Marley Coffee
Marley Coffee is a privately held, Fairtrade Certified coffee brand founded by Rohan Marley, offering five sustainably sourced blends in whole bean, ground, and single-serve formats through retail distribution in Canada and the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Marley Coffee does
Marley Coffee is a privately held, family-owned Fairtrade Certified coffee brand founded by Rohan Marley, son of Bob Marley, after his visit to a farm in Ethiopia inspired the venture. The company operates a portfolio of five coffee blends — Get Up, Stand Up (light roast), One Love (100% Ethiopian medium roast), Buffalo Soldier (medium-dark roast), Lively Up (dark roast), and Simmer Down (medium roast decaf) — sold in whole bean, ground, and single-serve capsule formats (12 and 24-count packs). The EcoCup® pod design is positioned as a recyclable single-serve solution, and the Simmer Down decaf is processed using the Swiss Water® chemical-free decaffeination method.
The business model is straightforward physical-goods retail: coffee is sold through third-party retail stores in Canada and the United States, supported by a bilingual (English/French) website with a "Where to Buy" locator and a contact form segmented by country. No direct-to-consumer e-commerce, pricing, or subscription offering is disclosed on the website. Revenue is therefore a function of wholesale sell-through to retail partners, with no disclosed subscription, licensing, or service revenue beyond product sales.
The company's strategic positioning is built around three pillars: the Bob Marley cultural brand and family legacy, Fairtrade-certified ethical sourcing, and sustainability partnerships, most notably with One Tree Planted, under which trees are planted for every purchase across North America, South America, Asia, and Africa. There is no disclosed institutional ownership, venture capital, or public listing, and the company operates as a small, independent brand rooted in the Marley family's cultural heritage.
Marley Coffee firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Marley Coffee
- Website
- https://marleycoffee.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Marley Coffee is a privately held, Fairtrade Certified coffee brand founded by Rohan Marley, offering five sustainably sourced blends in whole bean, ground, and single-serve formats through retail distribution in Canada and the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Marley Coffee industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Coffee Roasting & Grinding (AFAFADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Coffee Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAC)
Keywords
Where Marley Coffee is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Marley Coffee business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel
Revenue model
- Coffee Product Sales: Sale of roasted coffee products in multiple formats including whole bean, ground, and single-serve capsules (K-Cups) in 12 and 24-count packages across five distinct blends.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels1 record
Marley Coffee product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Marley Coffee is a specialty coffee brand that roasts, packages, and sells ethically-sourced coffee in formats including whole bean, ground coffee, single-serve EcoCup® pods, and Ready-to-Drink iced coffee. Its portfolio includes five signature blends and Swiss Water Process decaf options aimed at retail consumers and foodservice customers in North America.
Product overview
Marley Coffee is a Fairtrade Certified coffee brand offering five distinct coffee blends: Get Up, Stand Up (light roast), One Love (100% Ethiopian medium roast), Buffalo Soldier (medium-dark roast), Lively Up (dark roast), and Simmer Down (Swiss Water decaf medium roast). Products are available in whole bean, ground, and single-serve capsule formats (12 & 24-count). The brand is rooted in Bob Marley's legacy and emphasizes sustainability, ethical farming, and reforestation partnerships.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Marley Coffee Blends (One Love, Coffee Hooligan, Lively Up!, Buffalo Soldier, Mystic Symbol)
Quantifiable outcome
- Trees planted in North America, South America, Asia, and Africa
Companies that use Marley Coffee
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Marley Coffee technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Marley Coffee partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- One Tree PlantedcoreMarley Coffee partners with One Tree Planted, a non-profit reforestation organization. For every purchase of Marley Coffee products, trees are planted around the world supporting global reforestation efforts in North America, South America, Asia, and Africa.
