Port City Coffee Roasters

What Port City Coffee Roasters does

Port City Coffee Roasters is a privately held specialty coffee roastery and cafe founded in 1992 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, operating from a single retail location at 801 Islington Street. The company runs a vertically integrated business spanning in-store cafe service, direct-to-consumer e-commerce coffee bean sales, wholesale distribution to regional cafes and restaurants, a Coffee Club subscription program, and custom-labeled Coffee Fundraisers for nonprofit and community organizations. Its primary product line consists of single-origin and blended coffee beans retailing at $16-21 per pound, complemented by a hot/iced beverage and light food menu in the cafe.

The core operating capability is freshness-driven roasting conducted 6-7 days per week, with finished beans shipped within 24-48 hours of roast. Local wholesale and cafe customers are served within a 50-75 mile delivery radius on the Seacoast of New Hampshire, while DTC and out-of-region wholesale orders ship nationwide on a next-business-day basis. Wholesale partners receive bundled support including barista training, equipment consulting, marketing signage, and equipment provisioning. The Coffee Club subscription offers recurring weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly delivery with a 5% subscriber discount. The company holds Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade, Bird Friendly, and Organic certifications.

Revenue is generated across five distinct streams: in-store cafe sales, e-commerce DTC bean sales, wholesale distribution (including named accounts Caffe Kilim, a 25-year partner, and Crackskulls), Coffee Club subscriptions, and fundraiser commissions (with named partners including the Pan Mass Challenge since 2007, St. Johnsbury Academy, and PHS-SEGA Tanzania Club). The company is led by President Derek LaBorie, operates with 11-50 employees, and serves the Seacoast New Hampshire region as its core market with a national shipping layer for non-local wholesale and DTC customers.

Name

Port City Coffee Roasters

Legal name

Port City Coffee Roasters

Website

https://portcitycoffee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Port City Coffee Roasters, founded in 1992 in Portsmouth, NH, is a specialty coffee roastery and single-location retail cafe that also sells coffee beans wholesale, through e-commerce, via a Coffee Club subscription, and through custom-labeled community fundraisers, serving regional consumers, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG), Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Wholesale coffee supply
• Coffee subscription service
• Coffee shop cafe
• Custom label coffee fundraisers

Headquarters

HQ city

Portsmouth

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, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail cafe and coffee shop sales: In-store sales of freshly brewed coffee, specialty espresso drinks, and food items including sandwiches, breakfast items, and snacks at their Portsmouth, NH location.
2. Coffee bean retail sales: Whole bean and ground coffee sold by the pound through their e-commerce website and in-store. Prices range from $16 to $21 per pound depending on the blend.
3. Wholesale coffee distribution: Bulk coffee sales to restaurants, cafes, and businesses. Includes training, consulting, marketing signage, and equipment support for wholesale partners.
4. Coffee Club subscription: Recurring subscription delivering fresh roasted coffee weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Offers purist favorites, seasonal flavored coffees, and sustainable varietal club options with 5% subscriber discount.
5. Coffee fundraisers: Partnership with local organizations to create custom labeled coffee products. Organizations earn money through coffee sales with no fees or startup costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Port City Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roastery and cafe founded in 1992 in Portsmouth, NH, that roasts and sells coffee beans through multiple channels: retail coffee by the pound via an e-commerce store and cafe, wholesale distribution to other businesses, a recurring Coffee Club subscription, and custom-labeled fundraisers for community organizations. The company also operates a coffee shop serving hot and iced drinks, breakfast, and lunch to walk-in customers.

