Little Waves Coffee Roasters

Name

Little Waves Coffee Roasters

Legal name

Little Waves Coffee Roasters

Website

https://littlewaves.coffee

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasting & Grinding (AFAFADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG), Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Single origin coffee
• Wholesale coffee supply
• Coffee subscription service
• Artisan coffee roasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Coffee Subscriptions: Recurring subscription model where customers receive 12 oz bags of coffee on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. Subscribers choose flavor profiles including Single Origin Light & Bright, Single Origin Full-Bodied, Blends, Decaf, and seasonal rotations. Subscriptions create sustained relationships with farmer partners and predictable revenue.
2. One-time Coffee Sales: Direct e-commerce sales of whole bean coffee including Peak Coffees (rare and competition-grade lots), single origin coffees, and seasonal offerings. Orders roasted to order with 1-3 business day turnaround.
3. Gift Subscriptions: Prepaid gift subscriptions available in 3-month ($78), 6-month ($153), and 12-month ($300) durations. 12 oz bags sent bi-weekly for the duration.
4. Wholesale Coffee Program: B2B wholesale program offering competitive pricing to cafes, bakeries, and food service operations. Partners purchase in 5 lb, 2 lb bags or cases of 12 oz retail bags. Includes barista training and equipment services.
5. Merchandise and Brew Gear: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, tumblers, cold cups, socks, and enamel pins. Also sells brew gear including drippers, filters, kettles, and AeroPress products.
6. Digital Education Content: Free and paid digital education resources including brew guides for various methods (Espresso, V60, Kalita Wave, French Press, AeroPress, Chemex) and processing guides available for download.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Little Waves Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee micro-roastery that sources, roasts, and distributes single-origin, blended, and rare competition-grade coffees via a Loring S15 Falcon roaster at its Durham, NC facility. The company sells through direct-to-consumer e-commerce (12 oz whole bean bags, Peak Coffees, subscriptions, gift sets, brew gear, merchandise, e-gift cards), operates three Cocoa Cinnamon retail cafés in Durham, NC, and runs a B2B wholesale program supplying cafés, bakeries, and food-service operators with training and equipment support.

Product overview

Little Waves Coffee Roasters is a Latina-led, women-forward specialty coffee roastery and the wholesale arm of Cocoa Cinnamon, operating three retail cafes in Durham, NC. The product portfolio centers on micro-lot specialty coffee roasted on a Loring S15 Falcon roaster with an 80% energy reduction versus traditional roasters. The core offering is the rotating single-origin and blended coffee selection (sold as retail bags, subscriptions, and wholesale), supplemented by the Peak Coffees collection of rare and competition-grade lots. Adjacent offerings include a Digital Education Center (free brew guides), Brew Gear (partner-branded accessories like Fellow and Kalita), Swag Merchandise, Gift Subscriptions/Box Sets, and a B2B Wholesale Program. The Cocoa Cinnamon retail cafes operate independently with rotating Wonder Menus and specialty drinks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Peak Coffees: A rotation of the most innovative, complex, and delicious coffees featuring rare and future-looking varieties treated with the highest levels of excellence at the farm and mill
• Little Waves Coffee Merchandise

Products and services

• Specialty Roasted Coffee (Current Coffees) Rotating selection of micro-lot single-origin and blended whole-bean coffees roasted to order on a Loring S15 Falcon roaster and shipped in 12 oz bags nationwide within 1-3 business days.
• Coffee Subscriptions Recurring coffee delivery program offering flavor profiles including Single Origin Light & Bright, Single Origin Full-Bodied & Chocolatey, Blends, Decaf, Roaster's Choice, and seasonal options, shipped as 12 oz whole bean bags on a biweekly or monthly cadence.
• Gift Subscriptions Prepaid coffee gift subscriptions offered in 3-month ($78), 6-month ($153), and 12-month ($300) durations, sending 12 oz bags bi-weekly to recipients.
• Peak Coffees Collection Rotating series of rare, innovative, and competition-grade coffees treated with the highest levels of excellence at farm and mill, featuring producers such as Edwin Enrique Noreña, Mauricio Shattah, and José Julián Giraldo.
• Coffee Box Sets Curated multi-coffee gift sets, such as the Edwin Enrique Noreña Competition Box Set, containing multiple 10 oz or 100 g bags of specialty competition-grade coffees.
• Gift Collection (Coffee + Brew Gear Sets) Pre-curated gift sets combining specialty coffees with brew gear including Fellow Stagg EKG Pro Electric Kettle and Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker.
• Wholesale Coffee Program B2B wholesale program for cafés, bakeries, and food-service operators offering 5 lb and 2 lb bags and cases of 12 oz retail bags, plus in-person or remote barista and brew training, preventative equipment maintenance, equipment discounts, and business startup consultation.
• Cocoa Cinnamon Retail Cafés Three award-winning retail coffee shop locations in Durham, NC (Old North Durham at 420 W. Geer Street, Old West Durham at 2627 Hillsborough Road, and Lakewood at 2013 Chapel Hill Road) featuring rotating Wonder Menus, specialty drinks, and locally made desserts; pickup ordering via Square.
• Brew Gear Specialty brewing equipment and accessories including Origami drippers, Kalita Wave brewers, AeroPress, AeroPress XL, AeroPress Go, and paper filters (Sibarist, Cafec, Kalita), alongside partner brands Fellow and Kalita.
• Branded Merchandise (Swag) Little Waves branded apparel and drinkware including t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, dad hats, socks, Nomad Tumblers, cold cups, milk glass cups, and slacker beanies.
• E-Gift Cards (Online Store) Digital gift cards for the Little Waves Coffee Roasters online store available in denominations of $20, $30, $50, $100, and $200, valid for online shipping orders only.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95 score on Coffee Review for Río Dulce Gesha, selected as #17 top coffee of 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 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

