Higher Grounds Coffee Company
Higher Grounds Coffee Company is a small independent coffee retailer based in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, founded in 2000, selling coffee products and gift cards to local consumers through its physical location and website.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersPagosa Springs, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Higher Grounds Coffee Company does
Higher Grounds Coffee Company is a privately held, for-profit independent coffee retailer founded in 2000 and headquartered in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. According to available firmographic data, the company operates with 1-10 employees and is led by Ken Murphy, who serves as CEO and co-founder. Its publicly stated business activity is the retail sale of gift cards and coffee products to consumers.
The company's product footprint is minimal: the only documented offering is its core website at highergroundspagosa.com, through which customers can access coffee products and gift card purchases. There is no disclosed information on roasting operations, wholesale distribution, branded merchandise lines, subscription services, food menu, or ancillary retail categories. The source data does not provide any product catalog detail beyond the homepage navigation, and no SKUs, pricing tiers, or service bundles are documented.
The business model appears to be that of a small independent local coffee retailer, combining in-person sales at its Pagosa Springs location with a basic e-commerce channel for gift cards and coffee. No public pricing, revenue figures, customer segments, distribution partnerships, or technology stack details are disclosed in the source material. The company has no documented funding rounds, parent company, subsidiaries, M&A activity, patents, certifications, or strategic partnerships. Operating geographies, customer concentration, and revenue mechanics are not specified beyond the single Pagosa Springs base.
Higher Grounds Coffee Company firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Higher Grounds Coffee Company
- Website
- https://highergroundspagosa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Higher Grounds Coffee Company is a small independent coffee retailer based in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, founded in 2000, selling coffee products and gift cards to local consumers through its physical location and website.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Higher Grounds Coffee Company industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee Retail
- NAICS
- Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Internet Cafes & Gaming Cafes (THAFADAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)
Keywords
Where Higher Grounds Coffee Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pagosa Springs
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Higher Grounds Coffee Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Higher Grounds Coffee Company product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Higher Grounds Coffee Company is a retailer that sells coffee products and gift cards. The company operates from Pagosa Springs, United States, and provides customer access to its coffee offerings through its website at highergroundspagosa.com.
Product overview
Higher Grounds Coffee Company operates a single unified web-based product — its main website (highergroundspagosa.com) — through which customers can access its coffee offerings. The source data provides only limited visibility into the full product portfolio or any modular structure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Coffee Products Specialty coffee products sold to individual consumers through the company's retail and online storefront in Pagosa Springs.
- Gift Cards Gift cards retailed by Higher Grounds Coffee Company for individual consumer purchase, usable toward coffee products.
Companies that use Higher Grounds Coffee Company
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Higher Grounds Coffee Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Higher Grounds Coffee Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves2 records
Higher Grounds Coffee Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Starbucks: The dominant global coffee chain. Comparable as the baseline competitive set for any U.S. coffee shop, with broader scale, branded beverages, and food offerings versus Higher Grounds' local single-location footprint.
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster/café operator (owned by Peet's/Lavazza). Comparable in third-wave coffee positioning and café-plus-retail model, but materially larger and more established than Higher Grounds.
- Blue Bottle Coffee: Premium specialty coffee operator with cafés and DTC retail. Comparable to Higher Grounds in the specialty/third-wave positioning the brand name implies, but at significantly greater scale and capital intensity.
- Caribou Coffee: Multi-region coffee chain with broad café footprint. Comparable as a competing everyday coffee destination for the same leisure and commuter customers.
- Dutch Bros Coffee: Fast-growing drive-thru coffee chain. Comparable as a direct competitor in the grab-and-go specialty-adjacent coffee segment that anchors much of Higher Grounds' day-to-day volume.
- Peet's Coffee: Established specialty coffee chain and roaster. Comparable because it competes for the same everyday coffee and light-occasion specialty beverage spend that anchors Higher Grounds' revenue.
Direct peers
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster combining cafés, wholesale, and DTC. Comparable in café-plus-retail business model and specialty positioning relevant to a small operator like Higher Grounds.
- Verve Coffee Roasters: Independent specialty coffee roaster with cafés and DTC retail. Comparable to Higher Grounds in independent specialty positioning and café-plus-retail model, though with a multi-location footprint.
- Black Rock Coffee Bar: Regional specialty coffee chain expanding into smaller markets. Comparable in neighborhood café model and specialty positioning, representative of the regional/scaling competition Higher Grounds faces.
- Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster known for sustainable sourcing and direct customer/wholesale relationships. Comparable to Higher Grounds in target audience (specialty coffee drinkers) and product category (retail coffee), but with broader distribution.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Higher Grounds Coffee Company social profiles
Digital presenceHigher Grounds Coffee Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Higher Grounds Coffee Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Higher Grounds Coffee Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Higher Grounds 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 Higher Grounds Coffee Company
What does Higher Grounds Coffee Company do?
Higher Grounds Coffee Company is a retailer that sells coffee products and gift cards. The company operates from Pagosa Springs, United States, and provides customer access to its coffee offerings through its website at highergroundspagosa.com.
Is Higher Grounds Coffee Company a public or private company?
Higher Grounds Coffee Company is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped.
When was Higher Grounds Coffee Company founded?
Higher Grounds Coffee Company was founded in 2000. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Higher Grounds Coffee Company based?
Higher Grounds Coffee Company is headquartered in Pagosa Springs, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Higher Grounds Coffee Company's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Starbucks, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Blue Bottle Coffee, Caribou Coffee, Dutch Bros Coffee and Peet's Coffee. Direct peers are La Colombe Coffee Roasters, Verve Coffee Roasters, Black Rock Coffee Bar and Counter Culture Coffee.
Does Higher Grounds Coffee Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for Higher Grounds Coffee Company.
What industry is Higher Grounds Coffee Company in?
Higher Grounds Coffee Company's product category is Specialty Coffee Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFADAI, Internet Cafes & Gaming Cafes, with a secondary code of CRAHAGAI, Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories). Its NAICS code is 44529 and its SIC code is 5810.