Duluth Coffee Company

What Duluth Coffee Company does

Duluth Coffee Company is a privately held specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator founded in 2012 by Eric Faust in Duluth, Minnesota. The company sources green coffee directly from farmers across Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Papua New Guinea, traveling to each origin during harvest to contract lots that are fully traceable to specific farms and producers. Its product portfolio is organized into two tiers: a premium Black Label Reserve line of single-origin reserve lots and a Flagship line of regional single origins and blends (including the Zenith City Espresso). The company operates an in-house production roastery with a 70 kilo roaster installed in 2017 and a 12 kilo roaster inside its flagship cafe, and has extended into adjacent categories including a bean-to-bar chocolate line made from Guatemalan cacao and a freeze-dried specialty-grade instant coffee.

The business operates across multiple revenue streams. Direct-to-consumer sales run through the flagship cafe at 105 E Superior Street and a Shopify-based e-commerce store carrying whole bean, ground, and instant coffee, chocolate, home brewing equipment (Hario, Baratza, Bonavita), merchandise, and gift cards priced from $3 to $180. A subscription program delivers rotating Black Label Reserve coffees on weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly schedules starting at $14. In 2023, the company opened The Kitchen, a farm-to-table brunch restaurant and full bar at 107 E Superior Street, expanding into food and beverage hospitality. A wholesale B2B program supplies coffee, equipment, installation, service, calibration, and barista training to cafes, restaurants, and retailers across Northern Minnesota, with free delivery from McGregor to Grand Marais and Superior to Grand Rapids.

The company serves two primary customer segments: individual specialty coffee consumers seeking traceable, high-quality single-origin coffee for home brewing or cafe consumption, and B2B clients (cafes, restaurants, retailers) requiring recurring wholesale supply and equipment support. Pricing on coffee SKUs ranges from $14-$16 per 12oz bag for standard single origins to $16-$23 for Black Label Reserve lots, positioning the company in the premium specialty tier. The company is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with no disclosed institutional funding, and employs 11-50 people.

Name

Duluth Coffee Company

Legal name

Duluth Coffee Company

Website

https://duluthcoffeecompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Duluth Coffee Company is a privately held specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator founded in 2012 in Duluth, Minnesota. It sources traceable single-origin coffees directly from farmers across multiple countries, roasts in-house, and serves consumers, wholesale accounts, and on-site cafe and restaurant customers in Northern Minnesota.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing (AFAFADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA), Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus) (THAFADAG), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing (AFAFADAD)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Direct trade coffee
• Coffee subscription service
• Bean to bar chocolate
• Wholesale coffee supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Duluth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Coffee Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of whole bean coffee, ground coffee, and instant coffee through e-commerce website and cafe locations. Includes Black Label Reserve single-origin coffees, flagship regional offerings, espresso blends, and decaf options.
2. Coffee Subscriptions: Recurring subscription service delivering rotating Black Label Reserve coffees on weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly schedules. Customers choose bag size, grind type, and delivery frequency.
3. Equipment Sales: Sales of home brewing equipment including Hario V60 pour-over brewers, Baratza Encore grinders, Bonavita coffee makers, Hario filters and digital scales.
4. Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise including hats, t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, tote bags, and gift cards.
5. Food Service - The Kitchen: Full-service brunch restaurant opened 2023 featuring farm-to-table food from local farms, full bar with cocktails, bloody marys, and mimosas. Located at 107 E Superior Street.
6. Wholesale B2B: Coffee, equipment, education and service provided to businesses including cafes, restaurants, and retailers. Includes commercial espresso machine installation, service, calibration, and recurring coffee deliveries.
7. Chocolate Sales: Single origin, bean-to-bar chocolate products including Superior Chocolate, Coffee Chocolate, Salty Chocolate, and Spicy Chocolate. Made from Guatemalan cacao.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Duluth Coffee Company sources specialty green coffee directly from farmers in multiple origins, roasts it on-site at its downtown Duluth facility (70 kilo production roaster plus a 12 kilo cafe roaster), and sells the roasted coffee to consumers through an e-commerce store and its flagship cafe. It also operates The Kitchen, a farm-to-table brunch restaurant, a B2B wholesale program for other cafes and restaurants, a rotating Black Label Reserve coffee subscription, a bean-to-bar chocolate line from Guatemalan cacao, specialty freeze-dried instant coffee, and home brewing equipment and branded merchandise.

Product overview

Duluth Coffee Company operates a multi-faceted specialty coffee business centered on direct-trade relationships with international coffee farmers. The product portfolio centers on premium roasted coffees (divided into Black Label Reserve single-origin lots and Flagship regional offerings), a rotating subscription service, specialty-grade instant coffee, and single-origin bean-to-bar chocolate. The company complements its core coffee and chocolate products with home brewing equipment, branded merchandise, and operates physical cafe, restaurant (Kitchen & Bar), and roastery locations in downtown Duluth, Minnesota. A wholesale program serves B2B customers including cafes and restaurants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Black Label Reserve: Premium coffee line featuring reserve lots from farmers the company knows personally and visits regularly. These are the highest quality coffees from each year's harvest.
• Zenith City Espresso