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Forest (Import Partner)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Import partner for Colombia origin coffees including Condor Huila Project women's producer coffees. Facilitated trip to Huila in November 2025 to cup and assess microlots from 36 women producers.
• Utake Coffee / MbulacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Sourcing Kenyan coffees through Mbula of Utake Coffee, a force in the industry for quality control, roasting, and exporting excellent Kenyan coffees by small farmholders.
• BD Imports / Phyllis JohnsoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Assisted in sourcing Kenyan coffees through BD Imports, highlighting the value Mbula at Utake adds in the supply chain, providing an alternative to foreign-owned exporting and multinational channels.
• Cup to Crop ImportersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Additional importing partner for Kenyan coffees alongside BD Imports.
• Sustainable Harvest / Al LiuminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Connected Little Waves with Rama Women's Association Natural Burundi coffee through thought partnership.
• Driftaway CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Hosted omakase tasting events featuring rare coffee species including Coffea racemosa and innovative Arabica coffees. Collaborated on '7 Sips, Taste, Talk, and Flight' seated tasting events.
• Adriana UriosteguicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaborated on Coffea species presentations at Torque Coffee San Diego, World of Coffee San Diego, and other venues. Expert on NKG's work to grow Canephora in Uganda.
• ZHAW University Coffee Excellence CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Co-founder Leon Grodski Barrera completed year-long Coffee Excellence Course. Connected with producer Mauricio Shattah through course. Studied Coffea species genetic diversity and innovations in Arabica.
• Café 1959 / José Julián GiraldocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Three-year partnership with producer José Julián Giraldo at Finca Las Marias in Pijao, Quindío, Colombia. Café 1959 brand named in honor of his mother. Special Rio Dulce Gesha project featured in Standart Magazine Issue 37, received 95 score on Coffee Review. José left textile sector in 2015 to dedicate himself to coffee, working with his father (a food scientist) on meticulous processing including pH, Brix, and temperature control.
• Yellow Rooster Coffee ImportscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Supply partner for Café 1959 coffees, facilitating visits to Little Waves Roastery with José Giraldo.
• Standart MagazinecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Standart X Little Waves Coffee X Café 1959 collaboration featuring Rio Dulce Gesha in Standart Issue 37 (Quarter 4, 2024). Created dedicated landing page and deeper dive videos.
• La Marzocco CafécoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2019Roaster in Residence program at La Marzocco Café, KEXP Gathering Space in Seattle, September 19 - October 21, 2019. Featured San Cristobal Cafe and home espresso offerings.
• Baho Coffee / Emmanuelle RusatiracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Longstanding partnership since 2019 with Emmanuelle Rusatira, owner and operator of Baho Coffee in Rwanda. Provides transparency on every person who delivered cherries to washing stations, including first and second payment amounts. Sourcing Rwandan coffees including Fugi Ikizere Women lots and Humure Low Oxygen Natural. Featured in Apple TV+ Docuseries Omnivore Episode 7 on Coffee.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Heart Coffee Roasters: Small specialty roaster with cafe locations and a transparent sourcing program, comparable in scale, ethos, and product focus on single-origin microlots.
• Onyx Coffee Lab: Award-winning specialty roaster (multiple Good Food Awards, Coffee Review top lots) known for competition-grade coffees and modern branding—directly comparable to Little Waves' Peak Coffees strategy and awards profile.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster with strong sustainability ethos, direct producer relationships, education programs, and a wholesale program serving cafes and foodservice—closely overlapping with Little Waves' model and values-led positioning.
• Sey Coffee: Brooklyn specialty micro-roaster focused on rare, competition-grade single origins and direct producer partnerships—a closely comparable peer to Little Waves' Peak Coffees positioning.
• Driftaway Coffee: Brooklyn-based specialty roaster running a curated subscription program, sourcing transparency focus, and omakase-style tasting events (collaborated with Little Waves on rare species tastings).
• Verve Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster with retail cafes, subscription program, and direct producer partnerships on the West Coast—a comparable hybrid DTC + retail + wholesale specialty coffee operator.
• Equator Coffees: Specialty roaster with retail cafes, wholesale, and a women-led ownership history; comparable scale and producer-relationship-driven model with strong awards pedigree.

Broad incumbents

• Intelligentsia Coffee: Established specialty coffee roaster with direct trade program, wholesale, and multiple cafes—same product category but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster with extensive cafe footprint, wholesale, and DTC—same product category, but materially larger scale and broader national presence.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Pioneer of third-wave specialty coffee with roastery, cafes, wholesale, and subscription Direct Trade program—same category, much larger scale and broader distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/littlewavescr
• Facebookfacebook.com/littlewavescoffee
• Instagraminstagram.com/littlewaves.coffee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/littlewavescoffee

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 Little Waves Coffee Roasters