Ground Up - Coffee & Tea

What Ground Up - Coffee & Tea does

Ground Up Coffee & Tea LLC is a New York-based, privately held B2B private label supplier specializing in instant coffee, cold brew, liquid coffee extracts, instant tea, and functional beverages. Founded by Brian Paul, who transitioned from a 22-year Fintech career, the company operates with an 11-50 employee footprint and delivers products to beverage brands, food companies, cafes, and roasters globally, sourcing green coffee and tea across origins in Guatemala, Ethiopia, and India. Its portfolio is organized around multiple instant formats (spray-dried, agglomerated, freeze-dried), configurable liquid coffee extracts, and a functional line incorporating ingredients such as Ashwagandha, Turmeric & Ginger, and Vitamin D, with Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, and Kosher certifications available on relevant SKUs.

Underlying capabilities are anchored in an internal Innovation Lab staffed with food scientists, enabling co-development of custom blends, recipe matching, and formulation support. The company maintains domestic U.S. warehousing that supports 24-48 hour pallet-order JIT fulfillment, with custom spread contracts and inventory management for ongoing orders, and offers both bulk wholesale (drums, totes) and retail-ready packaging (bottles, jars, pouches, sachets, sticks, bag-in-box). Auxiliary service modules include global sourcing, product development, bulk and pre-packed format conversion, and regulatory and compliance support.

The revenue model is private-label contract manufacturing with quote-based pricing that is not publicly disclosed. Ground Up employs a horizontal B2B go-to-market with direct sales and content marketing through its website, a regular newsletter ('Off The Ground'), and event presence at SCA Expo. The company is structured as an LLC with no evidence of external institutional funding, and operates as a founder/management-owned entity.

Name

Ground Up - Coffee & Tea

Legal name

Ground Up Coffee & Tea LLC

Website

https://gucoffeetea.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ground Up Coffee & Tea is a New York-based B2B private label manufacturer of instant coffee, cold brew, liquid extracts, and functional tea, supplying consumer beverage brands, food companies, and cafes with custom blends, multi-origin sourcing, and U.S.-based JIT fulfillment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Label Coffee & Tea Manufacturing

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee & Tea Beverage Co-Packing (RTD Coffee/Tea, Cold Brew) (AFAFAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Powdered Beverage Bases & Concentrates (instant drink mixes, soluble concentrates) (AFAFAGAI)

Keywords

• Private label coffee
• Instant coffee manufacturing
• Cold brew production
• Tea manufacturing services
• B2B beverage supplier

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private Label Manufacturing: Ground Up operates as a B2B instant coffee and tea supplier offering private label manufacturing to brands. They provide both bulk wholesale solutions and retail-ready packed products, enabling brands to launch instant coffee, cold brew, tea, and functional beverage products under their own labels.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ground Up is a B2B private label manufacturer of instant coffee, cold brew, and tea products. The company co-develops custom blends and formulations with brands, then delivers them as bulk wholesale ingredients or as turn-key retail-ready packaged products (bottles, jars, pouches, sachets, sticks, bag-in-box) carrying the customer's own label.

