King Bean Coffee Roasters

What King Bean Coffee Roasters does

King Bean Coffee Roasters is a private specialty coffee roaster founded in 1994 and headquartered in North Charleston, South Carolina. The company sells roasted coffee direct-to-consumer through a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront, through a recurring subscription program, and to business buyers via a separate wholesale subsidiary branded as King Bean Bev Co (kingbeanbevco.com). Its catalog spans signature blends (Southern Pecan, Capers Blend, Sullivan's Blend, Twenty Strong), single-origin coffees (Colombian Cumbres, Brasil, Las), espresso blends (Espresso Prima, Espresso Di Binasco), decaf options, bundles, and seasonal offerings such as Mistletoe Java. Pricing on single bags ranges from $16.00 to $20.50 USD, with bundles priced $34-$45, and subscriptions offering 20% off the first delivery and 10% off each subsequent shipment.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally lean: Shopify powers the storefront, checkout, and subscription management; the Accessibly App enforces WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility; and a 'Find Your Brew' quiz serves as a product-discovery tool. Marketing is driven by a content blog covering origins and brewing methods, an organic social presence on Facebook and Instagram, an email newsletter, and earned media in outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Cooking Light, Today.com, Southern Living, and Charleston Magazine. The company has 11-50 employees, no disclosed outside funding, no parent company, and no public-company status. Customer segments are horizontal, with individual home coffee enthusiasts as the primary persona and wholesale B2B buyers as a secondary channel. Operating geography is concentrated in the Southeastern United States, though e-commerce shipping and national press coverage extend reach beyond the home region.

Name

King Bean Coffee Roasters

Legal name

King Bean Coffee Roasters

Website

https://kingbean.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

King Bean Coffee Roasters is a private specialty coffee roaster founded in 1994 in North Charleston, South Carolina, selling signature blends, single-origin coffees, and espresso via Shopify DTC e-commerce, subscriptions, and a wholesale subsidiary (King Bean Bev Co) serving Southeastern US consumers and B2B buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Coffee Roasting & Grinding (AFAFADAB)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Coffee subscriptions
• Wholesale coffee distribution
• Single origin coffee
• Coffee bundles and gifts

Headquarters

HQ city

North Charleston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Coffee Sales: One-time purchases of whole bean and ground coffee products through e-commerce storefront. Includes single bags, bundles, and seasonal offerings.
2. Coffee Subscriptions: Recurring subscription model offering 10% discount on every shipment with free shipping on orders over $50. First delivery discount of 20% with code COFFEELOVESUB. Cancel anytime flexibility.
3. Wholesale: Wholesale coffee sales to business partners through separate website (kingbeanbevco.com)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

King Bean Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster that roasts, packages, and ships whole bean and ground coffee — including signature blends, single-origin coffees, espresso blends, decaf options, and themed bundles — directly to consumers through a Shopify online storefront and a recurring subscription service, and to businesses through a separate wholesale portal (King Bean Bev Co). Founded in 1994 in North Charleston, the company focuses on small-batch roasted coffee for the Southern U.S. market.

Product overview

King Bean Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee company founded in 1994, built on the idea of bringing good coffee to the South. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform (powered by Shopify) offering a portfolio of coffee products including single-origin coffees (Colombian - Cumbres, Brasil), espresso blends (Espresso Prima, Espresso Di Binasco), and signature house blends (Southern Pecan, Capers Blend, Sullivan's Blend, Twenty Strong). Product offerings span regular and decaf options, bundled packages (Classic Blends Coffee Trio, Southern Pecan Bundle, Espresso Bundle, Best Seller Bundle), and seasonal offerings (Mistletoe Java for holiday/Christmas in July). The company also offers a subscription service with recurring deliveries and discounts, plus a wholesale program for B2B customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Espresso Prima: Medium-light espresso blend released one year ago, described as fan favorite and new best-seller.
• Southern Pecan
• Mistletoe Java
• Colombian Cumbres
• Capers Blend
• Sullivan's Blend
• Brasil Swiss Water Decaf
• Charleston Praline

