Level Ground Trading
Level Ground Trading is a privately held Fairtrade coffee roaster founded in 1997 in Victoria, BC, that sources single-origin and craft coffees from cooperatives in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, selling direct-to-consumer online, via a 5lb subscription service, through wholesale to grocers including London Drugs, and through a Roastery Café.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersVictoria, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Level Ground Trading does
Level Ground Trading, operating as Level Ground Coffee Roasters, is a privately held Fairtrade Organization founded in 1997 and headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia. The company sources single-origin and craft coffee from producer cooperatives across Colombia, Ethiopia, Peru, Honduras, and Papua New Guinea, and roasts in small batches at its Vancouver Island facility. It also sells Fair Trade teas sourced from small-scale growers in Assam, India, and organic dried fruits and cane sugar packaged by Fruandes, a Fair Trade Organization in Colombia. Decaf offerings are processed using the Swiss Water chemical-free decaffeination method.
The core technology stack is operational rather than digital: small-batch roasting equipment on Vancouver Island, Shopify-powered DTC e-commerce at levelground.com, Judge.me for customer reviews, and a Square-based gift card system for the on-site Roastery Café at 1757 Sean Heights. There is no proprietary software, no AI/ML capability disclosed, and no mobile app. Product assortment is structured across three tiers: a standard line (300g bags from $18.99 CAD), larger 2lb and 5lb formats (up to $106.99 CAD), and a premium Roaster Series with traceable lots such as Honey Washed Colombia and Hand-Selected Papua New Guinea.
Revenue is generated through four streams: direct e-commerce sales to Canadian consumers, a 5lb coffee subscription service on 4/6/8-week cadence with 10% savings, wholesale distribution to independent grocers and London Drugs, and on-premise sales at the Roastery Café. US customers are served through the Ethical Trade Co marketplace. The customer base consists primarily of individual coffee consumers, with two named individual reviewers and one named institutional retail partner (London Drugs); no enterprise contracts or large-anchor accounts are disclosed.
Level Ground Trading firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Level Ground Trading
- Legal name
- Level Ground Coffee Roasters
- Website
- https://levelground.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Level Ground Trading is a privately held Fairtrade coffee roaster founded in 1997 in Victoria, BC, that sources single-origin and craft coffees from cooperatives in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, selling direct-to-consumer online, via a 5lb subscription service, through wholesale to grocers including London Drugs, and through a Roastery Café.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Level Ground Trading industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee Roasting
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Specialty Food Retailers (4452)
- SIC
- Retail-Food Stores (5400), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing (AFAFADAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG), Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)
Keywords
Where Level Ground Trading is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Victoria
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Level Ground Trading business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct E-commerce Sales: Online retail sales of coffee, tea, and dried goods through levelground.com with shipping to Canadian consumers
- Coffee Subscriptions: Recurring 5lb coffee subscription delivered every 4, 6, or 8 weeks with 10% savings, providing predictable recurring revenue
- Wholesale Distribution: Bulk sales to independent grocers and retailers including store-level distribution through grocers like London Drugs
- Roastery Café: On-site café at Victoria headquarters serving coffee and pastries to walk-in customers
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 5lb Coffee Subscription |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 300g Coffee |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 5lb Coffee (one-time) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 2lb Coffee |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tea Products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Dried Fruits |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Cards |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Specialty Products |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Level Ground Trading product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Level Ground Trading is a small-batch specialty coffee roaster based in Victoria, BC, producing single-origin and blended Fair Trade certified coffees, loose-leaf teas, and dried pantry goods (organic cane sugar, dried mango, dried pineapple). Roasted coffees, teas, and dried goods are sold through the company's direct-to-consumer e-commerce site, wholesale partnerships with independent retailers, a recurring 5 lb coffee subscription, and its on-site Roastery Café.
Product overview
Level Ground Trading (Level Ground Coffee Roasters) is a Fairtrade coffee company and specialty roastery based in Victoria, BC, operating since 1997. The product portfolio centers on Fair Trade and organic certified coffee products offered as single origin roasts (Colombia, Peru, Ethiopia, Honduras) and craft blends (French Roast, Andes, Espresso, Decaf), supplemented by a Roaster Series featuring premium specialty releases (Honey Washed Colombia, Hand-Selected Papua New Guinea, Roastery Espresso, Decaf Espresso, Trailhead). The company also offers tea (Black, Earl Grey, Green, Chai) and dried goods (Organic Cane Sugar, Dried Mango, Dried Pineapple) sourced through Fair Trade Organization Fruandes in Colombia. Additional offerings include a 5lb Coffee Subscription service delivering on a 4, 6, or 8 week cadence, gift cards, and a physical Roastery Café location. Products are vegan and allergen-free, with most items certified organic and Kosher (dried goods and sugar).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Colombia Single Origin Coffee
- Peru Single Origin Coffee
- Ethiopia Single Origin Coffee
- Honduras Single Origin Coffee
- Andes Blend Coffee
- French Roast Coffee
- Espresso Coffee
- Trailhead Coffee
- Roastery Espresso Coffee
- Decaf Coffee
- Decaf Espresso Coffee
- Honey Washed Colombia Coffee (Roastery Series)
- Hand-Selected Papua New Guinea Coffee (Roastery Series)
- Black Tea
- Earl Grey Tea
- Green Tea
- Chai Tea
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Dried Mango
- Dried Pineapple
- 5 lb Coffee Subscription
- Online Gift Card
- Roastery Café
Quantifiable outcome
- Products certified Fairtrade and most items certified organic
Companies that use Level Ground Trading
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Level Ground Trading technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Level Ground Trading partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FruandescoreFair Trade Organization (FTO) in Colombia that packages Level Ground's organic cane sugar. Fruandes sources fresh fruit from small-scale farmers and employs women to process dried mango, dried pineapple, and cane sugar. Located in Huila and Cundinamarca, Colombia.
