Smith’s Coffee Company
Smith's Coffee Company is a UK-based artisan coffee roaster founded in 1936 that sells roasted coffee, tea, hot chocolate, capsules, equipment, and consumables to retail consumers, hospitality businesses, and specialty coffee professionals across the United Kingdom.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1936
- HeadquartersHemel Hempstead, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Smith’s Coffee Company does
Smith's Coffee Company Limited is a UK-based artisan coffee roaster founded in 1936 and headquartered in Hemel Hempstead. The company roasts and distributes whole bean and ground coffee, capsules, tea, hot chocolate, syrups, and complementary consumables under a portfolio of sub-brands including CoffeeSmiths, TeaSmiths, FlavourSmiths, CocoSmiths, World Coffee Club (subscription), MicroSmiths, and Smiths of London. It serves three primary customer segments: retail consumers (DTC e-commerce, UK-only, free delivery over £35), hospitality and foodservice businesses (B2B wholesale with white label options), and specialty coffee professionals (equipment and engineering services via the Arabica Services division). The offering spans single origins, bespoke blends, Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance certified lines, and a Wildlife Collection, with capsule products manufactured under the Capetti brand.
The business operates across multiple revenue streams including retail e-commerce (unit pricing across SKUs from approximately £3 for single origin coffees up to £15.36 for premium hot chocolate), the World Coffee Club subscription (recurring delivery), B2B/wholesale supply, professional equipment sales and rental (e.g., Capetti System at £25.50 per week), and engineering services covering installation, commissioning, maintenance, and boiler testing (e.g., engineer labour at £50/hour, installation at £175). Its go-to-market combines a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront, enterprise field sales for hospitality clients (including video consultation for B2B planning), and product-led equipment rental. Key technology partnerships include Victoria Arduino and Gaggia Milano (premium espresso machines), Fiorenzato (grinders), Capetti (capsule systems), Brita (water filtration), WMF (cleaning products), PUQ Press (automatic tampers), and 1883 Routin and Shott (syrups).
Smith’s Coffee Company firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Smith’s Coffee Company
- Legal name
- Smith's Coffee Company Limited
- Website
- https://smithscoffee.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1936
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Smith's Coffee Company is a UK-based artisan coffee roaster founded in 1936 that sells roasted coffee, tea, hot chocolate, capsules, equipment, and consumables to retail consumers, hospitality businesses, and specialty coffee professionals across the United Kingdom.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Smith’s Coffee Company industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee Roasting
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing (AFAFADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Coffee, Espresso & Tea Appliances Retail (CRACADAC)
Keywords
Where Smith’s Coffee Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hemel Hempstead
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Smith’s Coffee Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail E-commerce: Direct-to-consumer sales through online storefront with product categories including whole bean coffee, ground coffee, capsules, tea, hot chocolate, and accessories. Orders processed Monday-Friday with free UK delivery over £35.
- B2B/Wholesale: Business-to-business supply of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, equipment, and consumables for hospitality venues, cafes, and offices. Includes white label and own-label catering products.
- World Coffee Club Subscription: Subscription coffee box service where coffees are selected by the master roaster and delivered regularly to subscribers.
- Equipment Rental: Professional coffee equipment rental services including the Capetti System at £25.50 per week, providing recurring revenue from equipment leasing.
- Engineering Services: Professional installation, commissioning, maintenance, and repair services for coffee equipment. Services include machine cover plans, engineer labor, and boiler testing certification.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Coffee products - various sizes and types |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hot chocolate products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Flavored syrups |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Professional espresso machines |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Coffee grinders |
| Subscription | Weekly | Equipment rental - Capetti System |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Engineering services |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Smith’s Coffee Company product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Smith's Coffee Company is an artisan coffee roaster established in 1936 that roasts and sells specialty coffee (whole bean, ground, capsules, single origins, blends), tea, hot chocolate, syrups, and accessories direct to UK consumers via its own e-commerce storefront and subscription boxes. It also supplies coffee, equipment (espresso machines, grinders), consumables, and engineering services to hospitality businesses through its Arabica Services B2B division, including white-label solutions and equipment rental.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CoffeeSmiths: Core coffee product line featuring heritage blends, single origins, and specialty coffees
- TeaSmiths
- FlavourSmiths
- CocoSmiths
- World Coffee Club
- MicroSmiths
- Arabica Services
- Smiths of London
Products and services
- Heritage Coffees (single origins and bespoke blends) Artisan roasted coffee offered as single origins (e.g., Brazil Santos from £3.13, Colombia Excelso from £3.20, Colombia Supremo from £3.34) and bespoke blends, sold to UK retail consumers and hospitality businesses via e-commerce and wholesale.
- Capetti Biodegradable Coffee Capsules
Companies that use Smith’s Coffee Company
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Smith’s Coffee Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Smith’s Coffee Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- CapetticoreCapetti System professional capsule machine offered through Arabica Services. The system features manual capsule ejection, compatibility with popular capsule formats, adjustable coffee delivery with LED illumination, electronic PID temperature control per group, and programmable pre-infusion. Available for purchase at £2,690 or rental at £25.50 per week.