- Swiss Water®coreSwiss Water Process is used for the Simmer Down decaf blend, employing a 100% chemical-free, gentle caffeine removal method that maintains coffee flavor quality. The partnership enables Marley Coffee to offer premium decaf using a natural process.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Marley Coffee competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Café Britt: Specialty coffee roaster combining origin storytelling with sustainability and a heritage/brand narrative, selling whole bean and ground coffee to retail and DTC. Comparable in leveraging brand-story and origin positioning to compete against larger coffee incumbents.
- Kicking Horse Coffee: Canadian Fairtrade and organic certified specialty coffee roaster offering whole bean, ground, and K-Cup formats. Comparable as a values-led, sustainability-positioned competitor with overlapping Canada/U.S. distribution and similar SKU architecture.
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster offering whole bean, ground, and proprietary single-serve (Hair Bender) capsules with sustainability sourcing. Comparable as a craft-positioned multi-format competitor with broader product line and stronger foodservice presence.
- Ethical Bean Coffee: Canadian Fairtrade-certified specialty coffee roaster selling whole bean, ground, and single-serve pods. Highly comparable as a values-driven, Canada-headquartered competitor in the same retail channels and sustainability positioning.
- Death Wish Coffee: U.S.-based specialty coffee roaster offering whole bean, ground, and single-serve capsules with a strong brand-story positioning. Directly comparable as a small-to-mid-sized independent brand competing on differentiation rather than scale in the U.S. coffee market.
Broad incumbents
- Peet's Coffee: Large specialty coffee roaster owned by JAB Holding, offering whole bean, ground, and K-Cup pods across multiple roast profiles. Comparable as a much larger specialty incumbent competing for the same conscious-consumer premium coffee segment.
- Lavazza: Global Italian coffee company offering espresso, whole bean, ground, and capsule formats with sustainability programs. Comparable as a broad international incumbent in roasted/blended coffee and single-serve pods with sustainability positioning.
- Green Mountain Coffee Roasters: Major specialty coffee brand owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, focused on Fairtrade and sustainably sourced single-serve and ground coffee. Comparable as a dominant incumbent in the same Fairtrade-certified, single-serve capsule category where Marley Coffee competes.
Others
- Coffee Holding Company: U.S. wholesale coffee roaster and supplier providing private-label and branded roasted coffee. Comparable as a B2B-side participant in the same roasted coffee manufacturing space and a potential contract-manufacturing peer.
- One Tree Planted: Non-profit reforestation organization partnered with Marley Coffee. Included as an ecosystem/strategic-partner peer that defines the brand's ESG narrative and offers a model for similar impact-aligned CPG partnerships.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Marley Coffee social profiles
Digital presenceMarley Coffee compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Marley Coffee financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Marley Coffee leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Marley Coffee funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Marley 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 Marley Coffee
What does Marley Coffee do?
Marley Coffee is a specialty coffee brand that roasts, packages, and sells ethically-sourced coffee in formats including whole bean, ground coffee, single-serve EcoCup® pods, and Ready-to-Drink iced coffee. Its portfolio includes five signature blends and Swiss Water Process decaf options aimed at retail consumers and foodservice customers in North America.
Is Marley Coffee a public or private company?
Marley Coffee is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Marley Coffee founded?
Marley Coffee was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Marley Coffee based?
Marley Coffee is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does Marley Coffee make money?
One revenue line is on record: coffee Product Sales.
Who are Marley Coffee's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Café Britt, Kicking Horse Coffee, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Ethical Bean Coffee and Death Wish Coffee. Broad incumbents are Peet's Coffee, Lavazza and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Others are Coffee Holding Company and One Tree Planted.
Does Marley Coffee have an API?
No public API is recorded for Marley Coffee.
What industry is Marley Coffee in?
Marley Coffee's product category is Specialty Coffee. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFADAB, Coffee Roasting & Grinding, with a secondary code of AFAFADAC, Coffee Blending & Flavoring. Its NAICS code is 31192 and its SIC code is 2080.