Specialty Coffee Finance
Specialty Coffee Finance is a US-based private lender that provides equipment leasing and working capital financing exclusively to coffee roasters, cafés, and equipment vendors, operating as a specialty-lending sub-brand of Alliance Funding Group. It delivers 24-hour credit decisions via a white-labeled LeasePath application and serves SMB borrowers nationwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersTacoma, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Specialty Coffee Finance does
Specialty Coffee Finance (SCF) is a US-based private lender that provides equipment leasing, working capital, and receivables financing exclusively to businesses in the specialty coffee industry — principally coffee roasters, cafés, and coffee equipment vendors. The company offers 24-to-60-month equipment leases on roasters, brewing equipment, POS systems, espresso machines, and related assets, alongside short-term working capital loans for seasonal inventory, expansion, franchise acquisitions, and tax liabilities. Its core technology is a secure online application powered by LeasePath (LPapplication), which supports both direct borrower submissions and white-labeled vendor-embedded financing; the Application Only Program delivers credit decisions within 24 hours for amounts up to $150,000 (and up to $350,000 per public marketing), using only a one-page application plus three months of bank statements. Underwriting, funding, and portfolio management are performed in-house, capabilities inherited from parent Alliance Funding Group following the May 2020 acquisition of Pinnacle Capital.
SCF generates revenue primarily through interest/lease spread on equipment lease portfolios (recurring monthly payments across 24–60 month terms), one-time working capital loan interest, and transaction/fee income from its vendor channel program, where equipment vendors offer SCF financing to their customers either co-branded or white-labeled. Pricing is quote-based and tailored per deal; deal sizes range from $2,000 through vendor programs to over $1,000,000, and flexible structures (seasonal 9-payment plans, 90-day deferred first payment, 6x100 stepped payments) are used to match small-business cash flow cycles. Go-to-market is conducted via an inside-sales team handling phone/email leads and online applications, a vendor/reseller channel embedding SCF at the point of sale, and content marketing (blog, email newsletter, social) targeted at coffee roasters and small business owners.
Founded in 2007 as a division of 5280 Financial LLC, SCF was acquired by Pinnacle Capital Partners (Tacoma, WA) in 2011 and then by Alliance Funding Group (Tustin, CA) in May 2020; it now operates as a specialty-lending sub-brand under the AFG umbrella, which projects over $200MM in first-year originations across the combined platform. The company is headquartered at 914 A Street, Suite 200, Tacoma, WA, with cumulative disclosed financing of "well over $7,000,000" for coffee roasters.
Specialty Coffee Finance firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Specialty Coffee Finance
- Legal name
- Specialty Coffee Finance
- Website
- https://specialtycoffeefinance.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Specialty Coffee Finance is a US-based private lender that provides equipment leasing and working capital financing exclusively to coffee roasters, cafés, and equipment vendors, operating as a specialty-lending sub-brand of Alliance Funding Group. It delivers 24-hour credit decisions via a white-labeled LeasePath application and serves SMB borrowers nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Specialty Coffee Finance industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Finance / Equipment Leasing
- NAICS
- Specialty Food Retailers (4452), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes (THAFADAB), Specialty Coffee Adjacent Beverage Bars (Chai, Cacao, Alternative Lattes) (THAFAKAH)
Keywords
Where Specialty Coffee Finance is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tacoma
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Specialty Coffee Finance business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Equipment Leasing: Recurring monthly lease payments from coffee roasters and small businesses financing essential-use equipment (roasters, brewing, POS, catering, etc.); lease terms of 24-60 months with various payment schedules.
- Working Capital Financing: Short-term working capital loans for seasonal trends, expansion, bulk inventory, concurrent funds with leases, emergencies, tax liabilities, and franchise purchases.
