14 Best Small-Batch Coffee Roasters

There are many different coffee brands available to coffee lovers, and shelves at grocery stores are absolutely lined with options. However, apart from these grocery store shelves, many small-batch coffee roasters across the country offer delightfully unique options different from grocery store shelf offerings.

We've noticed that excellent small-batch coffee roasters share a few essential characteristics. Obviously, they offer coffee that creates a fantastic cup with varying levels of flavor, strength, and unique notes. Most small-batch coffee roasters that stand out also own a commitment to coffee farmers and a strong desire to connect with customers. In short, these roasters feel driven to create personal experiences for customers that may be impossible for larger companies to accomplish.

With everything from cold brew offerings and single-origin coffees to limited edition flavors, small-batch coffee roasters create explorative and traditional catalogs to excite the most adventurous palates as well as the most simplistic.

Dubbed the "Bee Friendly Roaster," YellowBand Coffee Roasters hails from Peachtree City, Georgia. This veteran, family-owned company offers coffees with names inspired by these striped flying friends, this company's primary focus is protecting bees and offering them a home. YellowBand Coffee Roasters only partners with farms that provide bees' homes or hives right on the farm. This helps ensure that the bees are given as much safe haven as possible to protect this vital partner in the food chain. Each bag of the coffee Bee in Nature that YellowBand sells donates $2 to the Southern Conservation Trust's pollinator gardens. Moreover, a whole section on the website encourages the reuse of old grounds to help customers get the very most out of this unique coffee. According to YellowBand, you can use coffee grounds in compositing, tenderizing meat, and even in beauty regimens.

In terms of coffee, you'll find several light, medium, and dark roast options. Buzz Berry is one of the more unique options with beans from Honduras' 18 Rabbit Microlot farm. From this alliterative coffee, you'll get strawberry, cherry, and even raspberry notes. This is a great mid-day drinking treat when you can pause and enjoy this unique brew. It may remind you of sweet summertime deep on a winter's day.

For an award-winning roasting company that aims to do it all, look no further than the Greater Goods Coffee Co., 2021 winner of Roast Magazine's best micro roaster. These coffees are unique and varied, with the roasters responding to the beans rather than administering a recipe upon any coffee bean that comes along. For example, Take Me Home is a coffee with beans sourced from the Solis brothers of Costa Rica. This sweeter blend does all it can to wrap you in the warmest, tightest homey welcome with notes of honey, vanilla, toffee, and even citrus. Expect nothing less than comfort in a cup from this one.

In addition to making delicious coffee, Greater Goods Coffee Co is committed to bringing great things to their community. Greater Goods explains that each bag partners with several local organizations to strengthen the Austin community. For example, by purchasing one bag, you bring four meals to The Central Texas Food Bank, donate to The Autism Society of Central Texas, and even help save animals through Austin Pets Alive! Moreover, these roasters also bring their talents into the classroom by offering certification classes on its Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Certified Premier Training Campus.

If you're looking for a coffee company with excellent themed coffees full of flavor and intrigue, Bones Coffee Company may be an ideal place to look. These interesting coffees come in bags, single-serve cups, barrel-aged, decaf, and ready-to-drink. One of the best-selling coffees is Ruff Weather, which is an oatmeal cream pie coffee from the "The Nightmare Before Christmas" product line. 

Oh Fuuudge! is another limited flavor only usually around during the holidays. It combines delicious fudge and hazelnut to create a perfect coffee for Christmas morning. This coffee won't be around forever, but even when it's gone, more permanent options like What The Fluff?! stick around. Quite the derivation from the typical coffee flavor, this one offers a delightful berry cotton candy flavor. We recommend trying this one as a cold brew for something extra delicious. This one is so popular, in fact, it even has its own t-shirt. Since there are so many different flavors available, Bones offers sample packs and even a coffee club to help you find your favorite.

Making coffee isn't a process that many people take time to find the exact, perfect technique for, but Rogue Wave Coffee Roasters has two great passions: delicious coffee and the perfect roasting process. Taking a look at each coffee shows just how true this actually is. Daterra Full Bloom from Brazil has a unique fermentation process in which the cherries hang out on their tree for longer than usual until they reach full maturity. However, this can only happen when the weather creates a dry environment when it comes to harvesting. Many locations in the world don't allow for this because thick, moist air will harbor a fungus that messes with the coffee. After this long process, the coffee becomes sweet with a texture and feel similar to espresso. Rogue Wave recommends the pour-over coffee maker method for this one. Like other popular roasters, Rogue Wave also aims to educate its customer. Phuwadet Pasarj, a co-owner and competitive roaster, shares their unique coffee preparation recipes on the company's blog.

