Small Planes Coffee
Small Planes Coffee is a Washington, D.C.-based specialty coffee roastery founded in 2017 by Ryan and Jill Jensen, selling direct-to-consumer subscriptions and one-time bags via Shopify, wholesaling to ~17 D.C. metro cafes, and stocking Whole Foods and specialty markets across the Mid-Atlantic.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Small Planes Coffee does
Small Planes Coffee is a specialty coffee roastery founded in spring 2017 by Ryan and Jill Jensen, operating from a roastery at 2400 T Street NE in northeast Washington, D.C., adjacent to the National Arboretum. The company roasts coffee to order on two weekly production cycles (Monday–Tuesday and Wednesday–Thursday) and distributes through three channels: direct-to-consumer e-commerce on a Shopify storefront with subscription billing, wholesale supply to approximately seventeen cafes and bakeries across the D.C. metro area, and regional retail through Whole Foods Market stores in DC, Northern Virginia, and Baltimore plus five specialty markets including Shop Made in DC, Odd Provisions, Each Peach Market, and Streets Market.
The product portfolio centers on four year-round blends (Arboretum seasonal blend, Gateway accessible blend, Decaf Desvelado, and Colonnade darker roast), complemented by rotating single-origin coffees sourced through direct relationships with named producers in Burundi (Long Miles Coffee Project, since 2018), Colombia (Diego Hoyos, La Muralla community), Guatemala (AProCafé cooperative), Rwanda (Kanzu), and Ethiopia (Tokuma group, Atoma station). A freeze-dried instant coffee line is produced in collaboration with Swift Cup Coffee, and the company retails brewing equipment (ORIGAMI drippers, Beehouse, Hario, Fellow) and branded merchandise. Every product carries detailed provenance — farm, variety, elevation, process, and tasting notes — supporting both consumer education and wholesale menu storytelling.
The business model combines one-time DTC e-commerce purchases, recurring bi-weekly subscriptions (Roaster's Choice, Arboretum, Gateway, Colonnade, Decaf) cancellable at any time, wholesale B2B sales, retail markup, and merchandise sales, with free shipping on orders over $50. Community engagement is built through monthly public cupping events held on the first Friday of each month at the roastery, an educational brewing blog, and the Odds & Ends donation program launched October 2022 in which all proceeds from surplus and test-roast coffee go to World Central Kitchen. The company is privately held by its founders with no disclosed institutional investors or funding rounds.
Small Planes Coffee firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Small Planes Coffee
- Legal name
- Small Planes Coffee
- Website
- https://smallplanescoffee.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Small Planes Coffee is a Washington, D.C.-based specialty coffee roastery founded in 2017 by Ryan and Jill Jensen, selling direct-to-consumer subscriptions and one-time bags via Shopify, wholesaling to ~17 D.C. metro cafes, and stocking Whole Foods and specialty markets across the Mid-Atlantic.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Small Planes Coffee industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee Roastery
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing (AFAFADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)
Keywords
Where Small Planes Coffee is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Small Planes Coffee business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Direct Coffee Sales (E-commerce): Single-origin and blended whole bean coffees sold directly through the Shopify storefront. Products offered in multiple sizes (8oz, 12oz, 2lb, 5lb). Coffee roasted to order with two weekly production cycles.
- Coffee Subscriptions: Recurring subscription products (Roaster's Choice, Gateway, Arboretum, Decaf, Colonnade) billed on a bi-weekly installment basis. Subscriptions can be cancelled anytime through customer portal. 12oz bags at $23–$25 per installment.
- Instant Coffee (Swift Cup Collaboration): Freeze-dried specialty instant coffee (Arboretum and Decaf Colombia) sold as boxed single-serve portions ($20 per box). Created in collaboration with Swift Cup Coffee.
- Wholesale (B2B): Coffee sold in bulk to cafes, bakeries, and retail markets. Includes a dedicated wholesale inquiry page. Coffee served at approximately 17 cafes/bakeries and stocked at markets including Whole Foods Market (DC, NOVA, Baltimore) and Shop Made in DC.
- Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise including pour-over drippers (ORIGAMI, Beehouse), Hario equipment, Fellow travel mugs, branded apparel (hats, travel mugs), and paper filters. One-time purchase items.
