Coupa Cafe
Coupa Cafe is a family-owned specialty coffee and Venezuelan restaurant chain operating nine locations across Palo Alto, Stanford University, Los Altos, and Redwood City, serving locally roasted Arabica coffee, Venezuelan specialties, full catering, and e-commerce coffee and merchandise to consumers and corporate clients in Silicon Valley.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Coupa Cafe does
Coupa Cafe is a family-owned specialty coffee and Venezuelan restaurant chain founded in 2004 in downtown Palo Alto, California. The company operates nine retail locations concentrated in the Silicon Valley trade area — two in downtown Palo Alto (Ramona St and Lytton Ave), five inside Stanford University buildings (Y2E2 Environment and Energy Building, Green Library, Graduate School of Business Knight Management Center, Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center, and Stanford Research Park Hub), one in Los Altos, and one in Redwood City. The core offering is in-store dining featuring locally roasted Arabica coffee (single-origin beans from Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Ethiopia, and India), signature beverages such as Spicy Maya Hot Chocolate and Coupa Chai, and a menu spanning Venezuelan specialties (arepas, tequeños, empanadas) alongside broader cafe fare including paninis, salads, crepes, and pastries. Ingredients are sourced from twelve named local farms under a sustainable/organic positioning.
The product and service architecture extends beyond dine-in. Direct channels include a proprietary Coupa App (iOS/Android) for mobile ordering, payment, and loyalty, and an NCR Aloha-powered online ordering system for pickup; delivery is fulfilled through DoorDash and a DoorDash Group Order feature. Ancillary revenue streams comprise corporate and event catering (espresso cart rental, boxed lunches, continental breakfasts, full-service events), wedding catering, event venue rental at the Stanford Research Park Hub, the Coupa Card loyalty program ($5 reward per $50 spent), reloadable gift cards ($5–$1,000), and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront (shop.coupacafe.com) selling coffee packs and branded merchandise with free shipping. Tableside QR-code menu and pay is offered in-store. The business is a member of the California Restaurant Association and the Specialty Coffee Association of America.
Coupa Cafe is a privately held, family-owned company with no disclosed external funding, institutional investors, subsidiaries, M&A activity, or leadership changes across its 22-year history. The go-to-market is a hybrid direct-to-consumer (nine physical locations + mobile app + e-commerce) and event-driven/catering direct-sales motion targeting both individual consumers and corporate clients in the Stanford / Palo Alto / Silicon Valley corridor. Pricing is unit-based across all product lines, with no subscription tier beyond the reloadable gift card and loyalty card mechanics.
Coupa Cafe firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Coupa Cafe
- Legal name
- Coupa Cafe
- Website
- https://coupacafe.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Coupa Cafe is a family-owned specialty coffee and Venezuelan restaurant chain operating nine locations across Palo Alto, Stanford University, Los Altos, and Redwood City, serving locally roasted Arabica coffee, Venezuelan specialties, full catering, and e-commerce coffee and merchandise to consumers and corporate clients in Silicon Valley.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Coupa Cafe industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee Shop and Casual Dining
- NAICS
- Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Caterers (722320)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes (THAFADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus) (THAFADAG)
Keywords
Where Coupa Cafe is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices9 records
Markets served
Coupa Cafe business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Retail Food and Beverage Sales: In-store sales of coffee, food, and beverages at multiple cafe locations. Customers can dine in, take out, or use curbside pickup. The business features locally roasted Coupa Coffee and a diverse menu including Venezuelan specialties like arepas, paninis, salads, crepes, and pastries.
- Catering Services: Corporate and event catering including espresso cart service, continental breakfasts, boxed lunches, office catering, lunch and dinner catering, cocktail services, wedding catering, and venue rentals. Offers both delivery catering and full-service on-site catering.
- E-commerce Coffee Sales: Online sales of whole bean and ground coffee for home delivery. Products include Dark Roast (12oz for $26, 5lb for $125), Decaf (12oz for $26). Free shipping on coffee orders.
- Merchandise Sales: Online sales of branded merchandise including stainless water bottles, ceramic mugs, tumblers, hoodies, trucker hats, and logo stickers. Items are customizable.
- Gift Cards: Digital gift cards delivered by email and traditional physical gift cards mailed to recipients. Available in any denomination from $5 to $1,000.
- Loyalty Program (Coupa Card): The Coupa Card loyalty program offers rewards on purchases. Customers earn points on every order and receive a $5 reward for every $50 spent on food and drinks. The program includes mobile app integration for ordering and payment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Dark Roast Whole Bean 12oz - $26 with free shipping |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Dark Roast Ground 12oz - price varies |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Decaf Whole Bean 12oz - $26 with free shipping |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Dark Roast Whole Bean 5lb - $125 with free shipping |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Cards - Available in $5 to $1,000 denominations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels8 records
Coupa Cafe product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Coupa Cafe operates a chain of nine family-owned specialty coffee shops and casual restaurants across Palo Alto, Stanford University, Los Altos, and Redwood City, serving locally roasted Arabica coffee, Venezuelan specialties (arepas, tequeños, empanadas), and a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu. The business also runs a catering operation for corporate and social events, a mobile ordering and loyalty app, a retail e-commerce shop for coffee packs and branded merchandise, and gift card programs.
