What Higher Grounds Trading does

Higher Grounds Trading Company is a privately held specialty coffee roaster and retailer headquartered at 806 Red Drive, Suite 150, in Traverse City, Michigan, where it operates a retail coffee bar and roastery inside a former hospital laundry facility at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons. Founded in 2002 by two founders using a borrowed roaster, the company has grown to a team of roughly 20 employees and generated 100% fair trade, USDA Organic certified coffee through its sourcing partner Cooperative Coffees, with named farmer relationships in Honduras (COMSA), the Democratic Republic of Congo (Muungano Cooperative), Colombia (Fondo Paez), and Peru (Norandino), as well as impact projects managed via the On the Ground nonprofit.

The product portfolio is organized into four coffee lines: Apex Series (limited-release microlot coffees such as Peru Apex Jeinner Cubas Vasquez Geisha and Apex Cariño Blend, a 2022 Good Food Award Finalist), Signature Series (year-round blends and single-origins like Highland Humanity and French Roast), Espresso (Mayan Magic and Typhoon), and Coffees for Change (cause-linked blends donating $5 per bag to veterans, youth cycling, preservation, and women's resource nonprofits). Roasted beans are sold in 12oz bags priced $17-$25, alongside Chemex brewers ($52), Baratza Encore grinders ($180), gift cards ($10/$20/$100), and branded apparel. Decaf is processed at the Mountain Water facility in Veracruz, Mexico, using chemical-free carbon block filtration.

Revenue is generated through three channels. Direct-to-consumer e-commerce runs on Shopify at highergroundstrading.com, with 2-day processing and 2-7 day shipping, and is supplemented by monthly Roaster's Choice and Apex Club subscriptions at $15.30 and $19.80 per delivery, plus 3- and 6-month gift subscriptions at $72-$162. A wholesale program serves cafes and restaurants with barista training at The Learning Lab, and a physical coffee bar operates seven days per week from 8 AM to 3 PM with free public roastery tours every other Friday. The company has been B Corp certified since 2016, has delivered 75 tons of coffee by bike over 3700 miles, and contributes an additional 3 cents per pound through the Climate, Carbon, and Coffee Initiative.

Name

Higher Grounds Trading

Legal name

Higher Grounds Trading Company

Website

https://highergroundstrading.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Higher Grounds Trading is a Traverse City, Michigan specialty coffee roaster and retailer selling 100% fair trade, USDA Organic coffee via DTC e-commerce, subscriptions, a retail coffee bar and roastery, and a wholesale program with barista training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting & Retail

NAICS

Specialty Food Retailers (4452), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), Food and Beverage Retailers (445)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus) (THAFADAG), Coffee, Espresso & Tea Appliances Retail (CRACADAC), Bulk Beverage & Coffee/Tea Supply Stores (Retail + Wholesale) (CRAHAMAH)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Fair trade coffee
• Coffee subscriptions
• Wholesale coffee supply
• Coffee equipment retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Traverse City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Revenue model

1. Retail Coffee Sales: Direct sales of roasted coffee beans to consumers through e-commerce and retail coffee bar, including single-origin coffees, signature blends, and specialty Apex Series microlots
2. Coffee Subscriptions: Recurring subscription service offering Roaster's Choice and Apex Series subscriptions with monthly deliveries at $15.30 and $19.80 respectively
3. Equipment and Merchandise Sales: Sales of coffee brewing equipment (Chemex, Baratza grinders), accessories, apparel, and gift cards
4. Wholesale: B2B wholesale coffee sales to cafes, restaurants, and other businesses through their wholesale program with barista training support

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Higher Grounds Trading roasts and sells specialty, fair trade, and organic coffee through multiple channels: direct-to-consumer e-commerce (Shopify storefront), a flagship retail coffee bar and roastery in Traverse City, Michigan, and a wholesale program serving cafes and restaurants. The company offers Apex Series microlots, Signature Series blends, Coffees for Change impact coffees, espresso, and decaf options, alongside coffee subscriptions (Roaster's Choice Club, Apex Club), brewing equipment, gift cards, and apparel.

Product overview

Higher Grounds Trading is a specialty coffee roaster and retailer offering a diversified portfolio centered on premium roasted coffee products. The core offerings include Apex Series (limited-release microlot coffees), Signature Series (year-round blends and single origins), Coffees For Change (impact-driven blends with charitable donations), Espresso, and Decaf options. The company operates subscription services (Roaster's Choice Club, Apex Club) for recurring deliveries, sells coffee equipment (Chemex, grinders), and maintains a physical coffee bar and roastery in Traverse City, Michigan with public tours. Additional offerings include gift cards, apparel/merchandise, and a wholesale program with barista training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Apex Series: Limited-release specialty coffees at peak quality, featuring named farmer partners.
• Signature Series
• Coffees For Change
• Roaster's Choice Club

