CUPS Coffee
CUPS Coffee is a family-owned Indianapolis coffee retailer founded in 1996, operating five weekday retail locations downtown and northside that serve in-store beverages and food, alongside an online shop selling whole-bean coffee, branded merchandise, and gift cards to local consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersIndianapolis, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What CUPS Coffee does
CUPS Coffee, legally CUPS Coffee, Tea, and More Inc., is a privately held, family-owned coffee retailer founded in 1996 by Mike and Grace Hineman in downtown Indianapolis near Monument Circle. The company operates five walk-in coffee shop locations — four in downtown Indianapolis (Capital Center, Market & Penn, 1 N Capitol, BMO Plaza) and one on the northside (Keystone at the Crossing) — open weekdays from roughly 6:00/7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, serving hot and cold espresso-based beverages, drip coffee, TAZO teas, cold brew, and a limited food menu of pastries, soups, salads, and snacks.
The core product surface is dual-channel: an in-store beverage and food service operation, and a Squarespace-hosted e-commerce storefront (cupscoffeeindy.com) selling whole-bean coffee in 12 oz bags at $17.00 per bag across a Signature line (7 SKUs including House Blend, Decaf House Blend, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Black Thunder, Espresso Gold, Italian Roast, Sumatra Mandheling), a Flavored line (9 legacy SKUs), and 4 newly launched flavored varieties (Caramel Creme, Coconut Cream, Banana Nut, Rich Chocolate Mint). The online shop also sells branded drinkware (12 oz ceramic mugs at $15.00), apparel (crewneck sweatshirts from $32.00), and digital gift cards in $25/$50/$75/$100 denominations, with physical-location gift cards handled separately via Square POS.
The business model is straightforward retail transaction revenue: in-store beverage and food sales (per-cup/per-item transactions), one-time online purchases of coffee beans and merchandise, and gift-card-funded transactions. The primary customer segments are local Indianapolis residents, downtown office workers, and walk-in community members, with college students from nearby institutions serving as a secondary employment pool rather than a distinct customer segment. There is no disclosed external funding, no parent company, no institutional investors, and no M&A activity; the company is bootstrapped and founder-controlled, with continuous single-geography (Indianapolis), weekday-only operations across its 25+ year history.
CUPS Coffee firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CUPS Coffee
- Legal name
- CUPS Coffee, Tea, and More Inc.
- Website
- https://cupscoffeeindy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CUPS Coffee is a family-owned Indianapolis coffee retailer founded in 1996, operating five weekday retail locations downtown and northside that serve in-store beverages and food, alongside an online shop selling whole-bean coffee, branded merchandise, and gift cards to local consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CUPS Coffee industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee Shop (Retail Coffee & Food Service)
- NAICS
- Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes (THAFADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA)
Keywords
Where CUPS Coffee is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Indianapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
CUPS Coffee business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- In-store beverage sales: Revenue from selling freshly brewed coffee, specialty espresso drinks, teas, and cold beverages to walk-in customers at 5 Indianapolis locations during weekday hours (7am-4pm).
- Coffee bean sales: Online and in-store sales of whole bean coffee in various roasts and flavors, priced at $17.00 per 12 oz bag.
- Merchandise sales: Sales of branded merchandise including mugs ($15.00) and sweatshirts (starting at $32.00) through both physical locations and online shop.
- Gift cards: Sale of gift cards in denominations of $25, $50, $75, and $100 for use at physical locations and online store.
- Food service: Sales of pastries, soups, salads, and other food items at retail locations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Coffee beans - $17.00 per 12 oz bag |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | White 12-oz CUPS Coffee Mug - $15.00 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Crewneck CUPS Sweatshirt - from $32.00 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Card - from $25.00 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
CUPS Coffee product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CUPS Coffee operates a multi-location coffee shop business selling freshly brewed hot and cold coffee beverages, specialty espresso drinks, teas, and food items (pastries, soups, salads) to walk-in customers at five Indianapolis retail locations. The company also retails its own whole-bean coffee line (signature and flavored 12 oz blends at $17.00 per bag), branded drinkware (12 oz ceramic mugs), apparel (crewneck sweatshirts), and digital gift cards ($25–$100) through both physical stores and an e-commerce online shop.
