Nestlé-owned, with subscription commerce and high-end retail — a direct template for the scale Proud Mary is targeting.
• Toby's Estate: Sydney-headquartered specialty coffee roaster with cafés across Australia and the US. Comparable premium positioning, wholesale business, and DTC coffee subscriptions.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Chicago-origin specialty roaster emphasizing direct trade and single-origin transparency. Owned by Peet's; competes with Proud Mary on the same premium single-origin proposition and B2B wholesale.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Portland-born specialty coffee roaster with cafés, wholesale, and direct-trade sourcing. Owned by Peet's Coffee (and ultimately Keurig Dr Pepper), it competes head-to-head with Proud Mary in single-origin specialty and third-wave café experiences.
• Single O: Australian specialty roaster with Sydney café and subscription model. Direct competitor in Australian DTC subscription and café experience, with similar focus on roast profiles.
• Market Lane Coffee: Melbourne specialty coffee roaster with multiple cafés and direct relationships with producers. Comparable Melbourne premium café-and-roastery model, especially strong on single-origin transparency.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/proudmarycoffeeroasters
• Instagraminstagram.com/proudmarycoffee
• Xx.com/proudmarycoffee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Proud Mary Coffee