Pennycup Coffee Co.

What Pennycup Coffee Co. does

PennyCup Coffee Co. is a small-batch specialty coffee roaster and multi-location café operator founded in 2013 in Asheville, North Carolina, by Amber Arthur and Bill Tanner. The company roasts on a Diedrich IR-12 machine and offers a catalog of single-origin coffees from nine-plus producing countries (Ethiopia Guji, Colombia Huila, Peru Cajamarca, Nicaragua Segovia, El Salvador Santa Ana, Mexico Chiapas, Costa Rica San Antonio, Haiti Thiotte Emerald Reserve), signature blends (Railroad Espresso, Locomotive, Restoration Roast, Cardinal Half-Caff, Abbington Green, Pullman Car Decaf), and limited-edition offerings via the Coffee Curioso program. All coffee is Fair Trade Organic certified and sourced primarily through Cafe Imports with direct-trade relationships via Unblended Coffee for Colombian offerings.

The company's go-to-market is a hybrid three-channel model. DTC e-commerce at pennycupcoffeeco.com and a subscription tier (every 2 or 4 weeks, processed through the Monto.io subscription platform) sell whole-bean coffee and branded merchandise (tumblers, mugs, hats, beanies, patches, pins, totes, keychains, sweatshirts, gift cards) priced at $17-$21 for 16oz bags. Five company-owned cafés span the Asheville metro (Downtown at 39 S Market St, East at 6 Beverly Rd, North at 857 Merrimon Ave, West at 362 Depot St in the River Arts District, and Woodfin at 1 Woodfin Ave), all open 7am-6pm on weekdays with modest weekend variations. A wholesale channel supplies cafes, restaurants, hotels, and offices with custom roasts, barista training, equipment installation, and ongoing technical support, with named custom-blend partners including Biscuit Head, BattleCat Coffee Bar, Vivian, Burial Brewing Co., and Battery Park Book Exchange.

PennyCup operates as a privately held, bootstrapped, founder-owned business with no disclosed external funding, subsidiaries, or parent entity. Headcount is in the 11-50 range with named staff including co-founder/roaster Bill Tanner (Intelligentsia Coffee alumnus, in coffee since 1998), Account & Marketing Manager Morgan, and Lead Roaster Jaime. Marketing channels are limited to Instagram, an email newsletter, and content on the e-commerce site. Geographic exposure is concentrated in the Southeast US with markets-served language spanning the broader United States, signaling intent — rather than demonstrated execution — of wholesale expansion beyond Asheville.

Name

Pennycup Coffee Co.

Legal name

PennyCup Coffee Co.

Website

https://pennycupcoffeeco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PennyCup Coffee Co. is a privately held, Asheville-based small-batch specialty coffee roaster founded in 2013, operating five company-owned cafés, a DTC e-commerce and subscription channel, and a regional wholesale program supplying Fair Trade Organic coffee to cafes, restaurants, hotels, and offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roaster

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

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)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Small-batch coffee beans
• Single origin coffee
• Coffee subscription delivery
• Wholesale coffee supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Asheville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Coffee Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of whole bean coffee in 16oz, 3lb, and 5lb sizes through e-commerce website and 5 Asheville café locations.
2. Coffee Subscriptions: Recurring subscription model offering home delivery with flexible frequency options (every 2 weeks or 4 weeks) for various coffee offerings.
3. Wholesale B2B: B2B wholesale relationships with cafes, restaurants, hotels, and offices. Includes custom roasts, delivery services, barista training, and technical support.
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including tumblers, mugs, hats, beanies, patches, pins, tote bags, sweatshirts, and gift cards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

PennyCup Coffee Co. is a small-batch specialty coffee roaster that sources, roasts, and sells whole bean coffee, brewed beverages, baked goods, and branded merchandise through five Asheville cafés, an e-commerce storefront, and a home-delivery subscription service. The company also operates a wholesale program supplying cafes, restaurants, hotels, and offices with custom roasts, barista training, and equipment support.

