Colonna

What Colonna does

Colonna is a UK-headquartered specialty coffee company founded in 2009 by Maxwell and Lesley Colonna-Dashwood. It sources exceptional green coffee from origins including Costa Rica, Mexico, Kenya, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Ethiopia, Yemen, and El Salvador, and sells a rotating monthly tiered bean portfolio (Foundation, Discovery, Rare) alongside premium Gesha offerings and a quarterly Limited Release Rare series. The company extends the same quality standard into aluminum capsules compatible with Nespresso machines, specialty instant sachets, and a curated accessories catalog (Comandante grinders, XBloom machines, Peak Water filtration). Its technical differentiation centers on proprietary packaging: a valveless bag design, nitro-flush under 2% oxygen for up to nine months of bean shelf life, and capsule chambers that expel oxygen to keep coffee tasting fresh for two years.

Colonna operates a multi-channel distribution model combining a UK Shopify storefront, a US storefront with USD pricing, two Colonna & Small's destination coffee shops in Bath and London, and a dedicated B2B wholesale portal for hospitality buyers. The company runs the Opal capsule subscription with a minimum 12-month term and a free Opal One machine bundle, supported by a points-based Colonna Rewards loyalty program. Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood's published books ("Water For Coffee" and "The Physics of Filter Coffee") and his World Barista Championship background anchor the brand's content marketing and thought leadership.

Colonna is privately held, with Think Better Group Limited as the majority shareholder, and operates a roastery in Yate, UK that was expanded in 2024 with a new 70kg Diedrich roaster (supported by the RDPE Growth Programme) to more than quadruple production capacity. The company reports into the global specialty coffee market with no public revenue disclosures and serves discerning specialty coffee enthusiasts and small hospitality buyers as its primary customer segments.

Name

Colonna

Legal name

Colonna Ltd.

Website

https://colonnacoffee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Colonna is a UK-based specialty coffee roaster and retailer founded in 2009, sourcing rare varietals like Gesha from global origins and selling them as tiered whole beans, Nespresso-compatible capsules, and instant coffee through UK and US e-commerce, two destination coffee shops, and a wholesale portal serving specialty coffee enthusiasts and hospitality buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Beverage Manufacturing (3121), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Serve Coffee (Pods, Capsules) (CRADAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Espresso Bars & Coffee Bars (THAFADAD)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Single-origin coffee beans
• Coffee capsules
• Specialty coffee subscription
• Coffee wholesale supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Coffee Products (Beans, Capsules, Instant): Direct product sales across multiple formats: whole bean coffee (Foundation, Discovery, Rare, Gesha tiers), espresso/lungo capsules compatible with Nespresso systems, and specialty instant coffee. Products sourced from exceptional single origins worldwide with emphasis on rare varietals.
2. Capsule Subscriptions (Opal): Recurring monthly subscription for capsule deliveries with minimum 12-month term. Customers receive discounted machine pricing bundled with recurring capsule orders. MOQ of 4 boxes (40 capsules) per delivery.
3. Equipment and Accessories: Sale of third-party brewing equipment including XBloom coffee machines, Comandante C40 grinders, Hario V60 drippers, Next Level Pulsar brewers, TOPL reusable cups, and Peak Water filtration products.
4. Wholesale B2B: Dedicated wholesale portal for business customers including cafes, restaurants, and hospitality businesses to purchase Colonna products for resale.
5. Physical Retail (Colonna & Small's): Two destination coffee shops in Bath and London offering the full Colonna coffee experience, serving as both retail locations and brand showcases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Colonna is a specialty coffee roaster that sources, roasts, and sells exceptional single-origin coffees across whole beans (Foundation, Discovery, Rare, Gesha tiers plus quarterly Limited Release lots), Nespresso-compatible aluminium capsules, and specialty instant coffee. The company supports its coffee line with curated brewing equipment and accessories (grinders, brewers, water filtration, reusable cups) and authored coffee science books, and operates its own retail shops, subscription program, and B2B wholesale channel.