Products and services

• Apex Series Coffee Limited-release specialty microlot and single-origin coffees featuring named farmer partners and exceptional quality profiles. Targeted at specialty coffee enthusiasts seeking traceable, premium beans.
• Signature Series Coffee Year-round signature blends and single-origin coffees including Highland Humanity, Funky Mamacita, Justice, Coast Summer Blend, and French Roast. Targeted at daily specialty coffee drinkers.
• Coffees For Change Impact-driven coffee blends that donate a portion of each sale to charitable causes, including Bold Glory (veterans), Coast Summer Blend (youth cycling), Fishtown Blend (preservation), and WRC Blend (women's resources). Each bag typically donates $5 to the named charity.
• Coffee Subscriptions Recurring subscription services offering monthly coffee deliveries, including the Roaster's Choice Club ($15.30/month) and Apex Club ($19.80/month), plus 3-month and 6-month gift subscription options. Designed for consumers seeking convenience and curated specialty coffee experiences.
• Espresso Coffee Espresso-specific coffee offerings including Mayan Magic Espresso and Typhoon Espresso, available in 12oz, 3lb, and 5lb sizes. Targeted at home espresso enthusiasts and cafes.
• Decaf & Low Caf Coffee Decaffeinated and low-caffeine coffee options processed using Mountain Water decaffeination (chemical-free carbon block filtration at a Veracruz, Mexico facility). Sourced from COMSA (Honduras) and Norandino (Peru) cooperatives.
• Coffee Equipment Brewing equipment and accessories including Chemex 10-Cup brewers ($52.00) and Baratza Encore Grinder ($180.00), plus related coffee-making tools. Targeted at home brewing enthusiasts.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in $10, $20, and $100 denominations. Digital delivery via email only, redeemable on the website.
• Apparel + Merchandise Branded apparel and merchandise including items like The Sydney Cap ($28.00) featuring the company star logo. Targeted at brand enthusiasts and gift purchasers.
• Wholesale Coffee Program B2B wholesale coffee supply program for cafes, restaurants, and other businesses, including barista training at The Learning Lab and wholesale partnership support. Contact via [email protected].
• Coffee Bar & Roastery Physical retail coffee bar and working roastery located at 806 Red Drive, Ste. 150 in Traverse City, MI. Offers full drink menu, pastries, brewing gear for sale, and in-store pickup for online orders. Open 8 AM - 3 PM, 7 days per week.
• Roastery Tours Free public roastery tours and comparative coffee tastings offered on select Fridays at noon, providing insider access to the working coffee roastery. Open to the public.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of coffee purchased is fair trade and organic certified
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cooperative CoffeescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirect trade importing partner providing access to fair trade and organic coffee from farming cooperatives globally. Through their Climate, Carbon, and Coffee Initiative, they invest in carbon-sequestering agricultural practices. Higher Grounds contributes 3 cents per pound additional to fund farm-level carbon smart practices.
• On the GroundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner nonprofit managing global impact projects including potable water access in Mexico, schools in Ethiopia, medical resources in DRC, gender equality workshops, and agricultural diversification in Nicaragua.
• COMSA (Café Orgánico Marcala)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHonduran coffee cooperative in Marcala, La Paz, Honduras. Founded in 2001 with 69 small-scale farmers of Lenca origin. Provides organic certified, fair trade coffee from elevations of 1200-1600 meters with varietals including Catuai, Caturra, Lempira.
• Muungano Cooperative (DRC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDemocratic Republic of Congo coffee cooperative providing washed coffee for seasonal blends like Coast Summer Blend.
• Fondo PaezminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColombian coffee farming partner contributing washed coffee to seasonal blends.
• Norandino CooperativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeruvian cooperative providing coffee for decaf options. Decaffeinated at Mountain Water facility in Veracruz, Mexico using chemical-free carbon block filtration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Colectivo Coffee: Midwest-based specialty coffee roaster with cafe and wholesale operations. Regional overlap with Higher Grounds' Midwestern footprint and similar cafe-plus-roastery operating model.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster with strong direct-trade farmer relationships, sustainability focus, wholesale program, and training/education services. Closely aligned on transparency, education, and B2B/wholesale motion.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster with subscriptions, retail cafes, and wholesale program. Highly comparable product portfolio and multi-channel model, with significantly larger scale.
• Verve Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster with single-origins, blends, subscriptions, retail cafes, and wholesale. Comparable product portfolio, DTC + retail + wholesale mix, and similar premium-price positioning.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Third-wave specialty coffee roaster known for direct-trade sourcing, signature blends, single-origins, and wholesale/cafe operations. Direct overlap on sourcing philosophy, premium pricing, and cafe/wholesale channels.
• Madcap Coffee: Specialty roaster emphasizing direct-trade farmer relationships, transparency, and cafe/roastery operations in Michigan. Comparable on craft coffee positioning and farmer-direct sourcing model.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster offering single-origin coffees, signature blends, subscriptions, wholesale, and retail cafes. Direct comparison on product mix, sustainability positioning, and multi-channel go-to-market.

Broad incumbents

• Kicking Horse Coffee: Larger specialty/organic coffee brand offering fair trade and organic certified beans through retail and DTC channels. Comparable on organic/fair-trade positioning but with national distribution scale.
• Peet's Coffee: Established national specialty coffee brand offering roasted beans, subscriptions, and broad retail/wholesale presence. Larger scale incumbent competing in the same premium roasted coffee category.

Emerging players

• Onyx Coffee Lab: Award-winning specialty roaster with direct-trade sourcing, competition-grade coffees, and growing DTC/subscription business. Comparable on craft positioning and farmer-direct relationships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/highergroundstrading

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Higher Grounds Trading