If you are trying to open up your own coffee shop or if you have had your coffee shop for a few years, you know that you want to serve the best coffee in your area. This will help to make sure that your coffee shop business does well and is thriving. But, who knew there were so many options for coffee beans to buy? How do you decide where and what beans to buy for your coffee shop? Do not worry. There are some great wholesale distributors for whole coffee beans, and there are some great options for whole coffee beans to help your coffee shop stand out from your competition.
The top wholesale coffee bean companies are Westrock Coffee Company, Red Diamond, WebstruantStore.com, Mother Parker, Philz Coffee, Community Coffee Company, Death Wish Coffee Company, Meenaxi Enterprise INC, White’s Boots, McCullagh Coffee, Treehouse Foods Inc, Heartland Food Products Group, and C & S Coffee Roasters. These thirteen companies offer a variety of options for you to choose your whole coffee beans and other products that you may want to sell at your coffee shop. In addition, these companies can help you offer a variety of unique coffee that can help your coffee shop stand out from other coffee shops in your area.
Top Wholesale Coffee Companies
With so many options for wholesale coffee, companies that offer whole coffee beans, it can be hard to pick which will be best for your coffee shop. However, there are some things to consider when picking out which wholesale distributor to choose from.
If you wish to sell products other than coffee, choose a wholesale distributor who can accommodate as many other products as well. Teas, food, or merchandise may be other products that you can also buy through some of these wholesale distributors in this list.
You may want to consider the location of these wholesale distributors in relation to the location of your coffee shop business as well. For example, if you are located on the east coast, a wholesale distributor on the west coast may not be as good for your business since there may be delays in receiving your coffee beans and potentially could cost your business more money.
You will want to make sure your whole coffee beans and other coffee products can be shipped to you fast. You do not want to be waiting or run out of your customer’s favorite coffee because there are delays in shipments.
In addition to getting your whole coffee beans delivered to your coffee shop quicker by having a closer wholesale distributor, it may save you some money on shipping costs.
The top suppliers wholesale and private label coffee suppliers companies include:
- Westrock Coffee Company
- Red Diamond
- WebstrurantStore.com
- Mother Parkers
- Philz Coffee
- Community Coffee Company
- Death Wish Coffee Company
- Meenaxi Enterprise Inc
- McCullagh Coffee
- White’s Boots
- Treehouse Foods Inc
- Heartland Food Products Group
- C&S Coffee Roasters
Westrock Coffee Company
Westrock Coffee Company is a wholesale distributor to check into for getting coffee beans from. This company is located in Arkansas and has an estimated revenue of $351 million. They are able to create custom blends of coffee and sell to a variety of types of stores, including:
- Big box stores
- Hotels
- Restaurants
- Retailers
- Other Coffee Companies
Red Diamond
Red Diamond offers a variety of options, not just coffee beans, so if you are looking for a wholesale distributor who can provide you more than coffee beans, check them out. Red Diamond is located in Alabama and has an estimated revenue of $131.1 million. Not only do they wholesale coffee beans, but you could also purchase tea and food from them as well.
WebstruantStore.com
WebstruantStore.com is based in Pennsylvania and has an estimated annual revenue of $91.87. They offer a wide variety of coffee beans, including freeze-dried and whole coffee beans. They offer a wide variety of flavors as well for their coffee beans.
Mother Parkers
Mother Parker is another great option to choose to get coffee beans from for your coffee shop. They are located in Fort Worth, Texas, and provide whole coffee beans as well as various flavored teas and other options.
Philz Coffee
If your coffee shop is located on the west coast, then Philz Coffee is a good option to look into for coffee beans for your coffee shop. Philz Coffee is located in San Francisco, California. In addition to whole coffee beans, they offer a variety of teas, spices, and merchandise.
Community Coffee Company
The Community Coffee Company is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and has a good reputation for its variety of coffee beans and teas.
Death Wish Coffee Company
If you want to offer coffee with an extra kick of caffeine to your customers, then look into Death Wish Coffee Company. Death Wish Coffee Company is known for its high caffeine coffee. This company is located in Round Lake, New York.
Meenaxi Enterprise, Inc
Another great wholesale distributor to add to this list is Meenaxi Enterprise which is located in Edison, New Jersey. This company focuses on providing grocery products, including whole coffee beans as well as various other retail and hospitality supplies.
White’s Boots
White’s boots may be the wholesale distributor for your coffee shop to supply your whole coffee beans, especially if your coffee shop is located on the upper west coast. White’s Boots is located in Spokane, Washington. White’s Boots offers a great variety of coffee blends that you may not find at other wholesale distributors.
McCullagh Coffee
Another wholesale distributor to look into for your whole coffee beans for your coffee shop is McCullagh Coffee. They have headquarters in Buffalo, New York. They not only offer wholesale coffee beans and tea but also have creamers and sweeteners that you will need for your coffee shop.
Treehouse Foods Inc
Treehouse Foods Inc is a private label whole coffee bean distributor based out of Oak Brook, Illinois. They offer a variety of products and will give you many options to choose from for items to sell at your coffee shop.
