Espresso Express

What Espresso Express does

Espresso Express is a Boston-area specialty coffee roaster, tea supplier, and espresso equipment provider founded in 1983, operating under the Kahvé brand. The company hand-roasts coffee in small batches under a master roaster and naturally air-cools beans to preserve weight and oils, with a Swiss Water decaffeination line that removes 97% of caffeine without chemicals. Its product portfolio spans five roast tiers plus estate single-origin coffees, a hand-selected tea collection, Schaerer and Tecnica espresso machines, and brewing equipment.

The business model is a multi-revenue-stream B2B operation. Primary revenue comes from individually designed wholesale coffee and tea subscription programs sold to restaurants, cafes, country clubs, hotels, and coffee bars, billed annually. Secondary streams include espresso equipment sales and leasing (new and factory-certified refurbished), 24/7 emergency service and scheduled maintenance contracts, on-site training, and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site (Kahve Koffee) for home buyers. Go-to-market is sales-led via phone-based inside sales, supported by a professional website and social channels.

The company positions itself as a premium regional supplier with 30+ years of operating history, "Best of Boston" recognition, and relationships with celebrity chefs and Zagat-rated establishments. Its value proposition combines quality control (master roaster oversight, taste testing per roast, same-day delivery), customized client programs, bundled equipment/service, and staff training.

Name

Espresso Express

Legal name

Espresso Express

Website

https://espressoexpress.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Espresso Express is a Boston-area B2B specialty coffee roaster and tea supplier founded in 1983, serving restaurants, cafes, country clubs, hotels, and coffee bars with hand-roasted coffees, hand-selected teas, espresso equipment sales and leasing, and 24/7 maintenance services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting & Wholesale

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAFADAE

Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Coffee Manufacturing

Agriculture & Food Production/Beverage Production/Coffee & Tea Processing (Roasting, Blending, RTD)

SECONDARYCRACADAC

Coffee, Espresso & Tea Appliances Retail

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Electronics & Appliances Retail/Small Appliance & Kitchen Gadget Retail

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Wholesale coffee supply
• Espresso equipment leasing
• Tea wholesale distribution
• Coffee service programs

Headquarters

HQ city

West Newton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Coffee and Tea Sales: B2B wholesale supply of fresh roasted coffees, hand selected teas, espresso equipment, and associated products to restaurants, cafes, country clubs, hotels, and coffee bars. Individual programs designed for each client.
2. Espresso Equipment Sales and Leasing: Sale and leasing of espresso machines including Schaerer brand equipment. Both new and factory-certified refurbished machines available. Includes installation and limited warranty.
3. Equipment Service and Support: 24/7 emergency equipment service, expert repair, scheduled maintenance programs, and contract services for multi-unit retail operations.
4. Retail Consumer Sales: Direct-to-consumer coffee and tea sales through Kahve Koffee retail website (kahvekoffee.com) for home enjoyment of their products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Espresso Express roasts and supplies gourmet coffee and hand-selected teas on a wholesale basis to restaurants, cafes, country clubs, hotels, and coffee bars. The company also sells and leases espresso equipment (Schaerer and Tecnica machines, brewing equipment), provides 24/7 equipment service, scheduled maintenance, and on-site training, and runs a retail consumer site (Kahve Koffee) for home buyers.

