Roast Magazine

What Roast Magazine does

Roast Magazine is a privately held, Portland-based trade media company serving the specialty coffee industry. Founded in 2004 and operated by publisher Connie Blumhardt with a team of 1-10, the company publishes a bi-monthly (six issues per year) technical trade magazine covering the art, science, and business of coffee roasting. Core products include the print and digital Roast Magazine subscription ($30-$80/year), the Daily Coffee News website (launched 2012), the Roast Podcast, and a portfolio of specialty coffee books including The Book of Roast (Volumes 1 and 2), Green Coffee, Cheap Coffee, and Coffee Covered.

The business operates a multi-revenue-stream model combining recurring subscriptions, single-issue and back-issue sales, book and merchandise e-commerce, advertising across print, web, newsletter and social channels, and event registrations. Distribution is direct-to-consumer globally with free shipping on subscriptions, complemented by a licensed translation and distribution partnership with Giesen Korea (since 2011) that reaches 1,050 copies bimonthly. The Roast Summit event franchise (Portland and Chicago in 2026, Melbourne in 2027) and the annual Roaster of the Year awards program (20th annual in 2024) anchor an ecosystem that also includes a coffee industry job board and directory. The core technology is a standard digital magazine and e-commerce platform with no proprietary AI or API layers; the 132-issue editorial archive (2004-2025) is itself a productized asset, sold as a $275 USB bundle.

Name

Roast Magazine

Legal name

Roast Magazine

Website

https://roastmagazine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Roast Magazine is a privately held, Portland-based trade media company founded in 2004 that publishes a bi-monthly technical magazine, Daily Coffee News, podcast, books, and Summit events for the global specialty coffee roasting industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Trade Media

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee publishing
• Trade journalism coffee
• Coffee industry news
• Coffee roasting resources
• Specialty coffee events

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from print and digital magazine subscriptions, published six times per year.
2. Single Issue Sales: Individual magazine issues sold as print or digital copies.
3. Books and Publications: Published books including The Book of Roast (Volumes 1 and 2), Green Coffee, Cheap Coffee, Coffee Covered.
4. Events: Roast Summit event registrations and associated programming.
5. Advertising: Print and digital advertising across magazine, website, newsletter, social media, and events.
6. Merchandise: Apparel (t-shirts, baseball shirts), wall calendars, fire prevention posters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Roast Magazine publishes a bi-monthly technical trade magazine dedicated to the specialty coffee industry, covering the art, science, and business of coffee roasting. The company distributes print and digital subscriptions (six issues per year), operates the Daily Coffee News online portal, runs the Roast Podcast, and produces the Roast Summit conferences plus the annual Roaster of the Year Award program. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring subscriptions, advertising across print/digital/event properties, book and merchandise sales, and event registration fees.