- Victoria ArduinocorePremium espresso machine brand sold through Arabica Services including VA388 Black Eagle, VA358 White Eagle, and Eagle One models. Victoria Arduino machines are positioned for specialty baristas with features like T3 technology, gravimetric configurations, and energy-efficient NEO engine technology.
- GaggiacoreGaggia Milano professional espresso machines including La Giusta, La Precisa, and La Reale offered through Arabica Services. Features include colour touchscreens, independent group boilers, cool touch steam wands, and dynamic flow control technology.
- FiorenzatocoreItalian coffee grinders including F5A, F64 Evo, F64e, F72e, and Home Allground models. Features include flat burrs, micrometric grinding adjustment, and various configurations for commercial and home use.
- Birchall TeaminorSupplementary tea brand offered alongside Smith's own TeaSmiths range. Includes Birchall enveloped prism tea bags and standard prism tea bags.
- Clipper TeaminorSupplementary tea brand available as part of the tea range alongside Smith's own TeaSmiths products.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Smith’s Coffee Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rave Coffee: UK specialty coffee roaster with a DTC subscription and wholesale offering; comparable in scale, ethics-led positioning, and consumer target audience to Smith's CoffeeSmiths line.
- Hasbean Coffee: UK specialty roaster (part of Mercanta) selling single-origin coffees through DTC; comparable artisan, ethically sourced DTC model aimed at the same UK home-brew consumer segment as Smith.
- Origin Coffee: Cornwall-based UK specialty roaster with both DTC and an established wholesale hospitality business serving restaurants, cafes, and hotels; directly comparable to Smith's retail-plus-B2B model.
- Square Mile Coffee Roasters: London specialty roaster founded by a World Barista Champion with strong focus on B2B wholesale and barista-grade green beans; directly comparable to Smith's CoffeeSmiths heritage and specialty positioning.
- Union Hand-Roasted Coffee: UK artisan specialty coffee roaster offering single origin and blended coffees via DTC and wholesale; competes directly with Smith across retail bags, subscription, and B2B supply to cafes and offices.
- Extract Coffee Roasters: Bristol-based UK specialty roaster with DTC, subscription, and B2B wholesale; comparable vertically integrated roaster with multi-channel model similar to Smith's.
- Volcano Coffee Works: UK specialty coffee roaster offering ethically sourced beans to consumers and businesses; directly comparable DTC and wholesale artisan model to Smith's CoffeeSmiths.
- Pact Coffee: London-based DTC subscription coffee company and one of Smith's closest direct competitors in the UK artisan roaster space; both sell ethically sourced, freshly roasted beans through e-commerce and subscriptions targeting UK consumers.
- Caravan Coffee Roasters: UK coffee roaster (affiliated with Caravan Restaurants) selling wholesale into cafes, restaurants, and offices; competes for the same B2B hospitality accounts as Smith's Arabica Services division.
Broad incumbents
- Lavazza: Global Italian coffee company with a large UK presence, full range of roasted beans, capsules, and wholesale supply to hospitality; competes with Smith at the broader end of the UK specialty and foodservice market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Smith’s Coffee Company social profiles
Digital presenceSmith’s Coffee Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Smith’s Coffee Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Smith’s Coffee Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Smith’s Coffee Company 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 Smith’s Coffee Company
What does Smith’s Coffee Company do?
Smith's Coffee Company is an artisan coffee roaster established in 1936 that roasts and sells specialty coffee (whole bean, ground, capsules, single origins, blends), tea, hot chocolate, syrups, and accessories direct to UK consumers via its own e-commerce storefront and subscription boxes. It also supplies coffee, equipment (espresso machines, grinders), consumables, and engineering services to hospitality businesses through its Arabica Services B2B division, including white-label solutions and equipment rental.
Is Smith’s Coffee Company a public or private company?
Smith’s Coffee Company is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Smith’s Coffee Company founded?
Smith’s Coffee Company was founded in 1936. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Smith’s Coffee Company based?
Smith’s Coffee Company is headquartered in Hemel Hempstead, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Smith’s Coffee Company make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Retail E-commerce is the primary driver. The others are B2B/Wholesale, world Coffee Club Subscription, equipment Rental and engineering Services.
Who are Smith’s Coffee Company's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rave Coffee, Hasbean Coffee, Origin Coffee, Square Mile Coffee Roasters, Union Hand-Roasted Coffee, Extract Coffee Roasters, Volcano Coffee Works, Pact Coffee and Caravan Coffee Roasters. Lavazza is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Smith’s Coffee Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for Smith’s Coffee Company.
What industry is Smith’s Coffee Company in?
Smith’s Coffee Company's product category is Specialty Coffee Roasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFADAD, Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing, with a secondary code of CRAHAGAI, Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories). Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 2080.