Palouse Coffee Club
Coffee in the North Sound and islands
The North Sound's coffee roasters are spread from Edmonds and Mill Creek up through Mount Vernon and Burlington, and out to Whidbey, Camano and the San Juan Islands. Whidbey Island holds the region's oldest coffee story, and Langley alone has 6 roasters on the Roast Local directory. Everett and Bellingham have their own pages; this one covers every other town in the region.
The North Sound's coffee story
A national coffee name started on Whidbey Island. Seattle's Best Coffee began in 1969 as the Wet Whisker, an ice cream and coffee shop in Coupeville.
Twenty years later, in 1989, Dan Ollis bought an espresso cart and sold drinks at local fairs. That cart became Whidbey Coffee.
The island still roasts. JennyBean Coffee has roasted certified organic coffee in 1 pound batches on Whidbey since 2011, and Mukilteo Coffee Roasters, despite the mainland name, roasts at 3228 Lake Leo Way in Langley.
On the mainland, Fidalgo Coffee Roasters has roasted in Burlington since 1992, having started as a small coffee house. Its coffees are certified Kosher Parve.
These are small businesses in small places. A bag bought from a Whidbey or Skagit roaster keeps a roasting job on the island or in the valley, and keeps the money from leaving on the ferry. See why local roasters matter.
Roasters in the North Sound and islands
Burlington and the Skagit Valley
- Fidalgo Coffee Roasters, Burlington: roasting and headquartered in Burlington, it sells a seasonal Tulip Festival Blend. We list it as a local favorite; a listing does not mean the roaster is part of the club.
Roast Local also lists 2 roasters in Mount Vernon and 1 in Anacortes.
Whidbey Island
- JennyBean Coffee: roasting certified organic coffee in 1 pound batches since 2011.
- Mukilteo Coffee Roasters, Langley: roasts on Lake Leo Way.
- Whidbey Coffee: began in 1989 as an espresso cart.
- Anglers Coffee, Honeymoon Bay Coffee Roasters, Island Time Coffee and JJ Romer Roasters: listed under Langley on Roast Local.
Edmonds and south Snohomish County
- Red Twig: listed under Edmonds on Roast Local. Mill Creek, Monroe, Snohomish, Lake Stevens and Arlington each have roasters on the same directory.
From Bellingham, for the whole region
- Camber Coffee: made special release coffees with Death Cab for Cutie, and in 2023 with The Postal Service.
- Zoka Coffee: its baristas won the National Barista Championship in 2002 and 2005.
The San Juans have roasters too: Roast Local lists them in Friday Harbor, on Lopez Island and on Orcas Island.
Getting Washington coffee delivered in the North Sound
On an island or at the end of a county road, the club comes to you. Every 2 or 4 weeks a 12 oz bag from a different independent Washington roaster ships from that roastery, roasted to order and packed in the roaster's own bag, with our packing slip naming the roaster. $16.99 a bag, any roast. First bag free, you pay shipping. Skip a box when you are away, or pause or cancel online.
- Roasted and shipped within 3 days.
- Free replacement if a bag disappoints.
- A reminder email 3 days before each box.
- Your ratings steer the next bag.
North Sound coffee questions
Where did Seattle's Best Coffee start?
In Coupeville on Whidbey Island, as the Wet Whisker, an ice cream and coffee shop, in 1969.
Which roasters are on Whidbey Island?
JennyBean Coffee and Mukilteo Coffee Roasters roast on the island, and Roast Local lists 6 roasters under Langley alone. Whidbey Coffee also began there, as an espresso cart in 1989.
Is Mukilteo Coffee Roasters in Mukilteo?
No. It roasts at 3228 Lake Leo Way in Langley, on Whidbey Island.
How long has Fidalgo Coffee Roasters been in Burlington?
Fidalgo has roasted specialty grade coffee since 1992 and grew from a small coffee house into a roasting operation based in Burlington.
Nearby
Sources
- Seattle's Best Coffee and the Wet Whisker, 1969: Wikipedia, Seattle's Best Coffee
- Roasters listed by town: Roast Local, Washington, pulled 2026-09-27
- Whidbey Coffee's 1989 cart, JennyBean's batches and Mukilteo Coffee Roasters' address: each company's own site, read 2026-09-27
- Fidalgo, Camber and Zoka facts: their profiles on this site, from public sources checked 2026-09-27
Updated September 2026.