What Rosetta Roastery does

Rosetta Roastery is a South African specialty coffee company founded in 2010 in Cape Town by Jono Le Feuvre, Rob Cowles, and Jeff van Aswegen (later joined by co-owner Ian Scott), operating as a privately held close corporation (Rosetta Coffee cc). The company roasts single-origin specialty coffees in small batches using precision temperature-controlled drum roasting, and selects lots via a rigorous blind cupping process evaluating 150+ coffees annually. Sourcing is conducted through transparent partnerships with Nordic Approach and Origin Coffee Lab, with traceability extending to cooperatives serving 300-4,000+ smallholder farmers across Peru, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Brazil, and Indonesia.

The business operates a hybrid distribution model combining a Shopify-powered national e-commerce storefront, five owned cafe/brew bar locations in Cape Town (Bree Street, Claremont, BlackBrick Gardens, and a Saturday Silo District Waterfront pop-up), wholesale supply to hospitality venues with full onboarding (auditing, training, equipment advice, weekly cuppings), and recurring subscription deliveries for homes and workplaces. The product portfolio spans single-origin coffees in Classic and Progressive roast styles, premium brewing equipment (Aeropress, Chemex, Hario, Baratza, MiiR, KINTO, Origami), compostable Nespresso-compatible capsules and drip sachets via a 4WKS partnership, and gift cards. Coffees are priced at R250-R480 per 250g bag, subscriptions from R448/month (home) and R809/month (workplace).

Rosetta has won The Coffee Magazine's South African Coffee Roastery of the Year award three times (2018, 2019, 2023). The company employs 9 people, has no external institutional funding, operates exclusively in South Africa, and generates revenue through transactional retail, recurring subscriptions, wholesale supply, and equipment/accessory sales. Strategic emphasis is on transparent sourcing, small-batch freshness, continuous roast profile refinement, and educational content (brew guides, barista training) to grow the South African specialty coffee category.

Name

Rosetta Roastery

Legal name

Rosetta Coffee cc

Website

https://rosettaroastery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rosetta Roastery is a Cape Town-based specialty coffee roastery founded in 2010, selling single-origin coffees via e-commerce, five owned cafes, nationwide subscriptions, and wholesale supply to hospitality venues across South Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roastery

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA), Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing (AFAFADAJ), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Single origin coffee
• Coffee subscription
• Wholesale coffee supply
• Specialty cafe

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Coffee Sales: Direct sales of single-origin specialty coffee in 200g and 250g bags through e-commerce and cafes. Prices range from R250-R480 per bag. Product categories include Classic and Progressive roast styles.
2. Subscription Services: Monthly recurring coffee subscriptions for home and workplace. Home subscriptions from R448/month for 2x250g bags. Workplace subscriptions from R809/month. Customers save up to 19% vs retail pricing. Subscriptions dispatched on first Friday of each month.
3. Wholesale Coffee Supply: B2B coffee supply and service programs for restaurants and cafes. Includes initial auditing, equipment advice, staff training, and ongoing quality support. Pricing structured per client engagement.
4. Equipment and Accessories: Sale of coffee brewing equipment including Aeropress, Chemex, Hario V60, Baratza grinders, KINTO products, Origami drippers, MiiR items, and accessories. Prices from R55-R7950.
5. Gift Vouchers: Digital and physical gift vouchers for cafe and online purchases. Cafe gift cards from R50-R5000. Webshop gift cards available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rosetta Roastery is a Cape Town-based specialty coffee roastery that sources, roasts, and sells single-origin coffees through a Shopify e-commerce store, five owned cafe/brew bar locations in Cape Town, and a wholesale program serving hospitality businesses. Operations include precision small-batch drum roasting, blind cupping-based lot selection from 150+ coffees annually, and subscriptions for home and workplace coffee delivery nationwide across South Africa.