Products and services

• Capers Blend A signature house blend coffee priced from $16.00, sold as a whole bean or ground coffee SKU within King Bean's classics and favorites catalog for individual consumers and gift buyers.
• Sullivan's Blend A classic King Bean coffee blend priced from $16.00, sold as part of the signature blends lineup for daily home brewing.
• Southern Pecan The all-time best-seller signature blend, described as delicately flavored, priced from $17.50, sold as a flagship product for individual consumers, gifts, and subscriptions.
• Twenty Strong A bold coffee blend priced from $16.00, marketed for consumers seeking a stronger roast profile.
• Colombian - Cumbres A single-origin Colombian coffee sourced from the Antioquia mountains, offering sweet citrus, nectar-like fruit, brown sugar, and chocolate notes with a balanced medium roast finish, aimed at specialty coffee drinkers.
• Brasil A single-origin Brazilian coffee priced from $18.00 USD, sold as part of King Bean's single-origin collection.
• French Roast A dark roast coffee blend offered within King Bean's roast profile range for consumers preferring a darker cup.
• Espresso Prima A medium-light espresso blend launched in 2024 that quickly became a fan favorite and the new best-seller, sold to home espresso enthusiasts via the storefront and subscriptions.
• Espresso Di Binasco An espresso blend offering within King Bean's espresso collection, for home espresso preparation.
• Brasil Swiss Water Decaf A decaffeinated Brazilian coffee processed using the chemical-free Swiss Water method, priced from $19.00, targeted at consumers seeking decaf single-origin coffee.
• Southern Pecan Decaf A decaffeinated version of the Southern Pecan flagship blend, priced from $20.50, for decaf drinkers and evening consumption.
• Charleston Praline A regional specialty coffee flavor offering tied to the Charleston, South Carolina market identity, sold as a signature blend to consumers and gift buyers.
• Mistletoe Java A holiday-themed seasonal coffee blend available during the Christmas season and the summer "Christmas in July" sale, marketed as a limited-time seasonal SKU.
• Classic Blends Coffee Trio A bundle of three classic blend coffees sold at a discounted price ($45.00, was $52.00), targeted at gift buyers and customers seeking variety.
• Southern Pecan Bundle A bundle featuring the Southern Pecan blend, offered from $34.00, positioned as a multi-bag value pack for fans of the flagship blend.
• Espresso Bundle A bundle of espresso blends packaged for home espresso drinkers and gift buyers.
• Best Seller Bundle A bundle featuring best-selling coffee blends, offered from $44.55, designed as a curated sampler of top SKUs for new and gifting customers.
• Coffee Subscriptions A recurring subscription service delivering King Bean roasted coffees on a self-serve, monthly cadence with 10% off every shipment, 20% off the first delivery (code COFFEELOVESUB), free shipping on orders over $50, and the ability to cancel anytime; managed through the customer account portal.
• Wholesale Program (King Bean Bev Co) A B2B wholesale coffee program operated through a separate site (kingbeanbevco.com) under the subsidiary brand King Bean Bev Co, supplying roasted coffee to retailers, cafes, and other business customers for resale or service use.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform powering the online storefront with shopping cart, checkout, and order management functionality
• Wholesale PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorB2B wholesale distribution through separate website (kingbeanbevco.com) serving retailers and business customers

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• Intelligentsia Coffee: Specialty roaster with strong single-origin sourcing, wholesale partnerships and DTC sales. Directly comparable category, customer base and product mix.
• Kicking Horse Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster with a flagship-blend-led portfolio and broad retail/wholesale distribution in North America. Comparable pricing tier and SKU structure.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster selling DTC, wholesale, and via Hair Bender-style signature blends. Same direct-to-consumer + foodservice + subscription mix as King Bean.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: DTC-first specialty coffee brand with subscription service, single-origin releases and a café network. Most relevant competitor for King Bean's subscription and online-storefront model.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster with a similar DTC + wholesale + subscription model, single-origin focus, and educational content marketing. Highly comparable in mission and product breadth.
• Klatch Coffee: Independent specialty roaster combining DTC e-commerce, wholesale accounts and a small café footprint. Closely mirrors King Bean's scale and channel mix.

Emerging players

• Coffee Bean Direct: Smaller-scale specialty roaster selling wholesale and DTC with a broad SKU catalog. Comparable business model but with less brand-driven positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Peet's Coffee: Large specialty coffee incumbent owning Stumptown and Intelligentsia, with national wholesale and DTC reach. Sets the competitive ceiling on pricing, marketing and channel expectations in the category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kingbeanroaster
• Instagraminstagram.com/kingbeanroaster
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/king-bean-coffee-roasters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 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 King Bean Coffee Roasters