- Swiss WatercoreSwiss Water Process decaf facility processes Level Ground's decaf coffee in Canada without chemicals, providing chemical-free decaffeination for their decaf product line.
- Ethical Trade CominorMarketplace partner hosting Level Ground products for US customers via ethicaltradeco.com. Provides US market access through an existing fair trade marketplace platform.
- Small-scale Tea Growers (Assam, India)coreOrganic tea growers in Assam, India who grow and process their own tea at garden sites. Farmers use traditional rice-pounding method ('dheki') requiring no electricity. These organic gardens provide habitat for birds and microorganisms.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Level Ground Trading competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Tim Hortons: Dominant Canadian coffee QSR/CPG brand retailing packaged coffee at mass scale; included as the broad incumbent setting price benchmarks and shelf expectations for Canadian coffee at grocery, alongside which Level Ground competes for the specialty and fair-trade premium shopper.
- Intelligentsia Coffee: Large US-based specialty coffee roaster with direct-trade sourcing and wholesale café partnerships; provides a benchmark for how a premium specialty roaster scales DTC, wholesale, and café channels beyond regional play.
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Established US specialty coffee roaster offering direct-trade single-origin and blended coffees through wholesale, cafés, and DTC; broadly comparable in product depth and channels while operating at much larger scale.
Direct peers
- Kicking Horse Coffee: Canadian fair-trade and organic specialty coffee roaster headquartered in British Columbia; directly comparable in country of origin, ethical sourcing posture, single-origin and blend portfolio, and DTC/wholesale distribution model.
- Salt Spring Coffee: Canadian fair-trade and organic small-batch coffee roaster based in British Columbia; directly comparable product mix, ethical-sourcing story, and DTC-plus-wholesale distribution approach to Level Ground.
- Ethical Bean Coffee: Canadian specialty Fairtrade coffee roaster with single-origin focus and DTC plus grocery distribution; near-direct competitor operating in the same Canadian fair-trade specialty segment.
- 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters: Vancouver-based specialty coffee roaster sourcing premium beans and operating own cafés; highly comparable direct peer operating in the same BC/Pacific Northwest specialty-coffee category with overlapping single-origin and wholesale-café offerings.
- Just Us! Coffee Roasters: Canadian fair-trade and organic coffee roaster with retail café, wholesale, and online sales; directly comparable specialty-roastery business model anchored in ethical sourcing and small-batch roasting.
- Bridgehead Coffee Roasters: Ottawa-based Canadian fair-trade coffee roaster with a comparable specialty-coffee DTC plus wholesale-café model; same Canadian fair-trade heritage and small-batch positioning as Level Ground.
Others
- Ethical Trade Co. Fair-trade-focused online marketplace that distributes Level Ground's products into the United States; included as an ecosystem/channel partner rather than a direct competitor, illustrating the cross-border route Level Ground relies on.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Level Ground Trading social profiles
Digital presenceLevel Ground Trading financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Level Ground Trading leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Level Ground Trading funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Level Ground Trading M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Level Ground Trading
What does Level Ground Trading do?
Level Ground Trading is a small-batch specialty coffee roaster based in Victoria, BC, producing single-origin and blended Fair Trade certified coffees, loose-leaf teas, and dried pantry goods (organic cane sugar, dried mango, dried pineapple). Roasted coffees, teas, and dried goods are sold through the company's direct-to-consumer e-commerce site, wholesale partnerships with independent retailers, a recurring 5 lb coffee subscription, and its on-site Roastery Café.
Is Level Ground Trading a public or private company?
Level Ground Trading is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Level Ground Trading founded?
Level Ground Trading was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Level Ground Trading based?
Level Ground Trading is headquartered in Victoria, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Level Ground Trading make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Direct E-commerce Sales are the primary driver. The others are coffee Subscriptions, wholesale Distribution and roastery Café.
Who are Level Ground Trading's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Tim Hortons, Intelligentsia Coffee and Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Direct peers are Kicking Horse Coffee, Salt Spring Coffee, Ethical Bean Coffee, 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, Just Us! Coffee Roasters and Bridgehead Coffee Roasters. Ethical Trade Co. is listed as an others.
Does Level Ground Trading have an API?
No public API is recorded for Level Ground Trading.
What industry is Level Ground Trading in?
Level Ground Trading's product category is Specialty Coffee Roasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFADAJ, Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing, with a secondary code of CRADAHAG, Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean). Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 5400.