Product overview

Rosetta Roastery is a specialty coffee company operating as both a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform and a network of physical cafe locations in Cape Town, South Africa. The product portfolio centers on single-origin specialty coffees (roasted in Classic and Progressive styles) sold alongside premium brewing equipment and accessories, supplemented by subscription services and gift products. Core offerings include: single-origin coffees from Ethiopia, Kenya, Peru, Brazil, Rwanda, and Indonesia with detailed traceability information; brewing equipment including Aeropress, Baratza grinders, Chemex brewers, Hario V60 drippers, Origami pour-over drippers, KINTO travel ware, and MiiR storage containers; compostable coffee capsules and drip sachets for convenient brewing; home and workplace coffee subscription services; and cafe/webshop gift cards. The company operates three retail cafe locations in Cape Town and provides wholesale services for restaurants and offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single-Origin Coffee Range

Quantifiable outcome

• Save up to 19% with subscription services vs retail pricing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 4WKScoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with 4WKS to produce 100% compostable drip coffee sachets. Each sachet contains 12.5g of freshly roasted coffee for 200ml brew. No equipment needed - tear, hang, and pour. Partnership enables accessible filter coffee experiences for travel and convenience.
• 4WKScoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for Nespresso machine compatible capsules that are 100% compostable. Each capsule yields approximately 30ml using the 'short' button. Partnership enables convenient home brewing compatible with popular coffee systems.
• Origin Coffee LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSourcing partner for Peruvian coffees. Origin Coffee Lab focuses on long-term producer relationships, transparent sourcing, and supporting smallholder microlot production. Enables access to exceptional Peruvian single-origin coffees like La Chirimoya from Victoria Ramos and Ulises Neyra.
• Nordic ApproachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSourcing partner for specialty coffees from origin countries. Nordic Approach facilitates transparent sourcing relationships and helps calculate production costs for fair pricing. Partnership enables access to Peruvian collectives and other origin microlots.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform powering the Rosetta Roastery online store. Provides online storefront, payment processing, order management, and analytics capabilities for direct-to-consumer sales nationwide.
• Good Good GoodminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration for Rosetta Gem T-Shirt production. Handmade in Cape Town from heavyweight Southern African Cotton with ribbed neckband and Rosetta gem logo. Co-branded merchandise leveraging local artisan partnerships.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Truth Coffee: Cape Town-based specialty coffee roastery and flagship cafe. Closest direct competitor in the South African third-wave specialty coffee market, with overlapping single-origin program, multi-location cafe footprint, and similar customer base of premium coffee enthusiasts.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster with sustainability-focused sourcing, training programs, wholesale supply to cafes, and DTC subscriptions. Comparable commitment to transparency, education, and quality cupping-driven selection.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Pioneering third-wave specialty roaster with direct-trade sourcing, cafe locations, wholesale program, and subscription/DTC commerce. Highly comparable business model covering single-origin roasting, retail cafes, and B2B wholesale supply.
• Origin Coffee: South African specialty roastery with a strong direct-trade sourcing ethos and roasting operation. Comparable single-origin focus, transparent sourcing partnerships, and wholesale-to-hospitality model targeting similar cafe/restaurant customers.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Long-established third-wave specialty roaster known for direct trade, single-origin transparency, and barista training programs. Closely aligned model combining roastery, cafes, wholesale, and education.
• Verve Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster operating cafes plus wholesale and DTC channels with strong direct-trade sourcing and farm-level storytelling. Similar blend of single-origin focus, cafe retail, and brand-led premium positioning.
• Onyx Coffee Lab: Award-winning specialty roastery (multiple Sprout/Good Food Awards) competing on quality via competition-grade roasts, transparent sourcing, and boutique cafe experiences. Comparable quality-first positioning targeting enthusiast customers.
• Heart Coffee Roasters: Portland/LA-based specialty roaster operating cafes, wholesale, and DTC subscriptions with a single-origin, direct-trade focus. Highly aligned business model and customer segment to Rosetta's third-wave proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Blue Bottle Coffee: Global specialty coffee roaster and cafe operator with a single-origin, freshness-focused proposition similar to Rosetta. Operates at vastly larger scale across the US, Japan, and Korea, but competes for the same third-wave coffee enthusiast customer archetype.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster with multi-city cafe footprint, DTC e-commerce, subscriptions, and ready-to-drink product lines. Comparable product portfolio expansion (capsules, draft latte) into mainstream channels while maintaining premium positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rosettaroastery
• Instagraminstagram.com/rosettaroastery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rosetta-roastery

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Rosetta Roastery