Café de Leche

What Café de Leche does

Café de Leche is a privately held, founder-owned specialty coffee roaster and multi-location café operator headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2008 by Anya and Matthew Schodorf in Highland Park, the company roasts coffee in small batches at its flagship Highland Park facility (5000 York Blvd) using a commercial-grade W6A specialty roaster with capacity up to 30 kg per hour. Coffee is directly sourced from international producers in Ethiopia, Burundi, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, with documented origin-trip relationships through partners Crop to Cup and Ally Coffee and direct ties to producers including Expocamo (Nicaragua) and Loma La Gloria (El Salvador). The product portfolio includes single-origin coffees and signature blends (Medianoche dark roast, Water + Power espresso, Tranquilo decaf) sold in 12oz and 5lb formats, plus branded merchandise (mugs, t-shirts).

The business operates a hybrid direct-to-consumer model combining e-commerce subscriptions (weekly/bi-weekly/monthly), five physical café locations across the Los Angeles metro (Highland Park, Hollywood/Ovation, Cal State LA, Pasadena City College, with Altadena temporarily closed), and three adjacent revenue lines: B2B wholesale supply, mobile coffee cart catering for events, and a co-roasting program that monetizes the Highland Park roaster's capacity by offering equipment access, green coffee storage, and mentorship to other coffee brands at $1-$1.25/lb. Customer segments split between individual coffee consumers and subscription members (primary, DTC), wholesale/B2B accounts, and event/catering clients. Pricing is low-ticket and unit-based: 12oz bags at $20-$26, subscriptions from $18/shipment, and gift subscriptions at $60-$180 for six weeks. Marketing is community-driven via Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, an email newsletter with a 10% first-order incentive, and earned media coverage in LA Times, Thrillist, LAist, and Pasadena Weekly.

Café de Leche is a small business (11-50 employees) with no disclosed institutional funding, no subsidiaries, and no AI/technology differentiation beyond standard e-commerce tooling. The company's value proposition centers on direct-trade provenance, Central American heritage branding, and a localized LA retail footprint rather than scale economics or proprietary technology.

Name

Café de Leche

Legal name

Café de Leche

Website

https://cafedeleche.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Café de Leche is a privately held, founder-owned Los Angeles specialty coffee roaster and multi-location café operator founded in 2008, selling directly sourced single-origin and blended coffees via e-commerce subscriptions, five LA-metro cafés, B2B wholesale, mobile catering, and a co-roasting program for other brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Independent Neighborhood Cafes (THAFADAC), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Single-origin coffee
• Coffee subscription services
• Wholesale coffee supply
• Coffee catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Coffee Sales: One-time purchases of coffee beans (12oz and 5lb bags) sold directly to consumers through e-commerce and physical locations. Includes single-origin and blended options.
2. Coffee Subscriptions: Recurring subscription model offering weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly deliveries of freshly roasted coffee. Customers can choose frequency and quantity. Gift subscriptions available for 6-week terms.
3. Wholesale: B2B wholesale coffee program for cafes, restaurants, and other businesses to serve Café de Leche branded coffee.
4. Coffee Catering: Mobile coffee cart catering services for events including corporate meetings, weddings, pop-ups, and private events. Offers espresso drinks, lattes, cold brew, and specialty beverages.
5. Co-Roasting Services: Co-roasting program offering access to commercial-grade roasting equipment, mentorship, and warehouse space for other brands or businesses seeking to launch or expand coffee operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Café de Leche is a specialty coffee roaster and multi-location café operator founded in 2008 in Highland Park, Los Angeles. The company roasts small-batch single-origin and blended coffees, retails them through its own café locations and e-commerce storefront, and operates subscription, wholesale, coffee cart catering, and co-roasting programs for individual consumers and businesses.

Product overview

Café de Leche is a specialty coffee roaster and retailer operating a multi-location café chain in the Los Angeles area. The company offers a portfolio of directly sourced single-origin coffees and signature blends (Medianoche, Water + Power, Tranquilo) available for purchase online and in-store. The core product offering centers on coffee subscriptions with flexible weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly delivery schedules, complemented by gift subscription packages. Adjacent service offerings include mobile coffee cart catering for events, a co-roasting program enabling other brands to access commercial roasting equipment, and a wholesale program for B2B coffee supply. The company also sells branded merchandise including mugs and t-shirts. All coffee is roasted in small batches at their Highland Park roastery, with direct-trade relationships with international coffee producers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single-Origin Coffee

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Crop to CupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee import partner facilitating sourcing from Ethiopia and other origins. Café de Leche has taken origin trips coordinated through Crop to Cup to visit producers and build direct relationships.
• Ally CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlly Coffee coordinated origin trips to El Salvador and Nicaragua, facilitating connections with producers including Loma La Gloria and Expocamo. Key partner in enabling direct trade relationships.
• ExpocamocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee exporter and producer partner in Ocotal, Nicaragua. Led origin trip experiences and represents Café de Leche's connection to Nicaraguan coffee heritage through Francisco Javier Valle and team.
• Loma La GloriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialty coffee farm in El Salvador owned by Anny Ruth. Key producer partner in Café de Leche's direct trade program, visited during origin trips.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Starbucks Reserve: Premium specialty coffee extension of Starbucks with roasteries and reserve bars. Adjacent competitor in the premium/specialty cafe segment with significantly greater resources.
• Peet's Coffee: Large established specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator with national retail, wholesale, and e-commerce presence. Overlaps in category but operates at much broader scale than Café de Leche.

Direct peers

• Go Get Em Tiger: LA-based specialty coffee roaster and multi-location cafe operator with subscription, wholesale, and cafe business. Closely comparable in geography, scale, and product mix to Café de Leche.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster with cafes, wholesale, subscriptions, and ready-to-drink products. Comparable multi-format specialty coffee operator.
• Verve Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster with cafes, e-commerce, subscriptions, and direct trade producer relationships. Similar size, format, and farm-to-cup brand positioning to Café de Leche.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster operating cafes and wholesale accounts with direct trade sourcing and subscription offerings. Closely aligned in product, sourcing story, and B2B/retail mix.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty roaster focused on direct trade sourcing, wholesale accounts, and training/education services. Comparable B2B-leaning specialty coffee model with strong producer relationships.
• Philz Coffee: Specialty coffee chain with multiple cafe locations and a strong direct-to-consumer identity. Comparable as a multi-location, community-rooted specialty coffee brand.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster with cafe locations, wholesale program, and direct trade sourcing. Comparable in offering single-origin beans, subscriptions, and B2B wholesale.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster and cafe chain selling single-origin beans, subscriptions, and ready-to-drink beverages across multiple US cities. Directly comparable business model and product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cafedeleche
• Instagraminstagram.com/cafe_de_leche
• TikToktiktok.com/@cafedeleche

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Café de Leche