black & brew
Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro operates four cafe locations in Lakeland, FL serving espresso, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and corporate catering. Founded in 2006, the founder-owned company serves general consumers, healthcare workers, and office catering clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersLakeland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What black & brew does
Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro, Inc. is a privately held, founder-owned coffee house and bistro operator incorporated in Florida and headquartered in Lakeland. Founded on February 14, 2006 by brothers Chris McArthur and Michael McArthur, the company operates four physical cafe locations across the Lakeland market: a flagship Downtown cafe in a renovated 103-year-old building, a Lake Morton cafe at the Lakeland Public Library, a Southside cafe featuring an Express Lane ordering concept, and a Lakeland Hills cafe inside the Carol Jenkins Barnett Pavilion at Lakeland Regional Health. Its product set spans espresso beverages, specialty lattes, frappes, cold brew, breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, soups, tartines, nourish bowls, and limited dinner flatbreads, with sourcing relationships anchored by local suppliers including Patriot Coffee Roasters, Born & Bread Bakehouse, Kelley's Apiary, A Cow Named MOO, and Cravory Co.
The revenue model is multi-stream and transaction-based: in-store cafe sales, online and mobile ordering through a proprietary iOS/Android app and website powered by Incentivio and ChowNow, gift card sales, third-party delivery via DoorDash, and corporate and event catering distributed through ezCater in bundled packages. Pricing is unit-based across all categories, with espresso drinks ranging from $2.75 to $7.05, breakfast sandwiches around $6.55-$6.95, and catering bundles priced from $57 (sandwich bundle for 5) up to $164 (sandwich and salad bundle for 10). The customer base is deliberately diversified across general consumers (runners, students, community groups), healthcare workers at the Lakeland Hills facility, and corporate catering clients. No public revenue is disclosed.
Distributionally, the company is heavily concentrated in Lakeland, FL and has expanded its physical footprint at a cadence of roughly one new location every 2-4 years since 2006, most recently opening the Lakeland Hills healthcare-vertical location in 2023 and a Southside store in January 2023. Marketing is community-led through Facebook, Instagram, a content blog, an email newsletter with a 15% first-order coupon, and event participation including a Saturday Morning Fun Run running for 7+ years. The technology stack is modest: WordPress for content, Incentivio for ordering and gift cards, ChowNow for digital ordering, and ezCater for catering, with no public API, no AI capabilities disclosed, and no outside funding rounds.
black & brew firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- black & brew
- Legal name
- Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro, Inc.
- Website
- https://blackandbrew.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro operates four cafe locations in Lakeland, FL serving espresso, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and corporate catering. Founded in 2006, the founder-owned company serves general consumers, healthcare workers, and office catering clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
black & brew industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Coffee Shop and Bistro Restaurant
- NAICS
- Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Espresso Bars & Coffee Bars (THAFADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes (THAFADAB)
Keywords
Where black & brew is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lakeland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
black & brew business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- In-Store Cafe Sales: Walk-in customer purchases at 4 cafe locations including coffee drinks, food items (breakfast, sandwiches, salads, soups, flatbreads, desserts)
- Catering Services: Corporate and event catering with bundled packages, boxed lunches, sandwich platters, and breakfast catering delivered to offices and events
- Online and Mobile Ordering: Direct online and app-based ordering for pickup or delivery through proprietary ordering system and third-party delivery partners
- Gift Cards: Gift card sales through Incentivio platform
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Coffee and Espresso Drinks |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Breakfast Items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sandwiches and Tartines |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Salads |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Dinner Flatbreads |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering Bundles |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Nourish Bowls (Southside) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
black & brew product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Black & Brew operates four coffee house and bistro locations in Lakeland, FL, serving espresso-based coffee drinks, breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, soups, flatbreads, and seasonal specialty beverages to walk-in and online customers. The company supplements its in-store business with catering services for offices and events via ezCater, online and mobile ordering through the Black & Brew app and partner platforms, and delivery through DoorDash.
Product overview
Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro is a multi-location restaurant offering espresso beverages, bistro-style food, and catering services. The company operates four cafe locations in Lakeland, FL (Downtown, Lake Morton, Southside, and Lakeland Hills) and provides online and mobile ordering through Incentivio and ChowNow, catering through ezCater, and delivery via DoorDash. Core offerings include traditional espresso drinks, specialty lattes, frappe beverages, sandwiches, salads, soups, nourish bowls, and flatbreads for dinner service.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro Multi-location coffee house and bistro in Lakeland, FL offering espresso beverages, sandwiches, salads, soups, breakfast items, and dinner options across four cafe locations.
- Online Ordering Digital ordering service allowing customers to place pickup or delivery orders through the company website and partner platforms.
- Black & Brew Mobile App Official mobile application for iOS and Android featuring the Black & Brew Rewards loyalty program, exclusive promotions, and direct online ordering for pickup or delivery.
- Catering Services Corporate and event catering featuring sandwich bundles, salad bundles, soup platters, breakfast offerings, and beverage options delivered to offices and events.