Product overview

Port City Coffee Roasters is a single-location specialty coffee roastery and cafe established in 1992 in Portsmouth, NH. The company offers a vertically integrated coffee experience comprising: retail coffee beans sold by the pound (featuring single-origin and blended coffees), wholesale coffee partnerships for businesses, a Coffee Club subscription delivery service, coffee fundraisers for community organizations, and an on-site cafe serving hot drinks, iced drinks, breakfast, and lunch items. The core product line includes proprietary coffee blends such as Capone, Bali Blue Moon, and Port City French Roast, sourced sustainably from regions worldwide including Central/South America, Indonesia, India, and Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coffee by the Pound
• Wholesale Coffee Bulk roasted coffee supply program for cafes, restaurants, and other foodservice businesses, including training, consulting, and equipment support as part of the wholesale partnership, with some customer relationships spanning 20+ years.
• Coffee Club Subscription-based recurring delivery service for Port City roasted coffee, offering subscribers a 5% discount and a steady supply of freshly roasted beans shipped on a regular cadence.
• Coffee Fundraisers Custom-labeled coffee fundraising program for community organizations, schools, athletic teams, and nonprofits, in which Port City produces the coffee and the partner organization sells it to fundraise.
• Coffee Shop Menu On-premise cafe food and beverage service at Port City's Portsmouth, NH location, offering hot drinks, iced drinks, breakfast, and lunch items to walk-in customers.

Named customers5 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pan Mass Challenge (PMC)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2007Since 2007, PMC has partnered with Port City Coffee for their annual fundraiser. PMC is presented by the Boston Red Sox Foundation and New Balance, and donates 100% of every rider-raised dollar directly to cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Port City creates custom coffee labels to support PMC fundraising efforts.
• St. Johnsbury AcademyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFounded in 1842, St. Johnsbury Academy is a comprehensive independent secondary school. Their coffee fundraiser through Port City helps support the school's programs and student development.
• PHS-SEGA Tanzania ClubcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe PHS-SEGA Tanzania Club sponsors Salma Issa, a 15-year-old student from the Kilosa region of Tanzania. This fundraiser supports her full cost of education, room, board, and uniforms. It provides cultural exchange opportunities for Portsmouth High School students.
• Caffe KilimcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale coffee partner for 25 years. Caffe Kilim receives fresh coffee delivery and has praised Port City Coffee for providing the best service and coffee. Long-term relationship demonstrates reliability and quality.
• CrackskullsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRestaurant wholesale customer. Port City delivers fresh coffee every week and their customers love it. Another example of the company's wholesale partner network in the restaurant industry.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Irving Farm Coffee Roasters: Northeast regional specialty roaster with cafes, wholesale, and subscription offerings. Comparable business model spanning roastery, cafe, wholesale, and DTC, though larger in geographic footprint.
• Tandem Coffee Roasters: Portland, Maine-based specialty roaster with a flagship cafe and wholesale program. Comparable in size, New England focus, and vertically integrated roastery-cafe model.
• White Heron Coffee Roasters: New Hampshire-based small-batch specialty coffee roaster. Highly comparable to Port City: similar regional scale, wholesale and retail coffee bean offerings, sustainability-focused sourcing, and operated from a single New England location.
• Coffee By Design: Specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator in Portland, Maine. Directly comparable profile: small independent roaster with both retail cafe and wholesale distribution across northern New England.
• Vermont Coffee Company: Specialty coffee roaster serving the Vermont/New England market with strong organic and Fair Trade positioning. Closely comparable on independent small-scale roasting and direct-trade sourcing narrative.

Broad incumbents

• Keurig Green Mountain: Large incumbent in New England specialty coffee with broad retail and food-service distribution. Same regional origin and coffee category but a fundamentally different business model (single-serve pods at scale) that makes it an indirect peer rather than direct competitor.
• Counter Culture Coffee: National specialty roaster with sustainability-led sourcing, training programs, and wholesale distribution. Overlaps significantly with Port City's freshness/sustainability and wholesale-equipment offering, but at substantially larger scale.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster and cafe chain with national DTC subscription business. Operates the same roastery-cafe-subscription model as Port City but with substantially greater scale, capital, and brand awareness.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: National specialty coffee pioneer with a roastery-cafe-wholesale-subscription model. Same vertically integrated approach as Port City but at meaningful scale and with broader geographic reach.

Regional players

• Aroma Joe's: Maine/New Hampshire-based coffee chain focused on drive-thru coffee stands. Same northern New England footprint but different format (drive-thru kiosk rather than roastery-cafe), making it a regional adjacency rather than direct retail competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/portcitycoffee
• Instagraminstagram.com/portcitycoffee

Compliance4 records

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 Port City Coffee Roasters