What Phoenix Coffee does

Phoenix Coffee is an employee-owned cooperative coffee company headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, founded in 1990. It operates five retail café locations across the Cleveland metro area (Coventry, Lee Road, Ohio City, Birdtown, and Downtown), a roastery and headquarters on Hamilton Avenue, and a wholesale coffee and bakery program serving approximately 30 named foodservice partners across Northeast Ohio and the broader United States. The company is positioned as the only employee-owned cooperative coffee company in Ohio and one of Cleveland's first specialty coffee roasters.

The company's core product is small-batch specialty coffee roasted on a Loring low-emissions roaster, featuring a portfolio of blends (Blackbird Dark Blend, Firebird House Blend) and single-origin coffees (Ruarai AA Kenya, Munkaze Burundi, Musa Abalulesa Ethiopia) sourced via long-term direct-trade relationships including a five-year partnership with Colombian exporter Oistocoffee. Complementing the coffee line, Phoenix retails curated brew gear (Aeropress, Chemex, Hario V60, Fellow Prismo, Hario Switch) and branded apparel, and offers limited catering for up to 100 people. Wholesale channels include specialty grocers (Whole Foods, Constantino's Market), restaurants, cafés, bakeries, and offices, with ancillary commercial coffee equipment sales and repair services.

Phoenix generates revenue through three primary streams: company-owned retail café sales, B2B wholesale coffee supply, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce (shipping nationally every Monday and Thursday, with free shipping on orders over $50). Pricing is unit-based, with 12oz coffee bags ranging from $20 (Blackbird) to $26 (single-origins), brew gear from $28.50 to $46.98, and apparel around $20. Marketing is anchored in organic Instagram community engagement, the corporate website, and in-café art displays, with no recorded paid acquisition or digital advertising footprint. The company employs 51-100 people and remains privately held with no disclosed outside investors.

Name

Phoenix Coffee

Legal name

Phoenix Coffee Company

Website

https://phoenixcoffee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Phoenix Coffee is an employee-owned cooperative coffee roaster and retailer operating five cafés across the Cleveland metro area, serving retail consumers, wholesale foodservice partners, and direct-to-consumer online customers throughout the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting and Café Operations

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 industry

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Coffee shop operations
• Wholesale coffee distribution
• Coffee brewing equipment
• Employee-owned cooperative

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Café Operations: Five company-owned café locations serving specialty coffee, beverages, and food to consumers directly. Locations include Coventry, Lee Road, Ohio City, Birdtown, and Downtown Cleveland.
2. Wholesale Coffee Sales: B2B sales of roasted specialty coffee to cafés, restaurants, offices, specialty grocers, and coffee shops. Serves approximately 30 named wholesale partners across northeast Ohio and the United States. Includes commercial coffee equipment sales and repair services.
3. E-commerce / Direct Sales: Online store selling roasted coffee beans, brew equipment, merchandise, and eGift cards. Products include blends, single-origin coffees, brewing accessories, and apparel. Ships every Monday and Thursday with free shipping on orders over $50.
4. Catering Services: Limited catering service providing hot and cold coffee for up to 100 people. Also offers 96oz hot coffee carriers with cups, cream, and sugar available at all locations. First-come, first-serve basis with two weeks notice required.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Phoenix Coffee is a specialty coffee roaster and café operator that roasts its own coffees on a low-emissions Loring roaster and sells them through five company-owned retail cafés in the Cleveland metro area, a wholesale division serving approximately 30 foodservice partners across northeast Ohio and the broader US, and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop. The company also retails brewing equipment (Aeropress, Chemex, Hario V60, Fellow Prismo) and branded merchandise, and operates as Ohio's only employee-owned cooperative coffee company.

