Our Story
Kuma means bear in Japanese. The founder of the company spent time in Japan before moving back to the states and adopting a big shaggy dog that looked like a bear, so they named it Kuma. Years later came to the coffee company and they named it after their dog.
Kuma Coffee started as a guy roasting coffee in his garage in Seattle, Washington. A guy with a passion to find coffee that tasted excellent, roast it very carefully, and get that coffee into people's hands. It was not about how shiny the package was, it was about how delicious the coffee inside it tasted.
That was in 2008. Kuma is still a small team roasting in Seattle, but our singular focus on quality coffee has made our brand become known nationwide.
We taste hundreds of coffees across the world to find these special few to bring into our lineup. We purchase the majority of our coffees direct from the origin and always in season, paying a premium to farmers well above commodity markets or fair trade. That matters because we are seeking out the best of the best, and the farmer’s hard work and commitment to growing superior coffee deserve its just reward.
To highlight that excellence, these deliciously complex coffees are roasted on our American-made Loring Kestrel 35k. This state-of-the-art roaster allows us to monitor and control every aspect of the roasting process, ensuring we produce sweet, clean, and transparent coffees. It is also the most eco-friendly roasting machine on the market.
Our coffees are featured in quality-focused cafes all across the country, from Rhode Island to Tucson to Hawaii. And our passion has never wavered since those first days, we just moved out of the garage.
Thank you for your support, drink excellent coffee!
Peter Mark and the Kuma team