Looking for the best roaster(s) in Philly (preferably those that will wholesale). Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Start with Reanimator (will wholesale), Elixir (don't know), Square One (will wholesale - roasts in Lancaster, PA and ships overnight), Greenstreet (will wholesale) - all are excellent, in my experience. La Colombe started the whole thing 20 years ago, and their coffees are very good - but I've not been impressed with their current offerings in comparison with the others.

Speaking of Lancaster, one of our local multi-roaster cafes was cupping coffees roasted by Passenger Coffee last week:

http://www.passengercoffee.com/

That may be another regional wholesale option.

bluesman wrote:Start with Reanimator (will wholesale), Elixir (don't know), Square One (will wholesale - roasts in Lancaster, PA and ships overnight), Greenstreet (will wholesale) - all are excellent, in my experience. La Colombe started the whole thing 20 years ago, and their coffees are very good - but I've not been impressed with their current offerings in comparison with the others.

I second all of this. ReAnimator is certainly my favorite out of the bunch.

Eastsideloco wrote:Speaking of Lancaster, one of our local multi-roaster cafes was cupping coffees roasted by Passenger Coffee last week:

http://www.passengercoffee.com/

That may be another regional wholesale option.

Passenger is also worth checking out. I have had two of their coffees before and enjoyed them.

Reannimator is great for drip, but they lack balance and body for milk based drinks. I've had some bad batches from them. I wouldn't even consider La Colombe

Elixr has been getting better and better, but I've heard they don't have it together for wholesale yet. Maybe just rumors, Bodhi has been using them over stumptown and counter culture though

I would recommend Square One for consistancy and balance I hear their wholesale prices are a little high, which is supprising cause their bags are quite inexpensive. also One Village is pretty good.

thepilgrimsdream wrote:I would recommend Square One for consistancy and balance I hear their wholesale prices are a little high, which is supprising cause their bags are quite inexpensive

Square One's prices are inconsistent (or they really do base their prices on their costs, and their costs vary widely from bean to bean). A 12 oz bag of Sasquatch (which makes lousy espresso - I bought it to try with clear understanding that they hadn't used it as espresso) was $12 and a bag of Adado (which makes great, fruity espresso) was $16.

The funny thing is all their bags are $12 in whole foods, some of which are cheaper than their store

Thanks for the suggestions! Will any of these roasters allow a wholesale customer to private label their product?

Call them up, meet with them first, than ask. I don't know if any of us would know that.

Daily Ounce wrote:Thanks for the suggestions! Will any of these roasters allow a wholesale customer to private label their product?

I'm sure one of these companies would create a custom "house blend" with your company's name on it. This is a common arrangement. But the roaster's name is typically still on the bag, as well

If you are looking for a truly white label option, you might have to look a little harder to find a supplier. But there must be companies that offer services like this. You just may need to look harder to find a company with the right business model.