Products and services

• Black Label Reserve Coffees Premium single-origin coffees sourced directly from named producers and kept as reserve lots separate from bulk production, representing the highest quality coffees from each harvest.
• Flagship Coffees Year-round regional coffee offerings including the Zenith City Espresso blend and origin-specific coffees from Peru Cajamarca, Huila Colombian, Guatemala Huehuetenango, Papua New Guinea Waghi Valley, and a Colombia decaf.
• Rotating Black Label Coffee Subscription Subscription service delivering rotating Black Label Reserve coffees with weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly delivery frequency, customizable bag size (12oz, kilo, 5lb) and grind type, with skip, reschedule, edit, or cancel options.
• Trailside Traveler Instant Coffee Specialty-grade freeze-dried instant coffee made from Farm Select Colombian coffee and packaged in individual single-cup pouches (sold individually or in 5-pack boxes) for travel, hiking, and on-the-go consumption.
• Single Origin Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Bean-to-bar chocolate made in-house from single-origin 70% Guatemalan cacao sourced via Fundalachua, with cocoa roasted, winnowed, refined, and tempered in downtown Duluth; offerings include Superior Chocolate, Coffee Chocolate, Salty Chocolate, and Spicy Chocolate.
• Home Brewing Equipment Curated home brewing equipment including Hario V60 ceramic pour-over brewers, Bonavita 8 Cup brewer, Baratza Encore grinder, Hario Digital Scale, and Hario V60 filters, sold through the online store to home coffee enthusiasts.
• Branded Merchandise Branded apparel and accessories including DCC Diner Mugs, 5 Panel Hats, t-shirts, hoodies, tote bags, and gift cards sold through the online store and cafe.
• Duluth Coffee Company Cafe Flagship coffee shop at 105 E Superior Street in downtown Duluth, open daily 7am-3pm, serving espresso beverages, black coffee, pour-overs, and fresh-baked goods from The Kitchen; functions as a retail location and tasting venue.
• The Kitchen Restaurant Full-service brunch restaurant at 107 E Superior Street in downtown Duluth, open daily 8am-3pm, featuring farm-to-table food from local farms, full bar service with cocktails, bloody marys, mimosas, and signature coffee drinks.
• Wholesale Coffee Program B2B program supplying cafes, restaurants, and retailers with coffee, home and commercial equipment, espresso machine installation, grinder service and calibration, barista training, and recurring deliveries, with free local delivery from McGregor to Grand Marais and Superior to Grand Rapids.
• Duluth Coffee Company Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards available in $10+ denominations, redeemable online through the e-commerce store and at Duluth Coffee Company cafe, restaurant, and roastery locations.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Twin Ports PapercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2017Packaging partner established in 2017. Twin Ports Paper serves as packaging partner allowing Duluth Coffee to focus on sourcing and roasting. Can organize recurring deliveries of coffee and supplies for wholesale customers.
• Cafe ImportscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary importing partner that facilitates sourcing relationships with coffee producers. Brought Duluth Coffee to Cajamarca, Peru and connected them with LimCof counterpart and producers in Jaen.
• SwiftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for producing Trailside Traveler instant coffee. Coffee roasted in Duluth then sent to Pennsylvania to be processed into instant coffee crystals using freeze-drying technology.
• FundalachuacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCocoa purchasing and processing organization based near Laguna Lachua in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Works with 5 associations comprising over 140 producers. General Manager Edgar Raul Quezada Aguilar has led the organization for 14 years.
• Uncommon CocoaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS cocoa importing company dedicated to transparent trade and decommoditizing the cocoa industry. All specialty cocoa from Fundalachua is sold to Uncommon Cocoa.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster known for direct-trade sourcing, sustainability programs, and a national wholesale and DTC footprint with regional training centers. Closely comparable to Duluth Coffee on origin transparency, wholesale B2B model, and education-driven brand.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Specialty roaster with direct-trade farmer relationships, signature blends, and a network of branded cafes. Comparable to Duluth Coffee on direct-trade philosophy, signature espresso blends, and cafe-plus-wholesale GTM.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster with single-origin emphasis, direct trade, and a portfolio of branded cafes plus a robust subscription business. Mirrors Duluth Coffee on single-origin storytelling, subscriptions, and cafe-retail model.
• Verve Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster and cafe operator with farm-level relationships, subscription program, and a strong DTC brand. Comparable on direct-trade sourcing, premium single-origin SKUs, and multi-channel GTM.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty coffee company with a network of cafes, subscription service, and direct-trade origins. Closely comparable to Duluth Coffee on cafe-plus-subscription model and emphasis on freshness and traceable single-origin lots.
• Onyx Coffee Lab: Award-winning specialty roaster with a strong competition pedigree, modern brand, and subscription/DTC business. Comparable to Duluth Coffee on premium single-origin positioning and digital-first specialty storytelling.

Regional players

• Colectivo Coffee: Midwest-based specialty roaster with cafes, wholesale accounts, and direct-trade programs headquartered in Milwaukee. Comparable to Duluth Coffee on regional roaster-plus-cafe model and Midwest wholesale footprint, but operates in a different metro.
• Caribou Coffee: Minnesota-founded coffee chain with cafes, packaged retail coffee, and broad Midwest distribution. Comparable to Duluth Coffee on Minnesota market presence and retail coffee packaging, but a much larger incumbent with broader menu.
• Peace Coffee: Minneapolis-based specialty roaster with direct-trade farmer partnerships, subscription service, and cafe/roastery presence. Comparable to Duluth Coffee on Upper Midwest specialty positioning, direct-trade model, and subscription GTM.

Emerging players

• Heart Roasters: Portland-based specialty roaster and cafe operator with single-origin focus and a tight DTC brand. Comparable to Duluth Coffee on cafe-plus-roastery model and emphasis on light-roast single-origin transparency, but smaller and West-Coast focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/duluthcoffee
• Facebookfacebook.com/Duluthcoffeecompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/duluthcoffeecompany

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 Duluth Coffee Company