Product overview

Phoenix Coffee is a specialty coffee roaster and retailer operating five café locations across the Cleveland, Ohio area. The company offers a portfolio of roasted coffee products including single origin coffees (Ruarai AA Kenya, Munkaze Burundi, Musa Abalulesa Ethiopia) and house blends (Firebird House Blend, Blackbird Dark Blend). In addition to whole bean and ground coffee sales, Phoenix Coffee retails brewing equipment including Aeropress, Fellow Prismo, Chemex, and Hario V60 products along with related accessories and filters. The company also sells branded merchandise including apparel and accessories. Phoenix Coffee operates as an employee-owned cooperative and provides wholesale coffee to restaurants, offices, and grocers throughout northeast Ohio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blackbird Dark Blend Dark blend coffee featuring environmentally-sustainable, worker-friendly, traceable coffees from South America (Sul de Minas, Brazil and ELLA - Women Producers of Guatemala). Tasting notes: Velvety, Cocoa, Tobacco. Sold in 12oz valve bags.
• Firebird House Blend House blend coffee featuring African coffees including washed lot from Asmamaw Woldermariam, natural lot from Tahir Aba Mecha, and washed coffee from Tanzania's Mondul estate. Suitable for drip and espresso. Tasting notes: caramel, red apple, molasses.
• Ruarai AA Kenya Single Origin Single origin Kenya coffee from the Ruarai processing factory in Nyeri region. Contains SL 28, SL 34, Ruiru 11 and Batian varietals from approximately 600 smallholder farmers. Tasting notes: citrus-forward with blood orange, clementine juiciness, and candied sage. Available in 12oz or 5lb options.
• Munkaze Burundi Single Origin Single origin Burundi red bourbon grown at 1800-2200 MASL along Kibira National Forest. Features double fermentation (12hr wet, 12hr dry) with 20-25 days drying on raised beds. Tasting notes: creamy texture with fresh key lime. Available in 12oz or 5lb options.
• Musa Abalulesa Ethiopia Single Origin Single origin Ethiopian coffee from Agaro farm at 2100 MASL. 74110/74165 varietal, farmed organically alongside avocados, honey bees, and seed production. Tasting notes: pineapple, nectarine, peach blossom. Available in 12oz or 5lb options.
• Aeropress Brewer Portable coffee brewer producing rich, smooth coffee without acidity or bitterness. Includes brewer, 350 filters, filter cap, filter holder, funnel, stirrer and scoop. Brews 1-3 cups in about a minute.
• Aeropress Filters Pack of 350 AeroPress microfilters compatible with AeroPress coffee maker and AeroPress Go travel coffee press. Biodegradable and compostable.
• Fellow Prismo Reusable metal filter and pressure-actuated valve attachment for Aeropress. Creates espresso-like beverages and provides versatile attachment for experienced Aeropress users.
• Chemex 6 Cup Glass Brewer 6 cup glass brewing carafe with handle for pour-over coffee preparation. Requires Chemex bonded filters (sold separately).
• Chemex Filters 100 pre-folded oxygen-whitened filters per pack. Fits all 6-, 8-, and 12-cup Chemex coffee brewers.
• Hario V60 Paper Filters (02 Size) Bleached and washed paper filters for Hario V60 and Hario Switch brewers to remove paper flavor from coffee.
• Hario Switch Hybrid Brewer Hybrid brewer combining percolation and immersion brew methods. Unlocks extraction profiles not obtainable by traditional cone filter/V60 brewing. Includes 40 standard Hario 02 filters.
• Hario V60 Ceramic White Pour-Over Brewer Classic ceramic pour-over coffee brewer with spiraling design. Reactive to user input allowing customization of grind size, dose, flow rate, water temperature, and agitation. Requires Hario 02 filters.
• Phoenix Logo Cuff Beanie Phoenix logo cuff beanie in athletic heather gray colorway. Branded merchandise.
• Eclipse T-Shirt Limited edition black-ink-on-black-fabric tee celebrating the 2024 total solar eclipse. Printed on Bella and Canvas 100% ring-spun cotton.
• Throwback Logo T-Shirt Throwback logo t-shirt in heather yellow. Printed on Bella and Canvas 100% ring-spun cotton.
• You Can't Grow Coffee in Outer Space Ringer Shirt Winter 2021 ringer shirt with message about taking care of Spaceship Earth, the only place where coffee can grow. Branded merchandise.
• Retail Café Operations Five company-owned retail café locations (Coventry, Lee Road, Ohio City, Birdtown, Downtown) serving specialty coffee beverages, food, and a community third-place environment to Cleveland-area consumers.
• Catering Services Limited catering service providing hot and cold coffee for up to 100 people. Also offers 96oz hot coffee carriers with cups, cream, and sugar at all locations. First-come, first-serve basis with two weeks notice required.
• Wholesale Coffee Distribution B2B wholesale roasted specialty coffee supply to approximately 30 named partners including cafés, restaurants, bakeries, wine bars, offices, and specialty grocers (e.g., Whole Foods, Constantino's Market, Punch Bowl Social) across northeast Ohio and the broader United States. Includes commercial coffee equipment sales and repair services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Five café locations serving the Cleveland metro area
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 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.