Product overview

Colonna is a specialty coffee company offering a multi-format portfolio of coffee products centered around rotating monthly beans across three tiers (Foundation, Discovery, Rare) plus premium Gesha offerings and a coveted Limited Release Rare quarterly series. The company sells whole bean coffee, aluminum capsules compatible with Nespresso machines, and specialty instant coffee. Core products are complemented by accessories including grinders (Comandante C40), brewers (Pulsar, Hario V60), water filtration (Peak Water), and reusable cups (TOPL), as well as books on coffee science (Water For Coffee, The Physics of Filter Coffee). The company operates a subscription model with Opal capsule subscriptions including a free machine option, operates two retail coffee shops under the Colonna & Small's brand in Bath and London, and offers a B2B wholesale programme. All products share a focus on exceptional sourcing, specialty-grade quality, and flavour innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foundation Beans Monthly rotating single-origin whole bean specialty coffee featuring approachable flavor profiles (current: Guadalupe Zaju Washed from Mexico) with bright acidity and nutty sweetness.
• Discovery Beans Monthly rotating single-origin beans from Riara Estate in Kenya, showcasing classic Kenyan mixed currant aromatics with rich stewed fruit sweetness and tea-like finish.
• Rare Beans Monthly rotating premium single-origin beans featuring clean acidity and sweetness with elegant yellow and green fruit notes (current: Becerra Washed Marshel from Peru).
• Gesha Beans Premium Gesha beans (current: Super Madre Natural Gesha from Costa Rica) offering a clean naturally processed profile with sweetness and pleasant violet aromatics.
• SOLO Seasonal Single-Origin Beans Seasonal single-origin washed coffee from Peru offering molasses sweetness, gentle stone fruit acidity and syrupy body.
• TRIO Seasonal Blend Beans Seasonal blend from Colombia, Zambia, and Kenya showcasing complex fruit character and floral aromatics designed as a dynamic espresso with good acidity and sweet syrupy body.
• Limited Release Rare Beans

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• PodbackminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerColonna is a member of Podback, offering UK customers a free recycling program for aluminium capsules. Podback provides free recycling bags and kerbside collection in eligible UK regions.
• Pepe Jijon (Finca La Soledad)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term sourcing partnership with Ecuadorian producer Pepe Jijon at Finca La Soledad in Intag Valley. Colonna has developed close working relationship over several years, featuring his Typica Mejorado processed via proprietary TyOxidator method in limited releases.
• Shopify Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform provider powering colonnacoffee.com and us.colonnacoffee.com online stores.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Nespresso: Dominant premium capsule brand whose home machines define the compatibility ecosystem that Colonna's capsules plug into; key platform incumbent shaping Colonna's capsule opportunity.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Larger, well-capitalised premium specialty coffee brand (Nestlé-owned) with DTC, retail cafés, and ready-to-drink; a broader incumbent competing for the same premium customer.

Direct peers

• Pact Coffee: UK specialty coffee company built around subscription DTC and curated single-origin beans, with a similar home-delivery, education-led positioning to Colonna.
• Square Mile Coffee Roasters: London-based specialty coffee roaster with a similar tiered product approach, DTC focus, wholesale programme, and educational content ethos. Direct overlap in the UK specialty roaster category.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Pioneering US specialty roaster with wholesale cafés and DTC, comparable tiered single-origin programme and emphasis on direct trade relationships.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: US specialty roaster with a strong capsule/ready-to-drink line and DTC/wholesale channels; closest US comparable given capsule format and multi-channel model.
• Hasbean Coffee: UK specialty coffee roaster focused on single-origin beans with DTC and wholesale, operating in the same premium tier and sourcing ethos as Colonna.
• Counter Culture Coffee: US specialty roaster with strong sustainability/transparency credentials, DTC subscriptions, and wholesale to cafés. Directly comparable curation and education-led brand model.
• Origin Coffee Roasters: UK specialty roaster with retail cafés, wholesale programme, and DTC subscriptions, competing in the same premium-tier UK market as Colonna.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: US specialty roaster with DTC subscriptions, wholesale, and retail cafés; comparable premium positioning and multi-channel specialty model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/colonnacoffee
• Facebookfacebook.com/colonnacoffee
• Instagraminstagram.com/colonnacoffee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colonna

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Colonna