- Odds & Ends Donation Program: Surplus and test-roast coffees sold at discounted prices ($20 for 2lb kraft bag) with all proceeds donated to World Central Kitchen monthly. Program launched October 6th, 2022. Total raised as of December 13th, 2024: $5,440.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single-origin and blended coffees |
| Subscription | Monthly | Roaster's Choice Subscription (bi-weekly) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Gateway Subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | Decaf Subscription (rotating) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Colonnade Subscription (year-round) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Arboretum Subscription (year-round) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Arboretum Instant Coffee (Swift Cup) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Decaf Colombia Instant Coffee (Swift Cup) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | ORIGAMI Dripper (Porcelain) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | ORIGAMI Air M Dripper (Resin) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | ORIGAMI Air S Dripper (Resin) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Beehouse Dripper |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Baby Blue Dad Hat |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Fellow Travel Mug |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hario Digital Scale |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Cards |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Small Planes Coffee product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Small Planes Coffee is a specialty coffee roastery that freshly roasts single-origin and blended whole bean coffees to order for direct-to-consumer e-commerce, recurring subscriptions, and wholesale distribution to cafés, bakeries, and retail markets. The company also retails specialty brewing equipment (pour-over drippers, scales, filters, drinkware) and co-produces freeze-dried instant coffee with Swift Cup, donating proceeds from surplus inventory through the Odds & Ends program to World Central Kitchen.
Product overview
Small Planes Coffee is a specialty coffee roasting company founded in Washington, D.C. in 2017. Their product portfolio centers on their core coffee offerings: four year-round products (Arboretum seasonal blend, Gateway accessible blend, Decaf Desvelado, and Colonnade darker roast), complemented by rotating single origin coffees from various global regions including Colombia, Burundi, Guatemala, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. They offer subscription services for all core blends plus a Roaster's Choice curated option. The company also sells brewing equipment and accessories, primarily ORIGAMI pour-over drippers in porcelain and shatterproof resin variants, plus Beehouse drippers, Hario servers and scales, paper filters, and drinkware including travel mugs and sensory cups. Their merchandise includes branded apparel. They partner with Swift Cup Coffee for instant coffee products and donate proceeds from their Odds and Ends program to World Central Kitchen. The company hosts monthly in-person cuppings and operates a wholesale program for cafes and retailers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Arboretum Coffee Blend
Quantifiable outcome
- $5,440 raised for World Central Kitchen through Odds & Ends donation program (October 2022 – December 2024)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Small Planes Coffee
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Small Planes Coffee technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Small Planes Coffee partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and secondary.
- World Central KitchenminorWorld Central Kitchen receives monthly donations from Small Planes' Odds & Ends program — surplus and test-roast coffees sold at $20 for 2lb with all proceeds donated. Program launched October 6th, 2022. Total raised as of December 13th, 2024: $5,440. WCK is a nonprofit that responds to humanitarian crises with food relief.
- Osito Coffee (Importing Partner)coreOsito is the importing partner for Colombia Diego Hoyos and also for the Gateway blend (currently 100% Peru). Osito hosted the Copa de Oro competition in December 2022, which connected Small Planes' green coffee buyer Daniel to Copa de Oro champion Diego Hoyos. Osito is a key import partner enabling access to competition lots and specialty origins.
- Swift Cup CoffeesecondarySwift Cup Coffee extracts the soluble content of freshly roasted Small Planes coffee and freeze-dries it to create portable specialty instant coffee. Products include Arboretum Instant ($20/box) and Decaf Colombia Instant ($20/box), sold as 6-serving boxes. Each box has an indefinite shelf life. This is a co-production collaboration enabling a new product format.
- Long Miles Coffee ProjectcoreFoundational sourcing partnership dating to 2018, the roastery's first full year. Long Miles is a farmer-driven coffee production model founded by Ben and Kristy Carlson in 2011, working with coffee-growing communities across Burundi. They provide traceability to individual hills, Coffee Scouts (young agronomists) support producers year-round. Small Planes sources multiple Burundi lots annually (Mikuba Hill honey process, Kinyovu Peaberry natural, and others). This is a core, enduring partnership on the menu.
- Slow Pour SupplysecondaryFulfillment partner for ORIGAMI drippers and related brewing accessories. Small Planes serves as the storefront, but Slow Pour Supply handles order fulfillment and logistics for these products. Collaboration on brew recipe blog content for ORIGAMI brewers.
