Key Takeaways
- Fresh Roasted Coffee grew from a garage operation to a multi-site manufacturer with ~84 employees and national co-packing programs.
- A 1,300-panel rooftop solar system now supplies an estimated 80–90% of electricity needs, with reported savings of about $20,000/month.
- The company is expanding automation and weekend shifts to raise throughput while maintaining SQF certification and grocery-grade compliance.
- Elevated green coffee prices and tariffs are tightening U.S. supply; management reports booking several million pounds forward to manage risk.
- Consumer demand is shifting toward bulk formats and value, with ongoing R&D on compostable formats if cost premiums remain modest.
Founding Story of Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC: Online First, Built for Volume
Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC began as a practical extension of a local distribution business in central Pennsylvania, with online sales as the growth engine. Owner Andrew Oakes summarized the early constraint and pivot: “There’s just no one here to sell to… I thought I would go online and… reach out and touch the world.” He started “roasting in my garage on a little… popcorn popper style machine,” then stepped up to larger equipment and formal training.
Financing the move from plan to plant required persistence. Oakes recalled writing a full business plan during the late-2000s downturn and then taking on a few investors before a bank would lend. The company built early momentum through Amazon and direct-to-consumer channels, culminating in a buyout of initial partners “somewhere around 2020 right before COVID,” making Oakes the sole owner.
Capacity, Headcount, and Co-Packing Expansion
Pandemic-era online demand accelerated growth. A 24,000-square-foot facility (occupied in 2019) was soon outgrown; by 2022, Fresh Roasted Coffee acquired an 84,000-square-foot site and has since added a secondary ~25,000-square-foot building, for roughly 115,000 sq ft combined. Staffing is now “around 84 employees,” according to Oakes.
Throughput has scaled with co-packing: “We’ve developed a co-packing business… making products for national brands… we’re finally into grocery.” On order velocity, Oakes put current volume at “70–75 [thousand orders]… shipped all over the country.” Product formats span whole bean and ground, flavored coffee, K-Cup®-compatible, Nespresso®-compatible, and coffee sachets, with Oakes noting: “If it’s got to do with coffee, we can do it and we can co-pack it.”
Energy and Cost Control For Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC: 1,300 Panels on the Roof
To manage operating costs and support growth, the company invested in building envelope upgrades and rooftop solar. After adding insulation and a white membrane roof, Fresh Roasted Coffee installed 1,300 solar panels. Oakes’ current estimate: “It’s probably 80 to 90% of our production [electricity]… we’re saving somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000 a month.” He described a complex “grant process” still in progress and said any future additions would be prepped for more solar to “control my costs.”
On roasting technology, Oakes chose Loring Smart Roasters early for thermal efficiency and integrated emissions control: “They recirculate… about 80-plus% [of heat]… incinerate their own emissions… roast in a very low-oxygen environment.” He frames these moves as operational levers first: “It saves me a ton of money… keeping our costs down helps me keep our prices down.”
Automation, Shifts, and Quality Systems
Fresh Roasted Coffee continues to automate for throughput and ergonomics: “Where a machine might… have been taking two or three people I’m trying to get them all down to one.” The plant now runs three shifts Monday–Friday plus 12-hour weekend shifts, effectively turning high-capex lines more hours per week. Labor is redeployed rather than reduced, Oakes said, with robots used where “it makes more sense… why hurt somebody’s back?”
Quality and compliance have scaled alongside manufacturing. The company maintains SQF certification and is “just going to level two SQF,” which Oakes characterized as a significant step for grocery distribution. He described bench testing of capsules using modified brewers to monitor pressure and brew time, plus dedicated roles for label checks and regulatory tasks “long above the FDA.”
Market Conditions: High Prices, Tariffs, and Tight Supply
The near-term coffee backdrop is challenging. Oakes pointed to a multi-year rise in green coffee prices since 2020, peaking around late-2024 and resurfacing in 2025: “We’re at the highest prices we’ve ever been.” Layered tariffs, he said, are “insult to injury,” straining exporters and U.S. importers: “At the moment we’re in… a bit of a shortage… a lot of companies don’t have coffee on the books.”
To manage availability risk, Fresh Roasted Coffee has “booked… several million pounds forward,” with Oakes noting strong origin relationships—“I can call origin [and] say I need 12 containers of this.” He expressed hope that tariff issues with major suppliers such as Brazil and Colombia ease but remains cautious on short-term supply.
Consumer Trends: Value, Bulk, and Price Sensitivity
On the demand side, Oakes sees a clear value tilt: “People are looking for a product that’s thrifty.” Bulk formats remain a driver across K-Cup®-compatible and Nespresso®-compatible offerings (e.g., “96 K-Cups in a box”), although the company observes some pushback on very large bag sizes as total ticket prices climb: “Five-pound bags… are pushing $100… people… are instead buying smaller quantities.” He also notes rising competitor pricing on 12–16 oz bags, reflecting sector-wide cost inflation (green coffee, labor, utilities).
Sustainability Formats: Interest, but Only at Modest Premiums
Fresh Roasted Coffee continues to develop compostable options, including:
- An industrial-compostable “Envy Pod”
- A grocery-ready hard capsule under finalization
- An espresso-compatible compostable capsule in development
Oakes is candid about adoption barriers: “If it’s an extra dollar for a box, yeah, they’ll do it. But I don’t think people are willing to spend an extra $10… especially in this time where money is tight.” He recently heard at a European show that some markets are “going away from the compostable cups,” suggesting cost and infrastructure constraints.
Looking to 2035 For Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC: Lines, Locations, and a National Brand
Growth targets remain ambitious. Oakes cited a historical 35–40% annual growth rate (and “closer to 50% this last year”) and expects the current facilities to be outgrown: “By then I’ll have an additional dozen packing lines… at mass speeds.” The company aims to be a national brand with broader grocery distribution by 2035. Culture and continuity are also priorities: “The first and the third person I’ve ever hired still are here… there’s a lot of people… in excess of 10 years.”
On leadership approach, Oakes is plainly hands-on: “I don’t really have an off… I like being in the machines… I’m a gear head.” He also emphasized reinvestment: “I put all the money back into the business… I just want to see it grow and see how big it can get.”