- Vendor Financing Services: Indirect lending through equipment vendors; SCF provides branded or co-branded financing options that vendors offer to their customers, enabling vendors to close more sales and earn loyalty.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Application Only Program (up to $150,000) |
| Other | Monthly | Up to $350,000 Same-Application Approval |
| Other | Monthly | Vendor Programs ($2,000 to $1,000,000+) |
| Other | Monthly | Customized Lease Terms (24-60 months) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Specialty Coffee Finance product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Specialty Coffee Finance provides equipment leasing and working capital financing to coffee roasters, cafés, and coffee equipment vendors across the United States. Its offerings include 24-60 month equipment leases with flexible payment structures (Seasonal Payments, 90-Day No Payments, 6x100), short-term working capital loans, and a vendor/channel program that allows equipment sellers to offer white-labeled financing to their customers. Credit decisions of up to $150,000-$350,000 are delivered in as little as 24 hours via a secure online application.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Equipment Lease
Quantifiable outcome
- Well over $7,000,000 financed for coffee roasters
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Specialty Coffee Finance
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Specialty Coffee Finance technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Specialty Coffee Finance partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA)industry reference / data sourceELFA's Annual Equipment Leasing & Finance U.S. Economic Outlook was cited as the source of 6% equipment investment growth forecast for 2015. SCF referenced the ELFA/Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation report in its marketing to position equipment leasing as a growth lever.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Specialty Coffee Finance competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Balboa Capital: Balboa Capital offers equipment leasing and working capital financing to SMBs through both direct and vendor channels, with similar deal sizes, payment structures, and target customer profile as SCF.
- TimePayment: TimePayment is a small-ticket equipment leasing company serving SMBs and vendor partners with flexible lease structures, directly comparable to SCF's equipment lease offering and inside-sales motion.
- LEAF Commercial Capital: LEAF provides equipment leasing and financing to SMBs across verticals with a focus on vendor channel programs and quick credit decisions, making it a close functional analog to SCF's equipment leasing + vendor channel model.
- Ascentium Capital: Ascentium Capital is a direct competitor in equipment leasing and financing for SMBs, offering similar lease structures, vendor financing programs, and rapid credit decisions across multiple verticals — closely aligned to SCF's business model and customer profile.
Emerging players
- Currency: Currency provides equipment financing and embedded lending APIs to SMBs and fintech platforms, representing a more technology-forward model for the equipment financing space SCF competes in.
- BlueVine: BlueVine provides working capital, lines of credit, and invoice factoring to SMBs through a digital application experience, competing with SCF for the same SMB borrower's short-term capital needs.
- Fundbox: Fundbox is a fintech offering working capital advances and lines of credit to small businesses, competing with SCF's working capital product in the same SMB segment, particularly among small retailers and food service operators.
- OnDeck: OnDeck is an online SMB lender offering working capital loans and lines of credit to small businesses — overlapping with SCF's working capital product, especially for coffee roasters and café owners who need short-term capital.
Broad incumbents
- CIT Group: CIT is a large, established commercial lender with deep equipment finance capabilities across many verticals. It competes with SCF for larger deals but does not specialize in the small-ticket, vertical-specialty niche SCF owns.
- DLL: DLL is a global vendor finance company serving equipment manufacturers across many verticals. It competes indirectly via vendor programs and has overlapping capabilities in equipment leasing but is far broader and larger than SCF.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Specialty Coffee Finance social profiles
Digital presenceSpecialty Coffee Finance financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Specialty Coffee Finance leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Specialty Coffee Finance funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Specialty Coffee Finance 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 Specialty Coffee Finance
What does Specialty Coffee Finance do?
Specialty Coffee Finance provides equipment leasing and working capital financing to coffee roasters, cafés, and coffee equipment vendors across the United States. Its offerings include 24-60 month equipment leases with flexible payment structures (Seasonal Payments, 90-Day No Payments, 6x100), short-term working capital loans, and a vendor/channel program that allows equipment sellers to offer white-labeled financing to their customers. Credit decisions of up to $150,000-$350,000 are delivered in as little as 24 hours via a secure online application.
Is Specialty Coffee Finance a public or private company?
Specialty Coffee Finance is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Specialty Coffee Finance founded?
Specialty Coffee Finance was founded in 2007. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Specialty Coffee Finance based?
Specialty Coffee Finance is headquartered in Tacoma, United States, in the North America region.
How does Specialty Coffee Finance make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Equipment Leasing is the primary driver. The others are working Capital Financing and vendor Financing Services.
Who are Specialty Coffee Finance's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Balboa Capital, TimePayment, LEAF Commercial Capital and Ascentium Capital. Emerging players are Currency, BlueVine, Fundbox and OnDeck. Broad incumbents are CIT Group and DLL.
Does Specialty Coffee Finance have an API?
No public API is recorded for Specialty Coffee Finance.
What industry is Specialty Coffee Finance in?
Specialty Coffee Finance's product category is Specialty Finance / Equipment Leasing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFADAA, Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave), with a secondary code of THAFADAB, Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes. Its NAICS code is 4452 and its SIC code is 5810.