Cool Brew

What Cool Brew does

Cool Brew (legal entity: New Orleans Coffee Co., Inc.) is a family-owned, Louisiana-incorporated manufacturer founded in 1989 by pharmacist Phillip McCrory, who scaled a 150-year-old New Orleans cold-drip tradition into the original retail cold-brewed coffee concentrate. The company produces an all-natural, no-preservative concentrate — Original, Vanilla, Mocha, Hazelnut, Chocolate Almond, Toasted Almond, French Roast, Decaf, and a seasonal Peppermint Mocha — through a proprietary cold-filtration ("CoolBrewing") process that uses cold water only to extract coffee essence, leaving acidity in the grounds. Most varieties include chicory for authentic New Orleans flavor. The product is sold as a liquid concentrate in a trademarked twin-neck 500ml bottle designed for single-serve measurement and air-limited freshness, with 1 oz yielding an 8–10 oz cup. A 30,000-square-foot Mid-City New Orleans facility produces roughly 500 gallons per day with capacity to exceed 1,000.

The business operates a hybrid B2C and B2B model. Consumer revenue comes through national grocery retail (The Fresh Market), regional chains (Rouses, Whole Foods Southwest, Wal-Mart Louisiana), Louisiana independents, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce via shop.coolbrew.com and Amazon, with cold-chain shipping in insulated packaging. B2B ingredient supply is a distinct revenue stream anchored by a 20+ year relationship with Smoothie King for nationwide coffee smoothies, plus New Orleans Ice Cream Company and Tin Roof Brewing Co., where CoolBrew is a recipe-input rather than a finished SKU. Marketing emphasizes New Orleans heritage, a 21-year continuous presence at the Jazz & Heritage Festival, a 23+ recipe content library, and earned media including Cooking with Paula Deen.

The company is operated by the McCrory family — Jeff McCrory (President) oversees production, Greg McCrory handles operations and finance, and Greg's niece Danielle Boyce Batten manages the brand — with approximately 10 employees, predominantly family members, including Jeff's wife Julie and son Dylan on the production line. No external institutional capital, private equity, or venture backing is evidenced in the source data; growth to date has been organic. Recognition includes the 2001 Sustainable Business Award (City of New Orleans) for energy and waste reduction and the 2002 Overall Innovator of the Year (New Orleans CityBusiness) to the founder. The category itself is supported by strong macro tailwinds: one in five U.S. consumers reportedly drinks iced coffee, with national iced-coffee sales up double digits.

Name

Cool Brew

Legal name

New Orleans Coffee Co., Inc.

Website

https://coolbrew.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cool Brew is a family-owned New Orleans manufacturer of cold-brewed coffee concentrates, selling through national/regional grocery retail, DTC e-commerce, and B2B ingredient partnerships with beverage and dessert brands such as Smoothie King.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cold-Brewed Coffee Concentrates

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee & Tea Concentrates (Liquid, Extracts, Syrups) (AFAFAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee & Tea Concentrates, Syrups & Extracts (CRADAHAI), Coffee Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAC)

Keywords

• Cold-brewed coffee concentrate
• Coffee manufacturing
• Specialty coffee products
• Flavored coffee concentrate
• New Orleans coffee

Headquarters

HQ city

Metairie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - Retail: Sale of CoolBrew coffee concentrate through retail grocery stores. Products are sold in 500ml bottles in refrigerated sections. Mainstream retail partners include The Fresh Market (national), Rouses supermarkets (regional), Whole Foods Southwest region, and independent stores throughout Louisiana including Wal-Mart.
2. Product Sales - E-commerce: Direct-to-consumer sales through shop.coolbrew.com and Amazon store. Products shipped cold in insulated packaging to maintain freshness.
3. B2B Ingredient Sales: Wholesale supply of CoolBrew as an ingredient to other food and beverage manufacturers. Long-standing partnerships include Smoothie King (nationwide coffee smoothies), New Orleans Ice Cream Company (ice cream flavors), and Tin Roof Brewing Co. (craft beer).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cool Brew (New Orleans Coffee Company) manufactures and sells cold-brewed, all-natural coffee concentrates under the CoolBrew brand. Using a proprietary cold filtration process developed in 1989, the company extracts coffee essence with cold water to produce a less acidic, smoother concentrate sold in 500ml bottles across multiple flavor variants including Original, Vanilla, Mocha, Decaf, French Roast, Hazelnut, Chocolate Almond, Toasted Almond, and seasonal Peppermint Mocha. The concentrates are sold through grocery retail, direct-to-consumer e-commerce, and as a B2B ingredient supply to food and beverage manufacturers.