Product overview
CUPS Coffee is a local, family-owned Indianapolis coffee business founded in 1996, operating as a multi-location coffee shop chain with five retail locations. The company offers two main service channels: in-store coffee and beverage service featuring hot drinks (Americano, Latte, Cappuccino, Mocha, Espresso), signature specialty drinks (Turtle Mocha, Chai Latte, Matcha Tea Latte), cold beverages (Cold Brew, Shaken Espresso, Iced drinks), and food items; and an online shop selling whole bean coffee products. The online coffee product portfolio includes 16 distinct coffee varieties across two lines: Signature coffees (CUPS House Blend, Decaf House Blend, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Black Thunder, Espresso Gold, Italian Roast, Sumatra Mandheling) and Flavored coffees (Vanilla Nut, Hazelnut, Hawaiian Caramel Macadamia Nut, Highlander Grogg, Jamaica Me Crazy, Snickerdoodle, Blueberry Cinnamon Crumble, Chocolate Cherry Kiss, Cinnamon Hazelnut). Recent additions include four NEW flavored varieties (Caramel Creme, Coconut Cream, Banana Nut, Rich Chocolate Mint). The online shop also offers merchandise including drinkware (12-oz ceramic mugs) and apparel (crewneck sweatshirts in multiple sizes and colors), plus digital gift cards. All coffee products are packaged in 12 oz. bags, priced at $17.00. The company operates as a unified local retail brand rather than a technology platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- In-Store Coffee & Beverage Service Walk-in coffee shop service across five Indianapolis locations offering hot coffee beverages (Americano, Latte, Cappuccino, Mocha, Espresso), signature specialty drinks (Turtle Mocha, Nutty Buddy, Chai Latte, Matcha Tea Latte), hot chocolate (Hershey's), TAZO brand hot teas, cold brew, shaken espresso, refresher beverages, and food items (pastries, muffins, bagels, cookies, oatmeal, fruit, soups, salads, snacks). Locations are open weekdays from early morning to 4:00 PM.
- Whole Bean Coffee (Signature and Flavored Blends) CUPS Coffee's whole bean coffee line sold in 12 oz. bags at $17.00 per bag, spanning Signature blends (CUPS House Blend, Decaf CUPS House Blend, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Black Thunder, Espresso Gold, Italian Roast, Sumatra Mandheling) and Flavored varieties (Vanilla Nut, Hazelnut, Hawaiian Caramel Macadamia Nut, Highlander Grogg, Jamaica Me Crazy, Snickerdoodle, Blueberry Cinnamon Crumble, Chocolate Cherry Kiss, Cinnamon Hazelnut, plus new Caramel Creme, Coconut Cream, Banana Nut, Rich Chocolate Mint). Available online and in physical retail locations.
- CUPS Coffee Ceramic Mug White 12 oz. classic ceramic CUPS Coffee mug, dishwasher and microwave-safe, priced at $15.00. Sold as branded drinkware in physical stores and through the online shop.
- Crewneck CUPS Sweatshirt Cotton crewneck CUPS Coffee sweatshirt available in Light Grey and Dark Grey colors, sizes Small through XXLarge, starting at $32.00. Sold as branded apparel in physical stores and online.
- Gift Cards Digital gift cards redeemable at CUPS Coffee online store and physical locations, available in $25, $50, $75, and $100 denominations online; physical location gift cards sold separately via Square point-of-sale.
Companies that use CUPS Coffee
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CUPS Coffee technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CUPS Coffee partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TAZOminorCUPS Coffee serves TAZO tea varieties including green, black, chai, and fruit-infused teas.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
CUPS Coffee competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CUPS Coffee social profiles
Digital presenceCUPS Coffee financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CUPS Coffee leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
CUPS Coffee funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CUPS Coffee 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 CUPS Coffee
What does CUPS Coffee do?
CUPS Coffee operates a multi-location coffee shop business selling freshly brewed hot and cold coffee beverages, specialty espresso drinks, teas, and food items (pastries, soups, salads) to walk-in customers at five Indianapolis retail locations. The company also retails its own whole-bean coffee line (signature and flavored 12 oz blends at $17.00 per bag), branded drinkware (12 oz ceramic mugs), apparel (crewneck sweatshirts), and digital gift cards ($25–$100) through both physical stores and an e-commerce online shop.
Is CUPS Coffee a public or private company?
CUPS Coffee is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was CUPS Coffee founded?
CUPS Coffee was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CUPS Coffee based?
CUPS Coffee is headquartered in Indianapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does CUPS Coffee make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. In-store beverage sales are the primary driver. The others are coffee bean sales, merchandise sales, gift cards and food service.
Does CUPS Coffee have an API?
No public API is recorded for CUPS Coffee.
What industry is CUPS Coffee in?
CUPS Coffee's product category is Specialty Coffee Shop (Retail Coffee & Food Service). Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFADAB, Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes, with a secondary code of CRAHAGAI, Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories). Its NAICS code is 722515 and its SIC code is 5810.