Product overview

Espresso Express is a Boston-based gourmet coffee and tea company founded in 1983, operating as both a B2B supplier and retailer. The product portfolio is organized into three main categories: (1) Fresh roasted coffees available in five roast levels - Light Roast, Full City Roast, Middle Roast, Dark Roasts, and Swiss Water Process decaf - plus Estate single-origin coffees from around the world; (2) The Kahvé Collection of hand-selected teas including Black, Oolong, Green, Jasmine, White, Herbal, Caffeine-Free Fruit, and Chai varieties; (3) Espresso equipment including Schaerer and Tecnica machines, brewing equipment, grinders, and associated installation, maintenance, and training services. The company serves restaurants, cafes, country clubs, hotels, and coffee bars with individualized coffee, espresso, and tea programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Light Roast Coffee Program Lightly roasted coffee blends featuring delicate acidity and bright, flavorful high notes (Cortina Blend, Classic Blend, Granada Blend). Supplied to restaurants, fine dining and hospitality accounts on individually designed wholesale programs.
• Full City Roast Coffee Program Medium-dark roasted coffee program (Geneva Blend, Full City Roast, Danish Blend, Bani Blend, Verona Blend) with little or no oil on the bean surface, supplied wholesale to hospitality and food service accounts.
• Middle Roast Coffee Program Viennese-style roast program (Viennese Roast, Caribbean Blend) falling between Full City and French roasts, with visible oils and bittersweet character. Sold wholesale to restaurants, cafes and hotels.
• Dark Roast Coffee Program Dark-roasted coffee program (Barcelona Blend, Cordoba Blend, French Roast, Italian Roast) featuring beans glistening with oils. Sold wholesale to hospitality and food service customers.
• Swiss Water Process Decaf Coffee Program Chemical-free decaffeinated coffee program (Decaf Cortina Blend, Decaf Danish Blend, Decaf French Roast) using the Swiss Water Process that removes 97% of caffeine while preserving flavor. Supplied to wholesale hospitality accounts.
• Estate Single-Origin Coffees Single-origin coffees from named regions (Celebes Kalossi, Colombian Supremo, Costa Rican SHB, Ethiopian Djimmah, Ethiopian Yrgacheffe, Guatemalan Genuine Antigua SHB, Kenyan AA, Mexican Organic, Mocha Java, New Guinea, Santo Domingan Bani, Sumatran Mandheling, Tanzanian Peaberry) supplied to specialty wholesale customers.
• Kahvé Tea Collection (Black, Oolong, Green, Jasmine, White, Herbal, Caffeine-Free Fruit, Chai) Hand-selected tea collection covering Black Tea, Oolong Tea, Green Tea, Jasmine Tea, White Tea, Herbal Tea, Caffeine-Free Fruit Tea, and Chai Tea, offered alongside Harney & Sons loose leaf, sachet and premium box teas. Sold wholesale and through the Kahve Koffee retail site.
• Schaeser Espresso Machine Equipment Factory certified, fully reconditioned Schaerer espresso machines sold with installation and limited warranty. Available to wholesale coffee business customers via direct inquiry.
• Tecnica Espresso Machine Equipment Programs New Tecnica espresso machines including the Tecnica Compact 2-Head Espresso Machine sold through equipment programs to wholesale coffee business customers.
• Brewing Equipment Coffee brewing equipment including traditional and thermal drip coffee makers, large batch brewing systems, thermal dispensing systems, coffee grinders, and third-generation/single-cup technologies. Sold to wholesale accounts.
• Equipment Service & Maintenance 24/7 emergency equipment service, expert repair for all models, scheduled preventive maintenance, installation specialists, and contract services for multi-unit retail operations.
• Training & Consulting Services On-site training programs with manuals and visual aides, consultation, program implementation, hands-on expert café support, train-the-trainer programs, and ongoing quality assurance reporting for wholesale customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% caffeine removal with Swiss Water Process while maintaining flavor
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Harney & SonsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEspresso Express offers a wide variety of Harney & Sons fine loose, sachet and premium box teas alongside their own Kahve tea collection. This expands their tea offerings beyond their own hand blending program.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Peet's Coffee: Established specialty coffee roaster with national wholesale foodservice and retail presence; comparable coffee-and-equipment offering but at significantly larger scale.

Others

• La Marzocco: Premium espresso machine manufacturer serving the same B2B specialty/hospitality customers; adjacent ecosystem player rather than direct competitor (Espresso Express resells/leases equipment rather than manufacturing it).

Direct peers

• Equal Exchange: Worker/cooperative specialty coffee and tea importer-roaster supplying foodservice and retail; comparable on ethical sourcing and B2B wholesale distribution.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster supplying wholesale accounts and operating cafés; directly comparable on artisanal roasting, B2B distribution, and premium hospitality customer base.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty small-batch coffee roaster with strong sustainability and direct-trade sourcing; comparable in B2B wholesale-to-cafes model and emphasis on quality education/training for accounts.
• Harney & Sons: Specialty tea company that is already a partner/supplier of Espresso Express; directly comparable premium loose-leaf/sachet tea product line and B2B/wholesale distribution model.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster focused on direct-trade sourcing and B2B wholesale relationships with restaurants and cafés; comparable on quality-led positioning and account-level training.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty small-batch coffee roaster with both wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels; comparable on artisanal roasting and premium positioning.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster with strong wholesale B2B presence and equipment/draft latte programs; comparable on multi-channel coffee + equipment offering to foodservice.

Regional players

• Reunion Island Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster operating in the Pacific Northwest/Canada; comparable artisanal B2B wholesale model but in a different geographic market from Espresso Express's New England base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Espresso Express