Ingenious Coffee Roasters

What Ingenious Coffee Roasters does

Ingenious Coffee Roasters is a privately held specialty coffee roasting company founded in 2014 by Eli Ornberg in Marion, North Carolina, operating wholesale roasting operations and a retail storefront under the Ingenious Retail sub-brand at 140 South Main Street. The company roasts coffee with custom profiles tailored to varietal, region, elevation, soil, and milling process, and operates a separate flavoring facility using Kosher oil to produce more than 25 flavored varieties. Its product portfolio spans crafted house blends (e.g., Einstein Dark, Ingenious Breakfast, Tesla Blend), espresso roasts (Newton's, Franklin's), single-origin regional coffees from Central America, South America, Africa, and Indonesia, organic-certified SKUs, and direct trade coffees sourced through partnerships with Sriwijaya Coffee in Sumatra and Coto Family Farms in Honduras.

The business operates four go-to-market motions: wholesale distribution to approximately 25+ retail partners (cafes, restaurants, bakeries, and retail stores) across North Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi; a direct-to-consumer retail storefront with a full espresso bar; a corporate gifts program with custom-branded packaging from 2oz to 12-16oz bags; and a coffee fundraiser program for schools, churches, and community organizations offering 40-45% profit margins on $12-14 bags. Wholesale customers receive free espresso training, equipment optimization, and ongoing support as part of the partner relationship. Online ordering is fulfilled through a Square e-commerce site, and the company markets through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter alongside its Wix-hosted website.

Ingenious Coffee Roasters is bootstrapped and family-operated, with a team of approximately 1-10 including Eli Ornberg (Owner/Operator), Mike Ornberg (consultant and part-time barista who previously founded Crooked Door Coffee in Marion in 2001), Natasha Johnson, Jody Johnson (lead production roaster), and Asher Burgess. The company holds no patents or external funding, and certifications on its products include Rainforest Alliance and Utz Certified designations on certain single-origin SKUs.

Name

Ingenious Coffee Roasters

Legal name

Ingenious Coffee Roasters

Website

https://ingeniouscoffeeroasters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ingenious Coffee Roasters is a privately held, bootstrapped specialty coffee roaster in Marion, North Carolina, founded in 2014, serving wholesale accounts across the Southeast US plus a retail storefront, corporate gifts, and community fundraiser programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee Roasting & Grinding (AFAFADAB), Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA), Coffee Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAC)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Wholesale coffee distribution
• Direct trade coffee
• Single origin coffee beans
• Espresso bar retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Marion

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale roasted coffee to retail partners including coffee shops, restaurants, bakeries, and retail stores. Retail partners listed across multiple states (NC, GA, MS).
2. Retail Storefront Sales: In-person sales at Ingenious Coffee Retail location including whole bean coffee bags, espresso beverages, and specialty drinks prepared by professional baristas.
3. Corporate Gifts: Custom-branded packaging for corporate gift programs ranging from 2oz to 12-16oz bags. B2B sales to businesses for employee and customer appreciation.
4. Fundraiser Programs: Coffee fundraiser programs for schools, churches, and community organizations with 40-45% profit margins on $12-14 bags.
5. Direct Trade Coffee Sales: Sells direct trade coffees sourced from Sumatra, Java, Celebes, Timor, Honduras (Coto Family Farms), and other regions including single origin and specialty blends.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ingenious Coffee Roasters is a specialty coffee roaster that sources green coffee (including direct trade coffees from Sumatra, Java, Celebes, Timor, and Honduras) and roasts it at its Marion, NC facility using custom profiles for each varietal. The company sells roasted whole bean coffee, espresso roasts, flavored coffees, and single-origin regional coffees through wholesale to retail partners, its own retail storefront, online ordering, corporate gifts, and fundraiser programs.

Product overview

Ingenious Coffee Roasters is a community-based specialty coffee company in Marion, North Carolina offering a diversified portfolio centered on wholesale coffee roasting and distribution (launched 2014) plus a retail shop (opened 2020). The core offering spans crafted house blends (Einstein Dark, Pre-Edison Dark, Ingenious Breakfast, Bentz Blend, Tesla Blend, Louisiana Blend with Chicory), espresso roasts (Newton's Espresso, Franklin's Espresso), and single-origin regional coffees from Central America, South America, Africa, and Indonesia. Supplementary product lines include flavored coffees (25+ varieties using Kosher oil at a separate facility), organically sourced certified coffees, and direct trade relationships through Sriwijaya Coffee and Coto Family Farms. The company also operates Ingenious Retail, a full espresso bar and cafe with viewing access to the roasting production floor. Ancillary offerings include a corporate gifts program with custom branding and a coffee fundraiser program delivering 40-45% profit margins for organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ingenious Retail: Full retail coffee shop with espresso bar, viewing area of coffee production, and free WiFi located at 140 South Main St., Marion, NC.