Product overview

Ground Up Instant Coffee & Tea is a B2B private label instant coffee and tea supplier offering a portfolio of products including Instant Coffee, Cold Brew Coffee (Guatemalan, New Orleans Style, Ethiopian, Instant formats), Liquid Coffee Extracts, Functional Coffee, Instant Tea, and Functional Tea. The company provides complementary service modules including Product Development (co-development of custom blends), Global Sourcing, Bulk & Pre-Packed Formats, Domestic Inventories with 24-48 hour shipping, and Regulatory & Compliance support. Ground Up serves brands, food companies, and beverage companies looking to enter or expand in the instant coffee and functional beverage markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Label Instant Coffee Instant coffee manufactured for brands in bulk wholesale or retail-ready private label packaging, leveraging 30+ years of experience across all stages of instant coffee production. Available in spray dried, agglomerated, and freeze-dried formats for B2B customers.
• Guatemalan Cold Brew Cold brew shots made from washed Guatemalan arabica and fortified with cold extracted instant coffee from India, available in Brix options from 4.5bx to 33bx for B2B customers.
• New Orleans Style Cold Brew Cold brew shots made from arabica beans sourced from the Oriente Region of Guatemala and fortified with chicory, delivering a sweeter milk chocolate profile with a smooth finish for B2B customers.
• Instant Cold Brew Spray dried cold brew format made with arabica beans sourced from the Western Ghats of India, offering a distinct caramel aroma with milk chocolate flavor; Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, and Kosher certified.
• Ethiopian Cold Brew Cold brew using a combination of natural and washed arabica beans from the Sidamo region of Ethiopia, fortified with cold extracted instant powder from India, featuring a bright opening with honeydew notes and a dark chocolate finish.
• Liquid Coffee Extracts Liquid coffee concentrates for cold coffees, coffee-flavored functional beverages, and hard coffees, configurable across brix levels, flavor profiles, and functional ingredients with superior shelf-stability and non-frozen options.
• Functional Coffee Functional coffee beverages incorporating health-promoting ingredients such as Ashwagandha, Turmeric & Ginger, or Vitamin D, developed in the Innovation Lab for differentiated functional products.
• Instant Tea Soluble instant tea compatible with hot or cold water, available in limitless flavor profiles, usable as standalone, 3-in-1 mix, or as a foundation for functional products; rich in flavonoids and polyphenols.
• Functional Tea Fortified teas with healthful ingredients such as Ginger, Hibiscus, or Rosehip, with custom tea blends created with signature ingredients for brand differentiation.
• Product Development (Co-Development Services) Co-development service for instant coffees, teas, RTD functional beverages, and food products, working with brands to match existing products or create unique custom blends from idea through execution to delivery.
• Domestic Inventories & Logistics Just-in-time U.S. warehouse fulfillment shipping pallet orders within 24-48 hours, with custom spread contracts, local storage options, inventory management for ongoing domestic orders, and domestic and international logistics support.
• Global Sourcing Coffee and tea sourcing across global origins (including India, Guatemala, Ethiopia, and U.S.) to support product development and supply chain needs for B2B customers.
• Bulk & Pre-Packed Format Manufacturing Flexible manufacturing and packaging options delivering products either as bulk wholesale (drums, totes, bulk containers) or as turn-key retail-ready packed offerings (bottles, jars, pouches, sachets, sticks, bag-in-box) for B2B customers.
• Regulatory & Compliance Services Regulatory and compliance support provided to B2B customers during product development and market entry, including Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, and Kosher certification pathways.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pallet orders can ship within 24-48 hours from domestic U.S. inventory
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA: Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA is a major coffee manufacturer producing private label roast, ground, and instant coffee for retailers and foodservice customers. Directly comparable to Ground Up's B2B private label instant and roast/ground coffee model with significantly greater scale.
• Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee: Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee is a North American private label coffee and tea manufacturer serving retail and foodservice customers with custom roast, ground, instant, and tea products. Directly comparable to Ground Up's private label instant coffee and tea business.
• Tata Coffee Limited: Tata Coffee is an India-based integrated coffee producer with significant instant coffee manufacturing capacity serving private label and B2B customers globally. Comparable as a private label instant coffee supplier, particularly relevant given Ground Up's sourcing from Indian arabica origins.
• Reily Foods Company: Reily Foods is a U.S. food and beverage manufacturer offering private label and contract manufacturing across coffee, tea, and other beverages. Comparable to Ground Up as a smaller-scale private label beverage co-packer with shared customer base in challenger CPG brands.
• Royal Cup Coffee: Royal Cup Coffee is a family-owned B2B coffee and tea supplier offering roasting, private label, and foodservice solutions across the U.S. Comparable to Ground Up as a private label coffee/tea manufacturer serving similar brand and foodservice customers.
• S&D Coffee & Tea: S&D Coffee & Tea is one of the largest custom coffee roasters and private label coffee suppliers in the U.S., offering coffee and tea solutions to foodservice and retail brands. It is a direct comparable to Ground Up as a B2B coffee/tea private label manufacturer with similar product categories and customer profiles.
• Farmer Bros. Co. Farmer Bros. is a U.S.-based coffee roaster and private label manufacturer serving foodservice and retail with roast/ground coffee and related products. Comparable to Ground Up as a B2B private label coffee supplier, though significantly larger and publicly traded.

Broad incumbents

• Nestlé (Nescafé / Nespresso): Nestlé operates Nescafé, the world's largest instant coffee brand, with global manufacturing scale and B2B capabilities. Relevant as the dominant incumbent in the instant coffee category against which all private label co-packers compete.
• Strauss Group Coffee Division: Strauss Group is a large international food and beverage company with a significant coffee division (including instant and private label operations in Israel, Brazil, and Eastern Europe). Comparable as a broad incumbent private label instant coffee player with much greater geographic reach.
• JDE Peet's: JDE Peet's is a global pure-play coffee and tea group operating brands like Jacobs, Douwe Egberts, L'OR, and Peet's Coffee with substantial instant and private label capabilities. Comparable as a broad incumbent with private label coffee and tea offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Ground Up - Coffee & Tea