5 Different business ideas you can start in 2025 within the coffee industry.
While some people might think that a career in coffee is just working in a coffee shop, you’d be surprised to know that there is a broad range of business opportunities you can take. From digital products to becoming a coffee consultant the possibilities are endless. While some of these are not directly related to the coffee industry, the concept of coffee is still involved. In this article we will be going over the 10 (ten) ideas you can start in 2024.
1. Coffee bean company
Ever wanted to own and sell coffee beans? In this day and age selling product online is quite simple, and you have a few options on how to do it.
Drop shipping coffee. Drop shipping will cost the least to start as you don’t have to worry about inventory. Essentially you would find a coffee company that does private label and drop shipping. You create your coffee brand and package design, start a website like shopify to promote your product.
How does this work? well once your all set up and someone orders your product. It would go directly to the coffee company and they pack and ship the coffee for you. There are some limitations to this but its overall a great way to start since its low capital start up cost.
How much does it cost to set up? Well with website fees and the cost for the private label coffee company usually cost are between $50-$150 but you can put as much into your business venture as you want. This cost does not count for things like marketing, branding, your own time etc.
Another route you can go is doing it yourself. Some might choose to roast their own beans at home or some might chose a local roaster and work with them to create your own coffee blends. I would check your cities laws and regulations if you choose to sell coffee you roasted at home.
Essentially you would buy your product at a whole sale price and then sell it at retail price online, in person, or to other coffee shops even! You also have more flexibility when it comes to your roast of coffee, quality assurance, and packaging.
How much does this method cost? well its hard to say. Some might say $200 while others say $5,000. Things like if you are going to buy a roster and do it yourself, what’s the minimum order you have to place at your roastery for your coffee? How much does your labeling cost? your licenses and permits can also add up too.
generally speaking drop shipping is faster, less expensive business venture to start with low risk, while you might not have as much control over quality assurance and custom blends. It is a great way to get started in the coffee selling industry.
2. Coffee consultant
Have experience as a barista? or maybe you have worked as a coffee roaster or teacher throughout the years? Well you could get paid to share your knowledge with different, new, or struggling coffee company’s.
How can you do this? Well the best thing about this is you do not need any certifications or degree to be a coffee consultant. While you certainly can get certificated that could help, its not necessary. Coffee shops and brands often need help from seasoned coffee professionals.
People could use your help with things like menu creation, cost analysis, store layout design, roasting, and so many more. Any skillset you have whatever your occupation is within the coffee industry could be of help because believe it or not there is someone out there who might not have as much knowledge as you and would benefit from your skills and knowledge.
I would start on social media and create an account sharing your knowledge of coffee online and also create business cards. You never know when you are going to meet someone who might want to call you down the line for your consulting services. The best part about becoming a consultant is you can do it part time for some extra income or turn it into your full time job!
3. Coffee apparel company
Starting a brand that focuses on coffee apparel could be a great business venture for anyone who is artistic and creative. There are a couple of options to set up a business in the apparel world. You can chose to do print on demand, or do business with a clothing supplier. Very similar to the coffee bean business model, the print on demand option will be cheaper and less risk rather then working directly with a supplier.
If you go online e you can find lots of people selling sweatshirts, t-shirts, and many other clothing accessories with coffee art on them. If you love art and have the abilities to create cool and trendy coffee artwork to put on clothing you could create a great and profitable business model.
How does it work? Well depending on which model you would like to do. Print on demand or working directly with a supplier, you would create the pieces you’d want to show on your website. Shopify and fix has some great options for e-commerce websites.
you would link up your inventory to your website and whenever someone would order a product from your website, you would fulfill that order and depending on which business model you chose you would either pack the order yourself, or your print on demand company would do all the work for you.
Selling cool apparel can be a fun, creative, and lucrative business to get into. While it is a large market with lots of people doing it, if you make yours stand out and market the right way you have a high potential to make great income.
4. Coffee subscription box
Coffee subscription boxes are a great way to make income and can be done as a side hustle or turn into a full time job. This is a great way to add your own creative artwork if you’re an artist and be able to sell coffee as well.
You can par up with your local roaster or find one that can ship coffee to you. You an also add things into your subscription box to make it unique like stickers, a custom bracelet, or a pamphlet of some sort talking about yourself and your brand.
Coffee subscription boxes take a little more time to set up but with the right marketing and resources can become a very successful business venture. They are also great because you can add a touch of your own style and artwork into them as well. Coffee subscription boxes are a very scalable business and can be a fun business to start along the way. Coffee subscription boxes are also a great side hustle as well and could become a full time job as well.
Check out some coffee subscriptions online and get some ideas on how yours would look if this is a business venture you would like tot start. Like I said earlier this is a great business to get into as the subscription based services are a rapid growing industry and have the potential to make great income.
5. Coffee cart/coffee truck
Starting a coffee cart or truck is a great idea for anyone who wants to open a coffee shop one day but isn’t quite ready to do so. Some coffee carts alone can generate income of $15,000 or more! While they defiantly require more capitol to start it can absolutely be a great and very good business venture to get into.
A great reason to start a coffee cart or truck is to create brand recognition for your coffee business which can then give you further opportunities to create a brick and mortar coffee shop. This can be a fun and exciting business venture where everyday is different, and exciting.
You could cater events like weddings and concerts and even farmers markets. You can not only sell coffee beverages but also coffee beans, pastries, and merch!
While the start up cost can diffidently be a little more than the others types of business we have talked about, the potential to earn more is there for sure. I know some people that make upwards of $10,000 for an event they catered! With the right marketing and business plan, you have the potential to earn a great income while creating future coffee opportunities for yourself!
Conclusion
Regardless of the business venture you chose to do, remember that it takes dedication, time, and effort. Starting a business can be hard but also very exciting and rewarding. If you need more resources on starting a business take a look at some of the other articles to help set yourself up for success in your business venture.
