Coffee has been powering progress in this country for centuries. The popularity of coffee beverages makes starting a coffee business an attractive idea. One of the easiest ways to get started is to connect with a private label coffee supplier that provides dropshipping services. This article provides an overview of how private label coffee suppliers and dropshipping services can help entrepreneurs build their own brands. We’ll also highlight three of the top coffee dropshippers, along with three of the best traditional private label coffee suppliers.
What Is a Private Label Coffee Supplier?
Private label coffee suppliers take their own beans and package and label them under your brand. They handle the sourcing, roasting, and packaging processes. This allows you to focus exclusively on the sales and marketing activities needed to grow your brand. It also frees up a significant amount of investment capital, because you don’t need to own and maintain expensive production and packaging equipment. Private label coffee companies are sometimes also referred to as white label coffee suppliers.
What To Look for When Choosing a Private Label Coffee Supplier
There are many coffee distributors in the US. But sifting through them to find the one that meets all of your criteria can be a challenge. Here are the hallmarks of a high-quality private label coffee supplier.
Specialty Certifications
Private label coffee suppliers are a diverse group. Some cater to those interested in selling more middle-of-road, standard coffees, while others specialize in more niche offerings. If your coffee brand focuses on coffees carrying specific certifications like USDA Organic, Fair Trade, or coffee production facilities that only use green energy, make sure your search efforts reflect that specialized focus.
Ample Inventory
The coffees you’re able to sell depend on your private label coffee supplier’s ability to produce them. In order to maintain a generous and varied stock of coffees for your customers, it’s important to connect with a coffee supplier who stocks a large assortment of roasts, blends, and single-origin beans to choose from.
Low Minimum Order Requirements
Some white label coffee producers cater to businesses selling larger volumes of beans. When you’re just getting started, you may not be able to sell large quantities of coffee. Finding a supplier willing to sell smaller quantities will prevent locking large amounts of capital in inventory and sitting on stock that may go stale before it’s sold.
Levels of Service
The types of services offered by private label coffee suppliers vary quite a bit. Some sellers will bag and label your coffee for you, while others leave that step up to you. Some white label coffee suppliers double as dropshippers, fulfilling your orders as they come in. Defining the level of service you’re interested in ahead of time will keep your supplier search on track and help to avoid wasting time interacting with prospective partners who aren’t equipped to provide the level of service you require.
Stellar Customer Service
High-quality products and industry expertise don’t mean much unless it’s backed by a commitment to solid customer service. Once you’ve narrowed down your list of prospects, spend time digging into their customer service records. How do other people who have worked with them describe the experience in online reviews? Spend time reading customer reviews on Google, social media pages like Facebook, and industry-specific chat boards. Evaluate how convenient they are to contact. Do they provide support via phone, online chat, or just a generic contact form on their website? Test out their level of customer service yourself. Call them and ask questions or request product samples to get a firsthand experience of what it’s like to do business with them.
3 Top Private Label Coffee Suppliers
For those comfortable with handling the extra duties of order fulfillment, private label coffee suppliers offer the opportunity for higher profit margins. Our top three picks are quality suppliers with a long track record of industry experience.
1. Westrock Coffee Company
This private label coffee supplier is one of the largest. Westrock Coffee Company specializes in high-quality, ethically sourced coffees. They partner directly with small coffee producers, resulting in a large selection of interesting regional offerings sourced from fairly paid producers around the world.
2. Mother Parkers Tea and Coffee
With well over 100 years in the caffeinated beverage industry, Mother Parkers Tea and Coffee brings a wealth of experience to bear in their private label coffee business. With over twenty coffee origins and more than sixty-five different bean types, you’ll have no trouble assembling a full line of offerings for your coffee storefront.
3. White Coffee Corporation
White Coffee Corporation is a New York-based private label coffee company that offers a wide range of single-origin, blends, flavored, and decaf coffees. They stock an assortment of USDA Organic, Fair Trade, and Rainforest Alliance (RFA)-certified beans.
What Is Coffee Dropshipping?
Some private label coffee suppliers take their supply services one step further. Private label coffee dropshippers will package and ship your branded coffee directly to your customers, handling the entire order fulfillment process. The box with your branded coffee arrives at the customer’s doorstep without you ever touching a roll of packing tape. The return address is usually displayed as a generic order fulfillment center, so there’s no way for the customer to know you’ve contracted out the packaging and mailing. Not all coffee suppliers dropship, so if this service is important to you, be sure to ask prospective private label coffee suppliers if they offer this.
One note of caution: using a private label dropshipper can result in lower profit margins, because dropshippers provide a higher level of service than traditional private label coffee suppliers. If the scale of your monthly order volumes grows to the point where using a private label coffee dropshipper no longer makes sense, it may be time to consider pivoting to a private label supplier instead.
3 Best Private Label Coffee Dropshippers
Private label dropshippers are the ultimate in convenience. They handle just about everything, including order fulfillment. Here are our top three choices for private label coffee companies that offer dropshipping services.
1. Dripshipper
Dripshipper is one of the largest coffee dropshippers in the country. This service closely integrates with Shopify. With a network of US-based facilities, they’re able to fulfill orders in three days. Dripshipper offers a wide range of options to customize your coffee offerings, including roast type, fineness of the grind, color of the packaging, and more.
2. Old Chicago Coffee
Another US-based private label coffee dropshipper, Old Chicago Coffee offers a large variety of coffees to choose from. They also allow you to send them your own custom labels to place on the bags as they fulfill your orders.
3. Temecula Coffee Roasters
Based in California, Temecula Coffee Roasters offers a wide variety of single origin coffees to choose from. They don’t have a minimum order requirement, making them a good choice for brands who aren’t selling in large quantities. As a bonus, they roast to order, ensuring the coffee is at the peak of freshness when it ships.
Tying it All Together
Choosing a private label coffee supplier or dropshipper is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when starting your own coffee company. Are you looking for a supplier who can help you create a unique brand identity? Or are you looking for a supplier who can offer you custom branding and packaging options? Are you looking for a supplier who can help you grow your business? Once you know what you’re looking for, you can start narrowing down your choices. Don’t rush this step in the process. Instead, take your time conducting your research and deciding who you are as a brand and what you value most in a white label coffee partner. Then you’ll be able to confidently choose the perfect business partner!
Our team at Sttark has worked with coffee brands of all sizes, helping them create packaging labels that stand out. Our team is happy to answer any questions you have about coffee labeling and help you choose the best type of label for your coffee products.
If you are ready to get started with labels and packaging, Sttark can help! Contact us or get an instant quote online today.
You might also like:
- How to Start an Online Business from Product to Packaging
- 5 Tips for Amazing E-Commerce Packaging
- Best Sizes and Materials for Coffee Bag Labels