Product overview
Coupa Cafe is a family-owned specialty coffee and dining chain with a platform-plus-services architecture. The core product is the in-store dining experience across 9 Bay Area locations (Palo Alto, Redwood City, Los Altos, and Stanford University campuses), supported by the Coupa App for mobile ordering, payment, and loyalty management. The ecosystem includes add-on services: online ordering via NCR Aloha platform with DoorDash delivery integration, catering services for corporate and social events, event venue rental, the Coupa Card loyalty program, and a retail arm selling branded merchandise and Coffee Packs. Additional services include wedding catering, mobile espresso cart service, and tableside QR ordering. The company was founded in 2004 and celebrates 22 years in business.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Coupa Cafe In-Store Dining Full-service cafe dining experience at nine Bay Area locations offering specialty coffee, espresso drinks, hot chocolate, chai, teas, and a food menu covering breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Venezuelan specialties such as arepas, tequeños, empanadas, paninis, salads, crepes, and pastries.
- Catering Services
- Coupa App
- Online Ordering (Pickup and Delivery)
- Espresso Cart Service
- Wedding Catering
- Event Venue Rental
- Coffee Packs
- Coupa Merchandise
- Gift Cards
- Coupa Card Loyalty Program
Companies that use Coupa Cafe
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Coupa Cafe technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Coupa Cafe partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Local Farm SupplierscoreCoupa Cafe partners with multiple local farms for sustainable, organic, and fresh ingredients. Partner farms include Clover Stornetta Farms, County Line Harvest, Ratto Brothers, Durst Organics, West Lake Fresh, Cabrillo Farms, Dwelley Farms, Del Fresh Mushrooms, Babe Farms, Giusti Farms, Glaum Egg Ranch, and Country Line Harvest. These partnerships support the company's commitment to local sourcing and sustainable agriculture.
- DoorDashcoreDoorDash partnership for food and beverage delivery services. Customers can order Coupa Cafe items through DoorDash for home or office delivery.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves13 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Coupa Cafe competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Philz Coffee: Bay Area-born specialty coffee chain with multiple cafe locations and a strong local following. Overlaps with Coupa on premium coffee positioning, cafe footprint strategy, and Bay Area customer base.
- Peet's Coffee: Bay Area-headquartered specialty coffee chain with a similar cafe-plus-roasted-coffee business model. Both companies compete for the same Silicon Valley cafe customer and premium grocery coffee shelf space.
- Sightglass Coffee: San Francisco specialty roaster and cafe operator with a similar dual cafe-plus-roastery model. Comparable on locally roasted single-origin coffee and Bay Area cafe positioning.
- Ritual Coffee Roasters: San Francisco-based specialty roaster and cafe operator. Competes with Coupa in the Bay Area premium coffee category with both cafes and a wholesale/roasting business.
- Verve Coffee Roasters: California-based specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator with locations across the Bay Area and beyond. Closely comparable on locally roasted single-origin coffee, cafe experience, and DTC e-commerce model.
- Blue Bottle Coffee: Premium specialty coffee chain with multiple Bay Area cafes and DTC coffee sales. Competes head-to-head with Coupa on single-origin coffee positioning and cafe experience in the Peninsula market.
- Réveille Coffee Co. Bay Area cafe and coffee brand with multiple Peninsula-adjacent locations. Comparable on neighborhood cafe experience, locally roasted coffee, and Bay Area loyalty-driven customer base.
- Equator Coffees: Bay Area specialty roaster and cafe operator. Closely comparable on fair-trade/sustainability sourcing, locally roasted coffee, and Bay Area cafe footprint including Peninsula locations.
Emerging players
- Andytown Coffee: Independent San Francisco specialty coffee shop with a small but loyal following and a strong roasting program. Comparable on independent, locally rooted brand positioning and focus on specialty coffee.
Broad incumbents
- Starbucks: Global coffee chain with broad presence across the Peninsula and Stanford campus area. Competes for the same daily coffee occasion at every price tier, though with a much broader menu and scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Coupa Cafe social profiles
Digital presenceCoupa Cafe financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Coupa Cafe leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Coupa Cafe funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Coupa Cafe 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 Coupa Cafe
What does Coupa Cafe do?
Coupa Cafe operates a chain of nine family-owned specialty coffee shops and casual restaurants across Palo Alto, Stanford University, Los Altos, and Redwood City, serving locally roasted Arabica coffee, Venezuelan specialties (arepas, tequeños, empanadas), and a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu. The business also runs a catering operation for corporate and social events, a mobile ordering and loyalty app, a retail e-commerce shop for coffee packs and branded merchandise, and gift card programs.
Is Coupa Cafe a public or private company?
Coupa Cafe is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Coupa Cafe founded?
Coupa Cafe was founded in 2004. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Coupa Cafe based?
Coupa Cafe is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does Coupa Cafe make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Retail Food and Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services, E-commerce Coffee Sales, merchandise Sales, gift Cards and loyalty Program (Coupa Card).
Who are Coupa Cafe's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Philz Coffee, Peet's Coffee, Sightglass Coffee, Ritual Coffee Roasters, Verve Coffee Roasters, Blue Bottle Coffee, Réveille Coffee Co. and Equator Coffees. Andytown Coffee is listed as an emerging player. Starbucks is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Coupa Cafe have an API?
No public API is recorded for Coupa Cafe.
What industry is Coupa Cafe in?
Coupa Cafe's product category is Specialty Coffee Shop and Casual Dining. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFADAB, Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes, with a secondary code of THAFADAG, Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus). Its NAICS code is 72251 and its SIC code is 5810.