Product overview

PennyCup Coffee Co. is a small-batch specialty coffee roaster based in Asheville, NC, founded in 2013. The company offers a portfolio of single origin coffees (Ethiopia Guji, Colombia Huila, Peru Cajamarca, Nicaragua Segovia, El Salvador Santa Ana, Mexico Chiapas, Costa Rica San Antonio, Haiti Thiotte Emerald Reserve, and BH varieties), signature blends (Sawhorse, Cardinal Half-Caff, Railroad Espresso, Locomotive, Restoration Roast, BattleCat, Vivian, Pullman Car Decaf, Abbington Green), and the limited-edition Coffee Curioso program. The company also sells merchandise including tumblers, mugs, hats, beanies, patches, pins, totes, keychains, sweatshirts, and gift cards. Services include a wholesale program for cafes and restaurants with custom roasts, barista training, and technical support, plus subscription-based home delivery. PennyCup operates five café locations throughout Asheville.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single-Origin Coffee Collection A rotating portfolio of single-origin whole bean coffees from countries including Ethiopia, Colombia, Peru, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Haiti. Sold in 16oz, 3lb, and 5lb sizes at $17-$21 per 16oz bag, targeted at home coffee enthusiasts and wholesale buyers.
• Signature Coffee Blends House blends and partner-specific blends including Sawhorse Blend, Cardinal Half-Caff, Railroad Espresso, Locomotive Blend, Restoration Roast, BattleCat Blend, Vivian Blend, Pullman Car Decaf, and Abbington Green Blend. Sold in 16oz, 3lb, and 5lb sizes; Restoration Roast donates $2 per bag to The American Chestnut Foundation.
• Coffee Subscription Service Recurring home-delivery subscription for single-origin and blended coffees with flexible delivery frequencies of every 2 weeks or every 4 weeks, priced at the same per-bag rates as retail ($17-$18 for 16oz).
• Wholesale Coffee Program B2B supply of sustainably sourced, Fair Trade Organic coffee to cafes, restaurants, hotels, breweries, and offices. Includes custom roast and blend development, barista training, equipment installation, and ongoing technical support. Minimum 10 lb for deliveries within 5 miles of the River Arts District and 20 lb beyond; free delivery in the Asheville area.
• Café Operations Five company-owned cafés in Asheville, NC: Downtown Asheville (39 S Market St), East Asheville (6 Beverly Rd), North Asheville (857 Merrimon Ave), West Asheville in the River Arts District (362 Depot St), and Woodfin (1 Woodfin Ave). Serve brewed coffee, espresso beverages, and baked goods.
• Branded Coffee Merchandise Branded goods including stainless steel tumblers (Miir-produced and Created Co.), diner mugs, beanies, dad caps, corduroy hats, trucker hats, canvas tote bags, keychains, enamel pins, patches, and sweatshirts, priced $8-$45.
• Gift Cards Physical gift cards redeemable at PennyCup cafés in Asheville, available in denominations from $10 to $100.

Quantifiable outcome

• $2 donated per bag of Restoration Roast to The American Chestnut Foundation

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Cafe ImportscoreOthersGreen coffee importer with offices in the U.S., Germany, and Australia. PennyCup imports the majority of their coffee through Cafe Imports. All coffee offerings meet Fair Trade Organic standards.
• Unblended CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirect trade partnership for sourcing exceptional coffees from Antioquia, Colombia. Provides unique, high-quality direct trade offerings.
• Biscuit HeadflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom roast development partnership. Created BH Ethiopia Yirgacheffe (bright, tangy, milk chocolate) and BH Colombia Huila (signature dark roast, rich and smoky).
• BattleCat Coffee BarflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom blend partnership - BattleCat Blend (bright, sweet, tangy). Connected to founders Amber Arthur and Bill Tanner through their relationship.
• ViviancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom blend created for Asheville's fine dining establishment serving classic European fare.
• Burial Brewing Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom roast partnership for brewery's coffee program needs.
• Battery Park Book ExchangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom roast partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BattleCat Coffee Bar: Asheville-based specialty café and roaster with which PennyCup shares a founder-network lineage and direct competitive overlap in the same local market for café traffic and wholesale accounts.
• Vicious Cycle Coffee Roasters: Local Asheville specialty roaster and café operator competing for the same DTC subscribers, café customers, and wholesale accounts within the same metropolitan market.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Durham, NC-based specialty coffee roaster with cafés, wholesale program, and direct-trade sourcing. Closest direct comparable in scale, regional roots (Southeast US), and cafe-plus-roastery hybrid model serving B2B and DTC.
• Verve Coffee Roasters: Specialty roaster operating company-owned cafés, subscription DTC, and wholesale programs with strong direct-trade positioning. Closely mirrors PennyCup's hybrid retail/wholesale model and curated single-origin narrative.
• Onyx Coffee Lab: Specialty roaster with a strong competition-focused brand, cafés, and direct-trade sourcing. Comparable in roasting craft, single-origin programming, and DTC/wholesale channel mix, though at larger scale.

Others

• Cafe Imports: Green coffee importer supplying the majority of PennyCup's beans across the U.S., Germany, and Australia. Listed as a supplier rather than competitor, but a key enabler of the company's Fair Trade Organic sourcing program and specialty lot access.

Broad incumbents

• Blue Bottle Coffee: Oakland-originated specialty roaster operating cafés and DTC subscriptions globally under Nestlé ownership. Same specialty positioning and hybrid café/e-commerce model, but with materially larger footprint and capital base.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Chicago-based specialty roaster with cafés, wholesale accounts, and direct-trade sourcing — and the company where PennyCup co-founder Bill Tanner previously worked on the production floor. Highly comparable craft and channel model at meaningfully larger scale.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Established Portland-based specialty roaster with cafés, wholesale, and DTC subscriptions, now owned by Peet's. Comparable product mix and multi-channel motion; broader geographic footprint and materially larger scale.

Regional players

• Mountain Mind Coffee: Asheville-area specialty roaster and café competitor operating in the same regional market; comparable small-batch craft positioning with overlapping customer base in Western North Carolina.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/pennycupco
• Facebookfacebook.com/pennycupcoffeeco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pennycup-coffee

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Pennycup Coffee Co.