Product overview

CoolBrew is the original cold-brewed, all-natural, fresh coffee concentrate created in 1989 by New Orleans Coffee Company. The core product line includes multiple flavor variants (Original, Vanilla, Mocha, Decaf, French Roast, Hazelnut, Chocolate Almond, Toasted Almond, and seasonal Peppermint Mocha). The concentrate uses a proprietary cold-brew process that removes acids from the grounds, resulting in a smooth, less bitter coffee. All varieties except French Roast contain chicory for authentic New Orleans flavor. The product is sold as a liquid concentrate where 1 ounce makes an 8-10 ounce cup of hot or iced coffee. A companion product, Cafe Au Lait, is produced in partnership with Brown's Dairy. All products require refrigeration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CoolBrew Original Cold-Brewed Coffee Concentrate The flagship cold-brewed, 100% all-natural coffee concentrate with no preservatives, containing chicory for authentic New Orleans flavor. Requires refrigeration. Sold in 500ml bottles in grocery refrigerated sections and online.
• CoolBrew Vanilla Cold-Brewed Coffee Concentrate Vanilla flavored cold-brewed coffee concentrate with chicory, sold in 500ml bottles in refrigerated sections and online.
• CoolBrew Mocha Cold-Brewed Coffee Concentrate
• CoolBrew Decaf Cold-Brewed Coffee Concentrate
• CoolBrew French Roast Cold-Brewed Coffee Concentrate
• CoolBrew Hazelnut Cold-Brewed Coffee Concentrate
• CoolBrew Chocolate Almond Cold-Brewed Coffee Concentrate (Limited Edition) Chocolate almond flavored cold-brewed coffee concentrate, originally released as a limited edition in 2014 for the company's 25th anniversary. Sold in 500ml bottles.
• CoolBrew Toasted Almond Cold-Brewed Coffee Concentrate
• CoolBrew Peppermint Mocha Cold-Brewed Coffee Concentrate (Seasonal)
• Cafe Au Lait (Brown's Dairy Partnership Product) A bottled cafe au lait produced in partnership with Brown's Dairy, combining CoolBrew concentrate with fresh low-fat milk and chicory for authentic New Orleans flavor.

Quantifiable outcome

• Industry leader position in cold-brewed coffee concentrate category since 1989
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Tin Roof Brewing Co.minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2012Baton Rouge-based brewery using CoolBrew in Parade Ground Coffee Porter, a seasonal craft brew. Initially launched by keg late 2012, released in cans before 2013 holiday season.
• Smoothie KingcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 1989First company to use CoolBrew as an ingredient. Partner for over 20 years (except brief hiatus following Hurricane Katrina) in providing coffee concentrate for nationwide coffee smoothies. Longest-standing B2B partnership.
• Dorignac'scoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1989First retail partner when New Orleans Coffee Company officially launched in 1989.
• New Orleans Ice Cream CompanycoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerUses CoolBrew in making 'Coffee & Chicory' and 'Cafe au Lait & Beignets' ice cream flavors. Featured partner in Southern Food and Beverage Institute's modern coffee exhibit.
• Brown's DairycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness partner working on Cafe Au Lait product using CoolBrew concentrate and fresh, low-fat milk. Product introduced in 2001 with 16oz size (larger than competitors).
• EcoUrbanminorOthersSustainable landscaping and soil company receiving donated coffee grounds. Transforms grounds into premium garden soil through thermal composting, sold at local farmers markets and select Whole Foods.
• Laughing Buddha NurseryminorOthersLocal cooling farm partnership. Coffee grounds provided at no cost. Their farm model centers on maximizing nutrient cycling and raising livestock with respect.
• Whole FoodscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOriginal Whole Foods on Esplanade Avenue was one of first retailers to carry CoolBrew. Currently available throughout Southwest region of Whole Foods markets.
• Peter Mayer Public RelationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPR agency handling public relations for CoolBrew. Contact: Margaret Taylor, PR Account Executive at (504) 378-6602.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Established specialty roaster (owned by Peet's) with a high-profile cold-brew bottled coffee line competing for refrigerated grocery shelf space and café/wholesale customers.
• Califia Farms: Plant-based beverage brand with a cold-brew and bottled latte line; competes with CoolBrew for grocery shelf space and the natural/specialty consumer.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: National specialty roaster with bottled Draft Latte and cold-brew SKUs in grocery and foodservice; comparable in channel strategy and target consumer to CoolBrew.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty coffee brand (owned by Nestlé) with packaged cold-brew and ready-to-drink products in retail and DTC, competing in the same premium cold-brew segment.

Direct peers

• Rise Brewing Co. Cold-brew and nitro coffee brand with retail and DTC distribution, targeting similar health-conscious and convenience-seeking coffee consumers as CoolBrew.
• Chameleon Cold-Brew: Direct competitor in cold-brewed coffee concentrates sold through grocery retail and DTC. Now owned by Nestlé, giving it deep distribution and marketing resources versus CoolBrew's family-owned footprint.
• High Brew Coffee: RTD cold-brew coffee brand (backed by Keurig Dr Pepper) sold through grocery and convenience channels, competing head-on with CoolBrew's concentrate use cases.
• Wandering Bear Coffee Co. Cold-brew coffee concentrate brand sold DTC and in retail formats, comparable to CoolBrew's at-home concentrated coffee value proposition.

Emerging players

• New England Coffee: Specialty coffee producer offering brewed and bottled coffee products via retail and foodservice; comparable as a mid-sized private coffee CPG with similar channel mix.

Others

• Smoothie King: Long-standing B2B customer of CoolBrew for its nationwide coffee smoothies; comparable as a customer-side dependency and alternative cold-brew ingredient channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CoolBrew
• Xx.com/coolbrew
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-orleans-coffee-co

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Cool Brew