- Nourish Bowls Healthy grain bowl offerings including Florida Bowl, Chimichurri Bowl, and Mediterranean Bowl available exclusively at the Southside location.
- Flatbreads (Dinner) Flatbread dinner offerings including Black & Bleu, Chimichurri Steak, Pear Bacon & Brie, BBQ Chicken & Bacon, and Roasted Eggplant & Spinach served after 4pm at the Downtown location.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 17 years in business serving Lakeland community
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use black & brew
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
black & brew technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature2 records
black & brew partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- kidsPACKminorLocal non-profit organization fighting childhood hunger in Polk County. Since 2011, provides backpacks with weekend provisions to disadvantaged children. Black & Brew has featured kidsPACK in blog content to raise awareness and support.
- Patriot Coffee RoasterscoreLocal Lakeland coffee roaster providing small-batch roasted coffee for all Black & Brew locations. Founded by Chris McArthur who started with a hand-built cart at the Farmer's Market in March 2015, later opening commercial roastery in January 2016.
- Born & Bread BakehousecoreLocal artisan bakery providing country loaf bread for sandwiches, tartines, and toast items. Founded by Jenn Smurr after discovering passion for bread in Paris, grew from kitchen incubator to own bakery.
- Kelley's ApiaryminorLocal honey supplier providing honey for various menu items including granola bowls and specialty drinks.
- A Cow Named MOOminorLocal company supplying ice cream sandwiches featured at Black & Brew locations.
- Cravory CominorLocal supplier providing macarons for Black & Brew dessert offerings.
- ezCatercoreOnline catering platform enabling corporate and event catering orders from Black & Brew for delivery to offices and events.
- DoorDashminorThird-party delivery service partner for food delivery orders to customers.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights5 records
black & brew competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Foxtail Coffee: Florida-based specialty coffee chain operating multiple cafe locations across the state with similar espresso-forward menus and local community positioning. Closest comparable independent coffee chain operating in Florida markets.
- Scooter's Coffee: Multi-unit specialty coffee drive-thru and cafe franchise offering espresso drinks, pastries, and breakfast items at similar price points to Black & Brew with comparable operating model and target customer.
- Black Rock Coffee Bar: Multi-unit specialty coffee chain with espresso-forward menu, premium drink offerings, and community-positioning similar to Black & Brew. Demonstrates a comparable regional multi-location growth playbook.
Broad incumbents
- Starbucks: Largest global coffee chain with broad espresso and food menu. Operates numerous locations throughout Florida including Lakeland area and represents the dominant competitive benchmark for any local coffee chain.
- Dunkin': National coffee and breakfast chain with high Florida drive-thru density. Competes directly with Black & Brew on coffee drinks and breakfast items at lower price points.
- Panera Bread: National cafe-bakery chain combining coffee and full bistro fare similar to Black & Brew's all-day breakfast/lunch/dinner model. Comparable on menu breadth, catering services, and loyalty program.
Emerging players
- 7 Brew Coffee: Rapidly expanding drive-thru-focused specialty coffee chain expanding aggressively across the Southeast US. Represents a fast-growing emerging competitive threat in Florida markets.
Regional players
- PJ's Coffee: New Orleans-origin specialty coffee franchise with Florida locations and similar community-driven, espresso-focused positioning. Comparable on product mix and local-cafe experience model.
Others
- Chick-fil-A: While not a direct coffee competitor, Chick-fil-A operates in the same Lakeland market with a similarly strong local community reputation, providing a comparable benchmark for independent multi-location operator economics in the region.
- Incentivio: Online ordering and gift card platform that Black & Brew uses for direct digital ordering. Functions as a technology vendor rather than competitor, but is closely tied to the company's digital revenue infrastructure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
black & brew social profiles
Digital presenceblack & brew financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
black & brew leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
black & brew funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
black & brew M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about black & brew
What does black & brew do?
Black & Brew operates four coffee house and bistro locations in Lakeland, FL, serving espresso-based coffee drinks, breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, soups, flatbreads, and seasonal specialty beverages to walk-in and online customers. The company supplements its in-store business with catering services for offices and events via ezCater, online and mobile ordering through the Black & Brew app and partner platforms, and delivery through DoorDash.
Is black & brew a public or private company?
black & brew is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was black & brew founded?
black & brew was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is black & brew based?
black & brew is headquartered in Lakeland, United States, in the North America region.
How does black & brew make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. In-Store Cafe Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services, online and Mobile Ordering and gift Cards.
Who are black & brew's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Foxtail Coffee, Scooter's Coffee and Black Rock Coffee Bar. Broad incumbents are Starbucks, Dunkin' and Panera Bread. 7 Brew Coffee is listed as an emerging player. PJ's Coffee is listed as a regional player. Others are Chick-fil-A and Incentivio.
Does black & brew have an API?
No public API is recorded for black & brew.
What industry is black & brew in?
black & brew's product category is Coffee Shop and Bistro Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFADAD, Espresso Bars & Coffee Bars, with a secondary code of THAFADAB, Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes. Its NAICS code is 722515 and its SIC code is 5812.