Union Coffee Company

What Union Coffee Company does

Union Coffee Co. is a privately held specialty coffee roaster and single-location café operator headquartered at 42 South Street, Milford, New Hampshire, founded in 2014 by Derek Fimbel. The company roasts single-origin and signature blend coffees (Union Standard, E.D.C., Northbound, Two-Stroke Espresso, Mixtape, Flatlander Decaf) weekly in-house on state-of-the-art equipment, with quality control enforced through weekly cuppings conducted by an on-staff Q-grader (David Cianci, who joined as Owner/Roast Wizard in 2017 after Peace Corps agricultural service). Its core technology stack is operational rather than digital — comprising roasting hardware, roast profiling protocols, and a Shopify-hosted e-commerce storefront (shop.unioncoffeeco.myshopify.com) — with no proprietary AI/ML or software platform disclosed.

The business operates three go-to-market motions in parallel. Direct-to-consumer sales flow through the Milford café (espresso, drip, food, beer and wine) and online retail with biweekly subscription tiers ranging from $18 to $27 per month. Wholesale distribution supplies Whole Foods Markets across New England, plus a regional network of independent cafés (CoHo, Local Moose Café, Riverhouse Café), restaurants, offices, retail stockists (Lull Farmstand in Milford and Hollis, Moulton's Market in Amherst), and corporate accounts (Sig Sauer Experience Center). A third motion is event-driven community engagement — regular live music, open mics, comedy nights, and brewery collaborations (Stoneface Brewing Co.) that monetize through $5 suggested donation covers and venue bookings.

Revenue is generated through six streams: in-café sales, DTC online coffee retail, recurring subscriptions, wholesale coffee supply, branded apparel/merchandise ($15–$40 per item), and events/venue revenue. Pricing is mid-tier specialty ($10–$18 per retail bag, $3 local delivery with free over $35 or for subscribers). The company added the Northbound Steeped Coffee product line (nitro-packed single-serve compostable packets) in March 2020 as part of a COVID-19-driven pivot that included e-commerce expansion, nationwide shipping, and free local delivery within a 10-mile radius of the café. Customer segments span specialty coffee enthusiasts, local Milford community members, B2B wholesale partners, and music/event attendees.

Name

Union Coffee Company

Legal name

Union Coffee Co.

Website

https://unioncoffee.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

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

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Beverages (2080)

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 Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing (AFAFADAD)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Coffee subscriptions
• Wholesale coffee supply
• Single-origin coffee
• Cafe and roastery

Headquarters

HQ city

Milford

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, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Café Sales: In-person sales at the Milford café including espresso drinks, drip coffee, food items, and beer/wine. The café serves as the primary hub for community engagement and brand building.
2. Online Coffee Retail: Direct-to-consumer online sales of whole bean coffee, subscriptions, and apparel through their e-commerce platform. Ships nationwide with competitive pricing.
3. Wholesale Coffee: B2B sales to coffee shops, restaurants, offices, and businesses. Includes regular delivery service, equipment discounts, training, and custom packaging options.
4. Coffee Subscriptions: Recurring subscription products including E.D.C. Coffee Subscription (from $18/month), Union Standard Coffee Subscription (from $27/month), and Northbound Coffee Subscription with biweekly deliveries.
5. Merchandise & Apparel: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, hats, and accessories through both online store and café.
6. Events & Venue: Revenue from concert covers ($5 suggested donation), venue bookings, and special event partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Union Coffee Co. is a specialty coffee roaster and café operator that sources single-origin beans, roasts them weekly in-house on state-of-the-art equipment, and sells the coffee through its Milford, NH café, an online e-commerce store (with subscriptions), and a wholesale distribution program serving coffee shops, restaurants, offices, and retail stores across New England.