Product overview

Roast Magazine operates as a multi-platform media company serving the specialty coffee industry with print and digital publishing products, events, and educational resources. The core offering is Roast Magazine, a bi-monthly technical trade journal covering the art, science, and business of coffee roasting, published six times per year. The company extends its reach through Daily Coffee News (online news), the Roast Podcast (audio content), and Roast Summit events. Publications include The Book of Roast (Volumes 1 & 2), Green Coffee: A Guide for Roasters and Buyers, Cheap Coffee, and Coffee Covered. Merchandise includes wall calendars and apparel. The company also offers issue bundles (yearly compilations of all six issues) and a 2004-2025 USB Digital Reprint containing all historical issues. International distribution includes Roast Korea. Resources include a Coffee Job Board and Industry Directory. Subscriptions are available in 1-year, 2-year, print, and digital-only formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Roast Magazine (Print & Digital) A bi-monthly technical trade magazine dedicated to the specialty coffee industry, covering the art, science, and business of coffee roasting with high-quality editorial. Published six times per year with print and digital subscription options; current issue is Issue 136 (July/August 2026).
• Daily Coffee News An online news platform for specialty coffee professionals providing breaking news, in-depth feature stories, and insider columns. Operating continuously since 2012 as the digital editorial arm of Roast Magazine.
• Roast Podcast Audio content featuring interviews with scientists, subject matter experts, and professionals from across the coffee industry, covering the latest research and insights. Distributed on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
• Roast Summit Industry conferences bringing together coffee roasting professionals for education, networking, and workshops. Editions include Roast Summit Portland 2026 (October 1-2, 2026), Roast Summit Chicago 2026, and Roast Summit Melbourne 2027 (March 2-3, 2027). Registration priced at $100-$150 per pass.
• The Book of Roast: Volume 2 A nearly 500-page curated collection of articles from Roast magazine covering coffee production, evaluation, sourcing, and roasting techniques. Expands on concepts from Volume 1.
• The Book of Roast: Volume 1 A nearly 500-page compilation covering the history of coffee roasting, coffee production, science of roasting, roasting techniques, and basics of running a coffee roasting business.
• Green Coffee: A Guide for Roasters and Buyers A comprehensive resource about unroasted coffee by Chris Kornman, covering history, processing methods, sourcing practices, analysis, and roasting guidance.
• Cheap Coffee: Behind the Curtain of the Global Coffee Trade A book by Karl Wienhold explaining the economics, mechanics, and power structures defining the coffee industry, synthesizing academic literature and expert interviews.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20+ years of continuous publication
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Giesen KoreacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2011Partnership since 2011 to translate, print and circulate Roast magazine in Korea. Giesen Korea facilitates distribution with over 1,050 total circulation (500+ paid subscribers and 550 bookstore bimonthly sales). Giesen Korea is a trusted partner described as part of the Roast family.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tea & Coffee Trade Journal: Long-running trade publication covering the tea and coffee industries with print magazine, digital editions, and industry news. Directly comparable to Roast Magazine as a trade periodical serving coffee/tea professionals, with overlapping coverage of roasting, sourcing, and equipment.
• Fresh Cup Magazine: Trade publication covering specialty coffee and tea professionals with print magazine, digital content, and events. Directly comparable as a specialty-coffee periodical serving roasters, baristas, and café operators with editorial and live-event monetization.
• Sprudge Media Network: Leading specialty coffee online news and editorial network covering coffee professionals and enthusiasts worldwide. Closely comparable to Roast's Daily Coffee News vertical, with a shared audience of roasters and baristas and a content-driven, ad-supported business model.
• Perfect Daily Grind: Global coffee industry news and information platform serving producers, roasters, baristas, and consumers. Directly comparable to Roast's editorial and news properties in specialty coffee, with overlapping advertising and content monetization in the same niche.
• Coffee Review: Specialty coffee review and editorial site publishing tasting notes and rankings of green and roasted coffees. Comparable to Roast Magazine as a specialty-coffee editorial authority with a content-led, advertising-supported model targeting roasters and serious enthusiasts.
• Barista Magazine: Trade magazine for the specialty coffee and barista community with print, digital, and event components (including the Barista League). Closely comparable to Roast as a sibling coffee trade periodical serving an overlapping but slightly more barista-leaning audience.

Broad incumbents

• Specialty Coffee Association (SCA): The primary global trade association for specialty coffee, producing educational content, certifications, and major events (e.g., Specialty Coffee Expo). Comparable to Roast as the dominant industry-body competitor for audience attention, advertiser spend, and event revenue in specialty coffee.
• Beverage Daily (William Reed): B2B media brand covering beverages including coffee, owned by William Reed. Comparable to Roast Magazine as a broader-scope trade media outlet serving coffee industry professionals with news, reports, and advertising opportunities.

Emerging players

• Coffee Intelligence: Subscription-based coffee industry intelligence and research service covering market data, analysis, and news for coffee professionals. Comparable to Roast as a paid coffee-business information product targeting roasters, traders, and retailers, though positioned more as data/research than editorial.

Regional players

• Bean Scene Magazine: Australian specialty coffee trade magazine with print and digital editions, plus industry events. Comparable to Roast as a specialty-coffee trade periodical with events, but focused on the Australian and Asia-Pacific market rather than North America.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXjVt5U5p0_9UgLlPRkQ4_A
• Instagraminstagram.com/roastmagazine
• Xx.com/RoastMagazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Roast Magazine