# How One Coffee Roaster Scaled to 15 Million Without a Café

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/scaling-up-with-fexingo-how-small-businesses-become-mid-market-companies-7871589/how-one-coffee-roaster-scaled-to-15-million-without-a-caf
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/scaling-up-with-fexingo-how-small-businesses-become-mid-market-companies-7871589/how-one-coffee-roaster-scaled-to-15-million-without-a-caf.md
Podcast: [Scaling Up with Fexingo: How Small Businesses Become Mid-Market Companies](https://stenobird.com/podcast/scaling-up-with-fexingo-how-small-businesses-become-mid-market-companies-7871589)
Published: 2026-06-13T04:00:11+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/scaling-up/episode-0049.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/business/scaling-up/episode-0049.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/scaling-up-with-fexingo-how-small-businesses-become-mid-market-companies-7871589/episodes/how-one-coffee-roaster-scaled-to-15-million-without-a-caf
Duration seconds: 624

## Resource

Episode 49 of Scaling Up with Fexingo tells the story of Red Claw Coffee, a roaster in Portland that grew from a single farmer's market stall to $15 million in annual revenue without opening a single café. Lucas and Luna break down how founder Maria Torres built a wholesale-first business selling to 600 offices, hotels, and restaurants by solving the freshness gap in workplace coffee. They cover the key decisions: using a subscription model with roast-to-order logistics, bypassing retail shelves to control margins, and hiring baristas to train client staff rather than serve customers. Also discussed: why Torres rejected a $5 million acquisition offer in 2023 and how that bet paid off. The episode closes with a reflection on the hidden advantages of staying out of the consumer spotlight. #RedClawCoffee #MariaTorres #CoffeeRoaster #Wholesale #Scaling #Bootstrapping #Portland #SubscriptionModel #RoastToOrder #Freshness #OfficeCoffee #MidMarket #BusinessPodcast #FexingoBusiness #SmallBusinessGrowth #NoCafe #FoodAndBeverage #Entrepreneurship Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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