Coffee News

What Coffee News does

Coffee News South Mississippi is a locally owned franchise publisher operating the Coffee News brand across the Mississippi Gulf Coast since 1997 under current ownership since 2018. The company produces a free weekly print publication featuring family-friendly editorial content (jokes, trivia, horoscopes, local stories, community events) distributed to 200+ pickup locations including restaurants, coffee shops, waiting rooms, doctors' offices, auto shops, gyms, and hotels across Ocean Springs, Biloxi, Gulfport, D'Iberville, and surrounding areas, reaching approximately 10,000 weekly readers. The business sells category-exclusive advertising space to local SMBs on weekly subscription terms at $39/week for print, $49/week for print-plus-online bundles, and $15/week for online-only placements. A Digital Edition was launched in August 2026 at coffeenews228.com, reaching 12,400+ monthly readers and incorporating an AI-powered copywriting tool that generates ad copy in the publication's signature tone.

The underlying technology stack combines traditional print publishing workflows with a digital edition platform and an AI-assisted ad copy generation capability (text modality). Distribution is omnichannel: physical pickup locations form the print backbone, while the digital edition extends reach beyond restaurant distribution points. The go-to-market motion is direct sales-led, driven by phone outreach, category availability checks, and a referral program targeting AmSpirit members, chambers of commerce, current advertisers, and community partners. The publisher, Brian, operates the territory as a veteran-owned business and VetFran member. The Coffee News parent brand was founded in 1988 and has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as the No. 1 weekly publication in the advertising services category since 2002.

Revenue mechanics are subscription-recurring at weekly billing cadence, with category exclusivity (one business per type per issue) functioning as both a scarcity-driven pricing lever and a switching-cost mechanism. Primary customer segments are timing-sensitive local SMBs — home services, insurance, real estate, mortgage/financial, health and wellness, senior services, local retail, and personal services — where the value proposition is repeated weekly exposure in captive-audience venues. No external funding, acquisitions, or institutional investment is disclosed; the entity is privately held as a single-territory franchise operation with 1-10 employees.

Name

Coffee News

Legal name

Coffee News South Mississippi

Website

https://www.coffeenewsms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Coffee News South Mississippi is a locally owned franchise publisher of a free weekly print and digital publication distributed across 200+ Gulf Coast pickup locations, selling category-exclusive weekly advertising subscriptions starting at $39/week to local SMBs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Print Advertising

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)

Keywords

• Local print advertising
• Weekly community publication
• Small business advertising
• Digital ad placement
• Franchise publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ocean Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Print Advertising: Weekly advertising placed on front or back cover of the print publication. Sold on subscription basis with weekly billing. Category exclusivity ensures only one business per type appears in each issue.
2. Digital/Online Advertising: Online edition advertising with AI-powered copywriting included. Lower price point tier reaching readers beyond restaurant locations.
3. Sponsored Content Features: Sponsored sections throughout the publication including community events, horoscopes, trivia, and spotlights. Businesses sponsor specific sections for brand visibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Coffee News South Mississippi publishes a free weekly print publication distributed across restaurants, coffee shops, and waiting rooms on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, featuring family-friendly content (jokes, trivia, horoscopes, local events) alongside paid local business advertising. The company sells advertising placements on a weekly subscription basis with category exclusivity (one business per type per issue) and recently launched a Digital Edition with AI-powered ad copywriting.

Product overview

Coffee News South Mississippi is a local weekly publication franchise offering both print and digital advertising products. The core product is the Print Edition (free weekly publication distributed to ~200 restaurants and coffee shops across the Gulf Coast since 1997), complemented by three advertising tiers: Print Edition ($39/week), Print + Online ($49/week), and Online/Digital Edition ($15/week). The recently launched Digital Edition extends reach to 12,400+ monthly online readers with AI-powered ad copywriting. All advertising products feature category exclusivity (one business per category per issue) with front/back page placement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Print Edition Advertising Weekly print advertising placement in the Coffee News South Mississippi publication, including front or back cover placement, category exclusivity (one business per category), free ad design, and the ability to change ad messaging weekly. Starting at $39/week with weekly billing.
• Print + Online Advertising Package Combined print and digital advertising package offering print edition placement plus online Digital Edition presence for maximum reach across both physical and digital channels. Priced at $49/week as the best-value bundle tier.
• Online Edition Advertising Digital advertising placement in the online Digital Edition published at coffeenews228.com, reaching 12,400+ monthly online readers. Starting at $15/week for businesses focused on digital reach with AI-powered ad copy.
• Digital Edition The online version of Coffee News Mississippi's weekly publication, reaching 12,400+ monthly readers. Features AI-powered ad copywriting, exclusive category placements, and digital-only reach beyond restaurant distribution. Includes family-friendly content alongside local business advertising.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~10,000 weekly readers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Valpak: Valpak operates the iconic blue envelope of local coupons and small-business advertising mailed to households. It is the closest direct peer to Coffee News in selling affordable, repeatable local advertising to SMBs, with a similar SMB advertiser base (home services, dental, restaurants) and recurring-revenue model.
• Money Mailer: Money Mailer is a franchise-based direct-mail advertising mailer targeting local SMBs with coupons and branded ads. Comparable to Coffee News in its franchise distribution model, SMB advertiser target, and recurring weekly/monthly subscription revenue.
• Clipper Magazine: Clipper Magazine is a direct-mail coupon magazine advertising local businesses. It competes in the same category-exclusivity SMB advertising space as Coffee News, with shared advertiser segments (home, auto, health, retail) and a similar subscription-style revenue model.
• Thrifty Nickel Want Ads: Thrifty Nickel is a long-running free weekly print classifieds and local advertising publication distributed in racks across local communities. It overlaps directly with Coffee News on free weekly print, SMB advertising, and rack-style pickup distribution.
• Pennysaver: Pennysaver publishes free weekly print shopping guides filled with local business ads and coupons, distributed at retail pickup points. Comparable to Coffee News on free weekly print, local SMB advertising, and rack-distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• ADVO (Valassis): Valassis/ADVO is a major direct-mail and shopper marketing company offering shared-mail advertising products to national and local SMBs. It is a broader incumbent in the same local advertising-services category where Coffee News competes, but operates at scale across the US rather than a single local territory.
• Google Local Services Ads: Google Local Services Ads is Google's pay-per-lead advertising product for home services, legal, and healthcare SMBs. It competes directly with Coffee News for the same advertiser segments with measurable, intent-based digital targeting at scale.
• Angi (formerly Angie's List): Angi is a leading digital marketplace and advertising platform for home services professionals. It competes with Coffee News for Home Services SMB ad spend with measurable lead generation rather than passive print exposure.
• Yelp Advertising: Yelp sells local business advertising to SMBs across categories that overlap with Coffee News (restaurants, personal services, healthcare). It is a broader incumbent in digital local advertising with measurable conversion attribution that print cannot match.

Emerging players

• Nextdoor: Nextdoor is a neighborhood-focused social platform that sells local business advertising to the same SMB categories as Coffee News (home services, real estate, healthcare). It is an emerging digital competitor for local SMB ad budgets, with stronger targeting and measurement than print.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CoffeeNewsInternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coffee-news

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Coffee News