Product overview

Union Coffee Co. is a specialty coffee roaster and café operator based in Milford, New Hampshire. The company operates a single café location and roasts coffee in-house, offering single-origin beans, signature blends (Union Standard, E.D.C., Northbound, Two-Stroke Espresso, Mixtape, Flatlander Decaf), and limited Select Series releases featuring artist-designed labels. Their product portfolio includes retail coffee for online purchase with subscription options, single-serve steep-able coffee packets, café food and beverages including beer and wine, wholesale coffee programs for businesses, and branded merchandise. The company also features monthly guest roasts from partner New England roasters alongside their own offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single-Origin Coffees Carefully sourced single-origin coffee beans, roasted weekly in-house on state-of-the-art equipment, available through the online store as retail bags. Targeted at home brewing coffee enthusiasts seeking fresh, traceable specialty coffee.
• Union Standard Blend House signature medium roast blend served as Union's core standard offering, available for one-time purchase or as a biweekly subscription from $27/month.
• Every Day Carry (E.D.C.) Coffee Approachable everyday single-origin coffee priced at $11 for a retail bag, available for one-time purchase or as a biweekly subscription from $18/month.
• Northbound Dark Roast Dark roast coffee option available for one-time purchase or as a biweekly subscription from $27/month.
• Two-Stroke Espresso Espresso blend designed for espresso-based drinks, used in the Milford café and available through wholesale channels.
• Mixtape 033 Light Roast Light roast single-origin coffee offering priced at $18, part of Union's core retail product lineup.
• Flatlander Medium Roast Decaf Decaffeinated medium roast coffee priced at $17, offered as part of the core retail lineup.
• Northbound Steeped Coffee Single-serve steep-able coffee packets (tea-bag format) that are nitro-packed to retain freshness for months and packaged in compostable material. Sold as a 10-count box for $16.
• Select Series Premium small-batch coffees featuring artwork from independent local illustrators on each label, such as the Rwanda release illustrated by Madison Safer, with 10% of proceeds donated to the artist.
• Coffee Subscriptions Recurring biweekly coffee delivery subscriptions for E.D.C., Union Standard, and Northbound coffees, starting at $18/month.
• Wholesale Coffee Program B2B wholesale coffee supply to coffee shops, restaurants, offices, and stores across New England, including regular delivery service, employee training, equipment discounts, and custom packaging options.
• Café Food & Beverages Espresso drinks, drip coffee, and food items served at the Milford, NH café location for walk-in customers.
• Craft Beer & Wine Craft beers and wines served at the Milford café, including rotating taps and seasonal selections, priced around $7 for a 12oz snifter pour.
• Apparel & Merchandise Branded clothing and merchandise including t-shirts (from $15), crew necks ($35), hoodies ($40), hats, and tank tops sold through the online store and café.
• Café e-Gift Cards Digital gift cards for the Milford café available through the Toast Tab platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Weekly in-house roasting ensures maximum freshness
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tandem Coffee Roasters (Portland, ME)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2017Tandem Coffee Roasters, founded by Will and Kathleen Pratt in 2012, serves as guest roaster for Union's monthly guest roast program, providing specialty coffees from their pursuit of super clean and sweet profiles.
• A&E Roastery (Amherst, NH)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2016A&E Roastery, led by Emeran Langmaid, serves as Union's guest roaster for monthly rotating coffees. Founded in 2001, A&E was the first USDA Certified Organic Coffee Roaster in New Hampshire.
• CoHo (Milford, NH)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal café serving Union Coffee as part of their wholesale partner program.
• Sig Sauer Experience Center (Epping, NH)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate wholesale partner serving Union Coffee at their experience center.
• Lull Farmstand (Milford, NH; Hollis, NH)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail stockist where Union Coffee products are sold at their farmstand locations.
• Moulton's Market (Amherst, NH)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail stockist selling Union Coffee products at their market location.
• Whole Foods Markets (New England)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale supplier to multiple Whole Foods Market locations throughout New England region, delivering coffee via their delivery van.
• Madison Safer (Illustrator)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal New Hampshire illustrator whose artwork features on Union's Select Series premium coffee labels. Her Rwanda coffee launch donated 10% of proceeds to the artist.
• Stoneface Brewing Co.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal brewery partnership for tap takeover events at Union Coffee Co., combining craft beer with live music.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Counter Culture Coffee: Durham, North Carolina-based specialty coffee roaster with a national wholesale training program and direct-trade sourcing ethos. Highly comparable to Union on sourcing philosophy, single-origin focus, and B2B/wholesale service model.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Oakland-origin third-wave specialty coffee roaster and café chain, now owned by a global beverage company. Mirrors Union's roastery-café model and single-origin positioning at vastly greater capital and footprint.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Philadelphia-origin specialty coffee roaster operating cafés and a national wholesale/draft latte business. Comparable third-wave roaster-café-wholesale model at much larger scale, including enterprise accounts similar to Union's Whole Foods relationship.
• Verve Coffee Roasters: Santa Cruz-origin specialty coffee roaster and café chain with a strong direct-sourcing and farmer-relationship narrative. Operates a multi-café roastery model that maps directly to Union's positioning at larger scale.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Portland, Oregon-originated specialty coffee roaster with cafés and broad wholesale distribution, now owned by a major beverage conglomerate. Stumptown operates the same roaster-plus-café-plus-wholesale playbook as Union, but at substantially greater scale.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Chicago-origin specialty coffee roaster with cafés and a national wholesale program. Highly comparable on direct-trade sourcing, Q-grader-style quality discipline, and B2B partner training.

Direct peers

• Onyx Coffee Lab: Arkansas-based specialty coffee roaster and café operator known for competition-winning roasts and direct-sourcing. Closely comparable in product and category to Union, though slightly larger in brand reach.
• Tandem Coffee Roasters: Portland, Maine-based specialty coffee roaster and café operator founded in 2012. Tandem is a direct peer in scale and category — small-batch specialty roaster with cafés — and is explicitly Union's guest-roast partner, making it a near-perfect operational and geographic comparable.
• A&E Roastery: Amherst, NH specialty coffee roaster founded in 2001 and the first USDA Certified Organic Coffee Roaster in New Hampshire. A&E is Union's guest-roast partner and a same-region roastery, making it one of the closest direct comps by both geography and operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Union-Coffee-Co-100801369961714
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/union-coffee-companymilord

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 Union Coffee Company