- Du Jianing (World Brewers Cup Champion 2019)minorThe ORIGAMI 12oz Sensory Cup is a collaboration between ORIGAMI Japan and World Brewers Cup Champion Du Jianing (2019). Small Planes retails this product. The Sensory Cup's design maximizes aroma retention and was subsequently featured in World Brewers Cup Champion Carlos Medina's routine — making it a champions' choice across three championships.
- AProCafé (Guatemala Producer Cooperative)coreFourth-year purchasing partnership with AProCafé cooperative in San Pedro, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. The group has 52 member farmers led by co-chairs Pedro Isaias González (deceased May 2026) and Isaías. Includes Doña Lucinda Puac Pérez's organic micro-lot. Small Planes visited the region and builds personal relationships with producers. Coffee offers soft citrus, brown sugar, and red plum notes.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Small Planes Coffee competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Verve Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster focused on single-origin and direct-trade coffees with DTC e-commerce, subscriptions, and cafe retail. Closely aligned with Small Planes' roast-to-order, traceable-sourcing model.
- Peregrine Espresso: DC-based specialty coffee shop and small roaster with multiple locations in Washington, D.C. A direct local peer operating in the same DC specialty market as both a customer and competitor.
- Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster with direct trade sourcing, educational programs, and wholesale distribution to cafes nationwide. Comparable in product-led, transparent-sourcing positioning and B2B/B2C hybrid GTM.
- Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters: Boutique specialty roaster with strong producer relationships and cafe/wholesale model. Similar scale and craft coffee ethos.
- Onyx Coffee Lab: Specialty roaster known for competition-grade sourcing and producer relationships. Operates DTC, subscriptions, and wholesale — directly comparable in craft specialty positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Blue Bottle Coffee: Major specialty coffee brand with cafe network, DTC, and subscription. Broader incumbent with vastly larger scale in the same product category.
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Established specialty roaster with national wholesale, DTC, and cafe presence. Competes broadly in the same specialty category but at much larger scale.
- Intelligentsia Coffee: Pioneering specialty roaster with direct trade program, wholesale, and cafes. Operates in the same specialty category as a broader incumbent.
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster with national retail distribution (including Whole Foods), DTC, and cafes. Overlaps in Whole Foods retail placement and wholesale channels.
Others
- Swift Cup Coffee: Freeze-dried specialty instant coffee producer and Small Planes' partner for instant product lines (Arboretum and Decaf Colombia instant). Comparable as an adjacent player enabling specialty coffee in alternative formats.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Small Planes Coffee social profiles
Digital presenceSmall Planes Coffee financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Small Planes Coffee leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Small Planes Coffee funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Small Planes Coffee M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Small Planes Coffee
What does Small Planes Coffee do?
Small Planes Coffee is a specialty coffee roastery that freshly roasts single-origin and blended whole bean coffees to order for direct-to-consumer e-commerce, recurring subscriptions, and wholesale distribution to cafés, bakeries, and retail markets. The company also retails specialty brewing equipment (pour-over drippers, scales, filters, drinkware) and co-produces freeze-dried instant coffee with Swift Cup, donating proceeds from surplus inventory through the Odds & Ends program to World Central Kitchen.
Is Small Planes Coffee a public or private company?
Small Planes Coffee is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Small Planes Coffee founded?
Small Planes Coffee was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Small Planes Coffee based?
Small Planes Coffee is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Small Planes Coffee make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Direct Coffee Sales (E-commerce) is the primary driver. The others are coffee Subscriptions, instant Coffee (Swift Cup Collaboration), wholesale (B2B), merchandise Sales and odds & Ends Donation Program.
Who are Small Planes Coffee's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Verve Coffee Roasters, Peregrine Espresso, Counter Culture Coffee, Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters and Onyx Coffee Lab. Broad incumbents are Blue Bottle Coffee, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Intelligentsia Coffee and La Colombe Coffee Roasters. Swift Cup Coffee is listed as an others.
Does Small Planes Coffee have an API?
No public API is recorded for Small Planes Coffee.
What industry is Small Planes Coffee in?
Small Planes Coffee's product category is Specialty Coffee Roastery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFADAD, Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing, with a secondary code of THAFADAA, Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave). Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 2080.