Heartland Food Products Group
Heartland Food Products Group is located in Carmel, Indiana, and offers all kinds of whole coffee beans as well as various coffee products that you will need at your coffee shops, such as sweeteners and a great variety of coffee creamers.
C & S Coffee Roasters
C&S Coffee Roasters has headquarters in Forest Park, Illinois, and specializes in coffee wholesale, which makes them a great option to consider when looking into wholesale distributors to choose from.
How Much Money Can You Save by Buying Wholesale Coffee in Bulk?
Buying coffee beans in bulk can help to save your coffee shop money. For example, when buying coffee beans in bulk, you can purchase coffee beans in a 160 oz bag for about $89. In contrast, if you buy a 12 oz bag of coffee beans at a local grocery store, it will cost you about $8 to $10 per bag.
Therefore comparing cost per oz, the 160 oz bag of coffee beans will cost you about 56 cents per oz, whereas the smaller bag from a grocery store will cost you about 70 to 85 cents per oz.
Learn more about roasting your own beans HERE.
Coffee Origin and How it Affects Your Sales
When looking into where to buy coffee, it is important to consider the type of coffee you wish to serve. Unfortunately, not all wholesale distributors will provide all of the different types of coffee from various origins.
Coffee beans come from all over the world, and depending on the country that the coffee bean is produced in will determine the flavor of the coffee bean.
For example, Colombia coffee or Central America coffee is very popular in the United States and is used in coffee shops throughout the country. Colombia coffee beans produce a good balance of flavors and acidity. This is why they are so popular and can be purchased even in many grocery stores.
It would be beneficial to make sure that when buying coffee beans for your coffee shop that you are able to purchase Colombia coffee beans or Central America coffee beans since this may be one of the most popular types of coffee beans you sell at your coffee shop.
Another popular option for coffee beans to make sure you can purchase for your coffee shop is coffee beans from Brazil.
Many customers enjoy Brazil coffee beans since they are on the dark side. This gives Brazil coffee beans a stronger taste or an espresso taste. Brazil coffee beans have somewhat of a chocolate taste to them, which many customers enjoy.
Making sure you can purchase Brazilian coffee beans for your coffee shop will allow you to offer something unique and different to your customers, which may attract more customers than other coffee shops in your area.
If you are looking to offer a third type of coffee beans for your coffee shop, you may want to consider coffee beans from Hawaii. These coffee beans tend to be sweeter and sometimes have a milder taste than Colombian or Brazilian coffee beans do.
With so many choices of whole coffee beans for your coffee shop, it can be difficult finding a good variety and choosing which to sell. You do not want to waste money on coffee that will not sell, so it is important to find out what will be unique and bring customers to your coffee shop but still sell well so you can make money.
There are many wholesale distributors, and with so many options, it can be hard to find one that will suit your coffee shop best. However, many coffee shops across the country choose from the nine above to use as their wholesale distributor for their whole coffee beans.
Frequently Asked Questions
While coffee grounds are easier to make, they probably will not be your best option for your coffee shop. Pre-ground coffee beans tend to lose their flavor quicker than coffee beans. Coffee grounds also do not stay fresh as long as coffee beans, so while it may be time-consuming to use coffee beans over coffee grounds, it will help the quality of the coffee that you are serving.
Making sure you find good quality coffee beans are important for your coffee shop. It will help your coffee shop business stand out from your competition. Look for a variety of options that are not offered by other coffee shops in your area. Make sure you advertise these whole coffee bean options well to entice more customers to try your coffee shop coffee. This can help you to attract more customers.
To learn more on how to start your own coffee shop checkout my startup documents here
Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.
Hi! I’m Shawn Chun
My adventure in coffee began when I first launched my first coffee shop back in the early 2000s. I had to figure out so many things on my own and to make it worse within 2 years of opening two large corporate coffee chains moved in just blocks away from me!
As I saw smaller and even some larger coffee shops in the neighborhood slowly lose customers to these giant coffee chains and slowly close up shop, I knew that I had to start getting creative…or go out of business.
I (like you may be) knew the coffee industry well. I could make the best latte art around and the foam on my caps was the fluffiest you have ever seen. I even had the best state-of-the-art 2 group digital Nuova Simonelli machine money could buy. But I knew that these things alone would not be enough to lure customers away from the name brand established coffee shops.
Eventually, through lots of trial and error as well as perseverance and creativity I did find a way to not only survive but also thrive in the coffee/espresso industry even while those corporate coffee chains stayed put. During those years I learned to adapt and always faced new challenges. It was not always easy, however, in the end, I was the sole survivor independent coffee shop within a 10-mile radius of my location. Just two corporate coffee chains and I were left after that year. All told the corporate coffee chains took down over 15 small independent coffee shops and kiosks and I was the last one standing and thriving.
Along the years I meet others with the same passion for coffee and I quickly learned that it is not only “how good a barista is” that makes a coffee shop successful, but the business side of coffee as well.
Hence why I started this website you are on now. To provide the tools and resources for up and coming coffee shop owners to gain that vital insight and knowledge on how to start a coffee shop successfully.
Stick around, browse through my helpful blog and resources and enjoy your stay! With lots of LATTE LOVE!
Shawn