• Akron HoneycoreOthersLocal honey provider supplying raw, local honey for use in bar drinks at all Phoenix cafés. Also carries 3oz retail jars of Akron Honey at café locations. Partnership supports local sourcing values.
• Baked AF (bakedafcle)coreOthersDonut supplier providing plant-based (vegan), scratch-made donuts to all Phoenix café locations. Current offerings include Vanilla Sugar donut infused with house-made vanilla extract.
• Tilth Soil (tilth.soil)minorOthersSoil supplier providing soil at every café location for customers to purchase for home herb gardens.
• Loring (Coffee Roaster Manufacturer)coreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment partnership for low-emissions, state-of-the-art coffee roasting technology. The Loring roaster enables specialty coffee production with reduced environmental footprint.
• Oistocoffee (Osito Coffee)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColombian export company with a 5-year relationship with Phoenix Coffee. Sources coffee from El Mirador farm managed by Jose Jadirlosada and Owela Ohgwaih. Core long-term sourcing partnership for specialty Colombian coffees.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Verve Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster operating company-owned cafés alongside wholesale and DTC channels. Similar multi-channel specialty coffee model with a strong focus on farm-level sourcing relationships.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster and café operator with a national DTC subscription business. Closely comparable business model — roastery + cafés + wholesale + DTC — though at much larger scale.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster with multiple cafés, a national wholesale program, and DTC e-commerce. Comparable in that it combines retail cafés, foodservice wholesale, and traceable direct-trade sourcing at a similar category positioning.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster focused on direct-trade sourcing, sustainability, training, and wholesale distribution to cafés and foodservice. Comparable in its emphasis on education, sourcing transparency, and B2B rather than high-street retail.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Chicago-based specialty roaster with company-owned cafés and a strong direct-trade wholesale program serving restaurants and grocers. Highly comparable model to Phoenix's café + wholesale + direct-trade sourcing approach.
• Crimson Cup Coffee: Ohio-based specialty coffee roaster operating its own cafés and a B2B wholesale program across the Midwest. Closest geographic and operating analog to Phoenix Coffee with similar café-plus-wholesale model.

Regional players

• Colectivo Coffee: Milwaukee-based specialty coffee roaster and multi-café operator serving the Upper Midwest. Comparable specialty coffee positioning and Midwest regional footprint, though larger and more geographically concentrated in Wisconsin.
• MadCap Coffee Company: Grand Rapids, Michigan specialty coffee roaster with cafés and a wholesale program. Similar regional specialty roaster + café + wholesale model operating in the broader Great Lakes region.
• Great Lakes Coffee: Cleveland-based specialty roaster serving the local foodservice market. Directly comparable as a Cleveland-area competitor competing for the same wholesale customers and consumer base.

Broad incumbents

• Starbucks Reserve: Starbucks's premium specialty-coffee concept offering small-lot Reserve roasts in dedicated cafés. Overlaps with Phoenix in specialty single-origin positioning but operates as part of a much larger global retail platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/phoenixcoffee
• Xx.com/PhoenixCoffeeCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/PhoenixCoffee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phoenix-coffee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Phoenix Coffee