When it comes to roasting coffee, time brings not only experience but a deep appreciation for the craft itself. Third Coast Coffee Roasting Company has been in the roasting game for over thirty years. In that time, it's gained the know-how to become a flexible roaster that is responsive to customer wishes, even offering roasted coffee to order. According to Third Coast, the beans the roasters use come only from farms that are on the smaller side.

Though it may seem more straightforward on the surface, these beans are named for the region the coffee comes from. One of the most popular is the coffee called Guatemala, which offers a cinnamon taste with some orange notes in there as well. Third Coast lists the many places you can purchase this coffee in real life, including many Austin grocery stores, restaurants, and even several Texas locations outside of the city. If you live outside of Texas, you can even find this coffee in a few other places outside the state.

Some coffee companies produce coffee to support the surrounding community, but when Juan Luis created La Coop, he did so to help coffee growers from Guatemala, according to the company. However, Luis' roots go even further back since his father was a coffee farmer. Inspired by this, Luis created the Asociacion de Caficultores de Union Cantinil (ASOCUC) to help ensure that coffee growers earned a quality living from their work. In no time, the ASOCUC helped create farming techniques that more directly supported quality environmental goals, allowed for enchanted control over the quality of coffee, and even led to a better paycheck.

La Coop's steadfast values yield coffee that is focused on the coffee farmer and of single origin for a full-bodied product. You will find La Coop's coffee online as well as the Coffee House and Roastery in Washington D.C. and farmers markets. From the growing process in the beginning to the very end at the La Coop coffee shop in D.C., this company truly has a firm grasp on every step of the roasting process.

Little Waves Coffee Roasters is the proud winner of Roast Magazine's prestigious title of micro roaster of the year for 2022. This small-batch roasting company leads with its heart and aims to create a community space where coffee lovers can gather. When it comes to wholesale, it is determined to work with brands that have independent missions that vibe with Little Waves' own values. As a company obsessed with its work, Little Waves Coffee Roasters is also a female-forward company that supports diversity and inclusion in all spaces.

Indeed, Little Waves Coffee Roasters is a place you can go to feel great about the company and product you're buying into. In addition to more traditional coffees, Little Waves offers limited edition varieties. The Edwin Enrique Noreña Pink Bourbon brew is processed with red honey to create a purple wine yeast fermentation. You'll hit on notes of grape juice, guava, citrus, and tropical fruit. We also love the Los Toros variety, a coffee with dark chocolate, caramel, and praline notes that make it an excellent morning coffee.

For a coffee company that aims to shift your perspective, Black and White Coffee Roasters don't just want to help give you fantastic coffee; it also wants to help you better understand or even change how you view your role within the coffee production journey. Kyle Ramage and Lem Butler created this roasting company in 2017 with the goal of using collaboration to develop unforgettable coffee. Black and White Coffee Roasters' mission is "Exceptional Coffee Kept Simple."

In terms of brews, you can choose from the Black Label series, single origin, year-round availability, instant coffee, and even subscriptions. "The Original" coffee is lightly roasted Ethiopian coffee for any time with notes of chocolate, honey, and citrus. While it may seem like the year round coffees are simple, according to Black and White, year round coffees offer many options to coffee drinkers. These coffees are perfect for those wanting to explore specialty coffee, those hoping for a simply delicious cup, those who want their decaf to be just as delicious as a regular cup, and even those who simply seek warmth and comfort with that morning coffee ritual. For something more elaborate, the Black Label series offers a unique, lightly roasted flavor like "Gesha Clouds" with a remarkable combination of mango, pineapple, and even white wine.

With a name inspired by the infamous Boston Tea Party, Stamp Act Coffee took all of founder Andrew Kent's worldly inspiration and experience from Seattle, Ethiopia, Singapore, and Australia. Stamp Act offers lighter roast coffees, and it works hard to bring true differentiation between coffee brewed through a filter or espresso machine.

For a deliciously rich espresso that will take that homemade latte to the next level, check out the Milk Money espresso with flavors of cacao and a lovely richness. Stamp Act says that it pairs wonderfully with milk, so your latter is in good hands. Mwendi Wega is a tasty coffee that has its own black current flavor. It's rich and even a little acidic. You can enjoy this one using your filter coffee or espresso.

In addition to single batches of coffee, Stamp Act also offers wholesale coffee to shops looking to provide this delicious coffee on a menu. When purchasing wholesale, partners can rest assured that Stamp Act has programs and training to help make coffee programs that offer Stamp Act Coffee successful.

When people are given the space to connect to others, they usually do. From the very beginning, Temple's primary goal has been to create a space where people gather and build relationships. This mission derives from founder Sean Kohmescher's travels in Indonesia, where he witnessed the temples there work their magic. However, this connection doesn't start and end with a physical space; it is also part of how Temple procures green coffee and turns it into that delicious brew.

