Palouse Coffee Club
Quick answer: what Washington roasters are known for
Across the 18 Washington roasters we list, the common thread is a roaster that also runs its own cafes, sells espresso and decaf, and ships a subscription. 14 of the 18 run at least one cafe, 16 sell a coffee they name for espresso, all 18 sell a decaf, and our records show a subscription for 17. Most were founded in 2000 or later, but six date from before then, the oldest from 1988.
Roast Local counts 243 roasters in Washington. The 18 here are the local favorites we list, so treat these numbers as a portrait of them, not a census of the state.
How we counted
Every number on this page comes from the data behind our roaster profiles. For each roaster it records what its own site and product list said on September 27, 2026: founding year, roastery town, cafes, roast levels, espresso and decaf offerings. When a roaster does not publish something, we did not guess, and the counts below say where that leaves gaps. We counted only roasters whose current operation we could confirm. One roaster on the original list, Slate Coffee Roasters, was dropped because it had closed.
When they started
17 of the 18 publish a founding year. Elm does not.
| Founded | Count | Roasters |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 to 1999 | 6 | Espresso Vivace (1988), Dillanos (1992), Fidalgo (1992), Lighthouse (1993), Caffe Vita (1995), Zoka (1996) |
| 2000 to 2009 | 7 | Victrola (2000), Herkimer (2003), Olympia Coffee (2005), Seven (2006), Broadcast (2008), Kuma (2008), Indaba (2009) |
| 2010 to 2015 | 4 | Bluebeard (2011), Boon Boona (2012), Fulcrum (2012), Camber (2015) |
Several began as something smaller. Vivace and Dillanos both started as espresso carts, Kuma as one person roasting in a Seattle garage, and Boon Boona as a distributor of Ethiopian green coffee before it sold roasted coffee. Fulcrum formed in 2012 when two Seattle roasters, Silver Cup and Urban City Coffee, merged; Urban City had roasted blends since 1993. Dillanos has since changed shape again: in November 2024 it announced a merger with Dancing Goats Coffee, which Kaldi's Coffee of St. Louis had bought in 2023.
Where they roast and pour
10 of the 18 are based in Seattle. The other eight are spread across the state: two in Bellingham (Camber and Zoka), and one each in Burlington, Renton, Sumner, Tacoma, Olympia and Spokane.
14 run at least one cafe of their own. Olympia Coffee has the most, with eight: three in Olympia, one in Tacoma and four in Seattle. Caffe Vita and Victrola each list seven in Seattle. Four run no cafe in our records: Dillanos, a wholesale roastery; Elm, whose current site lists only online roast days; Fidalgo, which has a retail shop at the roastery instead; and Kuma, which pours a free drink for customers picking up at its warehouse. At least eight roast in the same building as a cafe you can walk into: Olympia Coffee downtown, Caffe Vita on Capitol Hill, Victrola on Pike Street, Herkimer on Phinney Ridge, Lighthouse in Fremont, Boon Boona in Renton, Indaba on North Monroe in Spokane and Bluebeard on South Tacoma Way.
How they roast
14 of the 18 label their coffees by roast level. Six of those cover the range from light (or blonde) to dark: Indaba, Broadcast, Fulcrum, Fidalgo, Seven and Dillanos. Others keep to a lane:
- Elm roasts light; its stated approach is to roast until the coffee tastes good, then stop.
- Herkimer labels its coffees medium, and Bluebeard calls its house style a balanced roast.
- Espresso Vivace roasts what it calls a Northern Italian caramel roast.
- Lighthouse roasts medium and dark, and Kuma light and medium.
At least three roast on older German drum roasters: Lighthouse on a 1952 Gothot, Zoka on a 1963 Probat, and Caffe Vita on vintage Probats you can watch at its Capitol Hill flagship. See our glossary on light roast and dark roast for what those labels mean.
Espresso, decaf and the rest of the shelf
| What they sell | Roasters, of 18 |
|---|---|
| A coffee named for espresso (a blend, a single origin or an espresso club) | 16; Broadcast and Dillanos list none by that name |
| A decaf | 18 |
| A decaf whose method they name | 5: Swiss Water at Vivace, Dillanos and Seven; water process at Indaba; ethyl acetate at Bluebeard |
| A half caf blend | 2: Indaba and Kuma's Momma Bear |
| Green coffee for home roasters | 3: Boon Boona, Indaba and Vivace |
| Instant coffee | 2: Olympia Coffee's Big Truck and Kuma's single origins |
| White coffee | 2: Indaba's White Elephant and Fidalgo's Wired Wolf |
| An Ethiopian single origin in the current lineup | 15 |
Our decaf plan page and the Swiss Water decaf entry go further into how those decafs are made.
The specialists
A few roasters are known for one thing. Boon Boona buys coffee only from Africa. Seven's tagline is born in Hawaii, made in Seattle, and it sells Hawaiian blends and 100% Kona. Espresso Vivace built its name on espresso, and its founder David Schomer is credited with popularizing latte art in the United States. Olympia Coffee is the only Certified B Corporation in our data, and with Bluebeard one of two that publish a transparency report on what they pay. Our post on how Washington roasters buy their coffee looks at that side.
Washington roasters: questions
How many coffee roasters are in Washington?
Roast Local lists 243 roasters in Washington as of September 27, 2026. We list 18 of them as local favorites.
What is the oldest roaster on your list?
Espresso Vivace, founded in 1988 as a partnership that began with coffee carts in downtown Seattle. It has roasted in its Northern Italian style since 1992.
Which Washington roasters sell green coffee for home roasting?
Boon Boona sells green Ethiopian Sidamo and Yirgacheffe, Indaba sells green coffee for home roasters, and Espresso Vivace sells its Dolce Blend and decaf green.
Taste the range yourself
A listing does not mean a roaster is part of the club. Numbers only go so far. Palouse Coffee Club sends a 12 oz bag from a different independent Washington roaster each box, every 2 or 4 weeks, in the roast level and style you pick. $16.99 a bag; first bag free, you pay $7.99 shipping. Skip or cancel anytime. Build your box, or start with why local roasters matter.
Sources
- All counts: our roaster data, recording each roaster's own pages and product lists as of 2026-09-27, as shown on each roaster profile. Founding years, cafes, roast levels, espresso, decaf, green, instant and white coffee, Ethiopian single origins, roasting machines, Dillanos's merger announcement and Slate's closure all come from there.
- Roast Local, Washington (243 roasters, pulled 2026-09-27)
- Wikipedia, Espresso Vivace (founding and latte art)
By Joe McRose, Palouse Coffee Club. Updated . Counts computed from our roaster data, which records each roaster's own pages and product lists as of September 27, 2026; the statewide count from Roast Local.