Kopplin's

What Kopplin's does

Kopplin's Coffee is a family-owned specialty coffee roaster based in St. Paul, Minnesota, founded in 2006 by Andrew and Amanda Kopplin. The company operated a European-style, third-wave café at 2038 Marshall Avenue for 19.5 years before closing the retail location in 2024 and pivoting to an off-site roasting model. Its core product is house-roasted coffee beans, including a signature Espresso Blend and Traditional Blend, maintained under its proprietary "GOOD TASTE" flavor profile. After the café closure, Kopplin's distributes its beans through three channels: a Square-based online store with continental US shipping, a subscription service for recurring delivery, and a wholesale network of local Minneapolis–St. Paul venues (Alma Café, Alma Provisions, and Wise Acre Eatery).

The business model is a combination of direct-to-consumer transaction fees on bean sales, recurring subscription revenue, and B2B wholesale supply to a small set of local partner businesses. Kopplin's is well known for its 2015 decision to eliminate tipping and raise barista wages to $12.50/hour, funded by an approximate 20% price increase, which produced staff retention averaging 2 years versus the industry norm. The company's marketing is built on earned media (Travel+Leisure's "America's Coolest Coffeehouses," plus coverage in MPR, Good Magazine, Think Progress, CBS Minnesota, Minnesota Monthly, and Food & Wine) and an email newsletter, with no paid acquisition or sophisticated digital funnel mentioned. The company remains privately held, bootstrapped, and family-operated with no external funding, no parent's company, and a small headcount of 6–9 depending on the source.

Name

Kopplin's

Legal name

Kopplin's Coffee

Website

https://kopplinscoffee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kopplin's Coffee is a family-owned specialty coffee roaster in St. Paul, Minnesota that home-roasts and sells craft beans DTC online, via subscription, and through a small set of Minneapolis–St. Paul wholesale partners, following the 2024 closure of its 19.5-year-old café.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• House-roasted coffee beans
• Coffee subscription service
• Wholesale coffee supply
• Third-wave coffee roaster

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Paul

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, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct Bean Sales: Direct sale of roasted coffee beans to consumers through online store with shipping throughout continental US and local neighborhood delivery
2. Coffee Subscriptions: Recurring subscription service for regular delivery of beans to customers
3. Wholesale to Partners: B2B wholesale supply of coffee beans to local partner cafes and restaurants including Alma Café, Alma Provisions, and Wise Acre Eatery

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kopplin's is a family-run specialty coffee roaster in Saint Paul, Minnesota that house-roasts coffee beans — including a signature Espresso Blend and Traditional Blend — and sells them through its own online store, subscription service, and local wholesale accounts with partner cafes and restaurants. After closing its retail café in 2024 after 19.5 years of operation, the company continues to roast off-site while maintaining its direct-to-consumer and wholesale channels.

Product overview

Kopplin's Coffee is a family-run specialty coffee business that evolved from a traditional European-style café (now closed) into a focused roasting operation. The company offers house-roasted coffee beans with their signature GOOD TASTE flavor profile through multiple channels: an online store for direct consumer purchases with continental US shipping, a subscription service for recurring deliveries, and a neighborhood delivery service for local customers. Their product lineup includes signature blends (Espresso Blend and Traditional Blend) sold through wholesale partner locations. The business operates on a no-tipping model, having raised employee wages and baked fair compensation into their pricing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• House-Roasted Coffee Beans

Quantifiable outcome

• Staff retention averaging 2 years, described as 'pretty high for coffee shops'

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Alma CafécoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal Minneapolis café serving Kopplin's Espresso Blend. Located at 528 University Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55414.
• Alma ProvisionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal Minneapolis provisions store stocking Kopplin's Espresso Blend. Located at 812 W. 46th St., Minneapolis, MN 55419.
• Wise Acre EaterycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal Minneapolis eatery serving Kopplin's Traditional Blend. Located at 5401 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Intelligentsia Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster known for direct trade sourcing and third-wave positioning, with wholesale, DTC, and café operations in select cities. Closely matches Kopplin's blend-led lineup and emphasis on craft roasting.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster with nationwide wholesale distribution, DTC e-commerce, and subscription program. Highly comparable third-wave roasting model, similar customer segments (specialty cafés and home enthusiasts), and similar product positioning around quality and education.
• Onyx Coffee Lab: Award-winning specialty roaster with strong DTC and subscription channels and selective wholesale. Comparable focus on flavor profile development and craft positioning, with active competition in specialty competitions.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster with national DTC, subscription, wholesale, and café footprint. Comparable product lineup (espresso blends, single origins) and overlapping customer base in premium home brewing and foodservice.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Pioneer of third-wave specialty coffee with strong wholesale, DTC, and subscription businesses. Comparable product mix (signature blends, single origins) and direct competition in the same premium home-brewer segment.
• Verve Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster with DTC e-commerce, subscriptions, and wholesale accounts across the US. Comparable artisan branding and target customer of premium home enthusiasts.

Broad incumbents

• Caribou Coffee: Minnesota-founded coffee company with strong Midwest brand recognition, retail cafés, and grocery packaged coffee. Overlaps with Kopplin's geographic home market and competes for the same Minnesota specialty and mainstream coffee consumers.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Nestlé-owned specialty coffee company with national wholesale, DTC, subscription, and large café footprint. Significantly larger and broader portfolio but directly competes for the same premium home-brewer and specialty-café customer.

Regional players

• Colectivo Coffee: Milwaukee-based specialty roaster and café operator with strong Midwest wholesale and retail presence. Comparable roast-to-wholesale model and direct competition for Minneapolis–St. Paul wholesale accounts.
• Ruby Coffee Roasters: Wisconsin-based specialty roaster with Midwest wholesale accounts and DTC. Geographically proximate to Kopplin's Upper Midwest wholesale territory and overlapping customer base of Midwestern specialty cafés.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kopplin's

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Kopplin's