One of the favorite roasts Temple offers is the Ethiopia Nao Genji. You'll enjoy a smooth coffee with a bit of a crisp end note that will bring to mind flavors of bergamot, ginger, and citrus. You can order it in several different types of grind to suit the exact kind of coffee maker you plan on using. When you fall in love with Temple's coffee, you can even opt to subscribe and save through the Coffee Club.

Pachamama Coffee works to help people who are most impacted by climate change create a better, more profitable, and sustainable future for themselves. The business model that Pachamama proliferates has even won an award for sustainability from the Specialty Coffee Association. What's more, the packaging that holds this coffee is actually compostable and plant-based, so it will not contribute to the damage that a single-use lifestyle can cause. Though you'll need to follow a few steps for composting your bags, Pachamama explains it all on the website. Committed to helping heal the earth, Pachamama ascribes to organizing farming practices that follow land management practices that are organic, eliminating dangerous and harsh chemicals, and even bringing down the emission of carbon.

If you're looking for an excellent breakfast brew, consider Sunrise. We like this one for the bright feel of the coffee with crisp notes of lime and honeydew to jumpstart your day. Five Sisters is an excellent coffee for pleasing many palates with its delicious caramelly notes and balanced blend with citrus.

Art and coffee come together at Brandywine Coffee Roasters to offer delicious roasts that are covered in beautiful art. Master roaster Vic Scutari brings 14 years of experience and creates Brandywine's collection of lightly roasted, sweet, and juicy coffee offerings. On the outside of the coffee bags, you'll find artwork that has been screen printed. These designs come from Todd Purse, and they help take the whole coffee experience to a new level.

For a coffee with notes of berry pie, dark chocolate, and even caramel, the Santa Josefita coffee is classified as a "comfy" coffee. This one is perfect for someone who is looking for a solid option they can enjoy every day that will offer more flavors than your basic coffee. If you're interested in a great coffee surprise, consider joining the coffee subscription option. You can choose between two-pound or 12-pound subscriptions. Often, these are the most popular coffees from the week or ones that have been recently released. Brandywine Coffee Roasters create coffee that is drenched in creativity from the bean out.

Like any grand ceremony, the process of brewing and enjoying great coffee is nothing short of ceremonious. At Ceremony Coffee Roasters, the goal is to elevate coffee to a level befitting a drink as unique as it is beloved. Coffee is adored around the world, and that certainly is special, but the connections coffee creates are what make it even more critical. That is why Ceremony strives to create the best coffee around. This journey is an important, continuous one that Ceremony is committed to.

For a lightly sweet coffee, check out Daughter, a coffee created through Ceremony's collaboration with Hilton Charter. This coffee offers notes of sugar cookies, apples, and caramel. Ceremony also offers cold brew coffee in cans as well as in nitro coffee kegs. To get a taste of it all, consider ordering from the subscription options to help find your new favorite coffee from this upscale and elegant coffee roastery.

Wonderstate Coffee is a popular midwest coffee company hailing from Viroqua. With a roastery 100% powered by solar energy and an impressive pay to its distributors, Wonderstate is determined to do things differently, but never at a sacrifice to its customers. Expect consistently great coffee from a roaster that knows how to take care of everyone they work with, from customers to farmers.

For a coffee that exudes the warm and colorful way of Wonderstate, check out the Winter Solstice brew with citrus, Rainier cherry, and even chocolate cake. This one will make you feel like you're bellying up to the dessert table of a winter family gathering. Burundi Nemba is another excellent coffee we highly recommend. With this one, expect a little lighter citrusy flavor with lemon, apricot, and black current. Nice and bright, it's a perfect coffee for sipping throughout your morning or serving at brunch to please a crowd.

This 2012 Roast Magazine roaster of the year is dedicated to perfection. In an ongoing mission to improve not only the quality of its product but also the relationships it builds within the community. Bird Rock Coffee Roasters offers coffee that boasts excellent scores through Coffee Review, an impressive pour-over bar, beautiful lattes, and staff that is prized for their strong resumes and commitment to helping Bird Rock coffee really shine.

Boru Batak is a coffee with flavors of dried plum, cola, dried mango, and even sweet pipe tobacco. This coffee feels mature and solid with a very slight sweetness. For an ultra-limited coffee, consider the Perci coffee from Ninety Plus Gesha Estates. It is deliciously rich with passionfruit, brandy, and chocolatey goodness like that of dark chocolate and chocolate sauce. With such great coffee, you'll want to wander through all of the offerings; to help give a lot of different things a try, the subscription option is a great option to explore.