Products and services

• Crafted Blends House-blended specialty coffee roasts crafted with focus on body, acidity, flavor, and finish. Includes dark blends (Einstein Dark, Pre-Edison Dark), medium blends (Ingenious Breakfast, Bentz Blend), and light blends (The Wright Blend, Tesla Blend, Louisiana Blend with Chicory). Sold to wholesale partners and retail customers.
• Espresso Roasts Specialty espresso roasts including Newton's Espresso (rich, sweet, nutty with smooth finish) and Franklin's Espresso (smooth, rich body with chocolate and nut hints), formulated for espresso-based beverages at cafe and retail partners.
• Flavored Coffee Over 25 flavored coffee varieties made with high-quality Arabica beans and Kosher oil flavoring, including Butter Pecan, Amaretto, Caramel Cream, Chocolate Cherry, Hazelnut, Irish Cream, Pumpkin Spice, and seasonal offerings like Jingle Bell Java and Winter Solstice. Flavoring is performed at a separate facility to avoid interference with roasting integrity.
• Organically Sourced Coffee Coffees grown without pesticides, chemicals, or harmful growing practices and certified organic through trusted farmers, producers, and brokers. Varieties include Mexican Chiapas, Guatemalan Ceylan (Rainforest Alliance, Utz Certified), Ethiopian Sidamo, Colombian, Bali Blue Moon, and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.
• Direct Trade Coffee Coffees sourced through direct relationships with farmers and producers, primarily from Sumatra (via Sriwijaya Coffee partnerships), West Java, Celebes, Timor, and Honduras (Coto Family Farms). Supports sustainable farming practices and community development.
• Regional Origin Coffees Single-origin coffees organized by geographic region including Central America (Guatemalan Ceylan, Costa Rica Tarrazu), South America (Colombian Supremo, Brazil Sao Francisco Peaberry), Africa (Tanzanian Ruvuma, Ethiopian Sidamo Guji, Rwanda Misozi Kopakama), Indonesia (Bali Blue Moon, Sumatra Mandheling, Sulawesi Toraja, Sumatra OrangUtan, West Java Siliwangi), and decaffeinated options.
• Corporate Gifts Program Custom-branded packaging options for corporate gifts, available in 2oz single pot bags to 12-16oz larger bags. Includes complimentary espresso training when switching roasters, equipment optimization, and ongoing support for businesses purchasing coffee for employee and customer appreciation.
• Coffee Fundraiser Program Fundraiser program for schools, churches, and community organizations offering 40-45% profit per bag on $12-$14, 12oz bags of coffee. Includes custom labeling and selection of coffee varieties.
• Ingenious Retail Retail coffee shop opened August 2020 at 140 South Main St., Marion, NC, featuring a full espresso bar, view of the roasting production process, free WiFi, and espresso and specialty beverages prepared by professional baristas. Retail hours: Monday-Friday 8am-5pm, Saturdays 8am-3pm.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40-45% profit margins on fundraiser programs ($12-14 bags)

Named customers10 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

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ruby Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster focused on craft roasting, single-origin coffees, and direct-trade relationships; comparable to Ingenious in product philosophy and small-batch wholesale approach.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Portland-origin specialty roaster with wholesale, retail cafes, and direct-trade sourcing; competes directly for wholesale accounts across the Southeast and represents the larger-scale format of Ingenious's wholesale + retail strategy.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty coffee company with strong retail/cafe presence and direct-trade sourcing; offers a comparable retail-plus-wholesale specialty coffee model, though at significantly greater scale.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Durham, NC-based specialty coffee roaster with a wholesale-driven model, direct-trade farmer relationships, and free training/support for wholesale partners — closely mirrors Ingenious's business model and operates in overlapping NC/GA wholesale accounts.
• Klatch Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster serving wholesale accounts, cafes, and direct customers with single-origin and flavored coffees; mirrors Ingenious's blend of wholesale partnerships and flavored/single-origin offerings.
• Colectivo Coffee: Specialty roaster and cafe operator with strong regional presence, wholesale distribution, and single-origin/flavored coffee programs; parallels Ingenious's wholesale-plus-retail specialty model at the regional level.
• Verve Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster combining wholesale distribution with retail cafes and direct-trade farmer relationships; offers a comparable multi-channel specialty coffee model with single-origin and signature blends.
• Onyx Coffee Lab: Specialty roaster known for competition-grade coffees, wholesale partnerships, and retail cafes with branded experiences; comparable to Ingenious in its emphasis on craft roasting and regional wholesale presence.
• Reunion Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster with wholesale distribution, retail locations, and direct-trade sourcing from origins including Sumatra; closely comparable to Ingenious's single-origin and direct-trade positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Peet's Coffee: Established national specialty coffee roaster with broad wholesale, retail, and DTC presence; represents the larger incumbent category in which Ingenious competes for specialty-conscious wholesale accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ingeniousroast
• Facebookfacebook.com/ingeniouscoffeeroasters
• Instagraminstagram.com/ingeniouscoffeeroasters

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Ingenious Coffee Roasters