Roaster file · Seattle

Kuma Coffee, Seattle

Kuma Coffee is an independent specialty roaster in Seattle, Washington. This short profile collects what published sources say about the company. It is not affiliated with Kuma, and the earlier blog posts that this address once listed are not reproduced here.

At a glance

History

According to La Marzocco USA’s 2019 feature, Barany spent his teenage years in Kenya, which gave him a lasting love for Kenyan coffees. Kuma started out selling at Seattle farmers markets and local grocery stores, roasting on a 12-kilo Probat in Bellevue. Growth outpaced that space, and in 2012 the company moved to Interbay — just across the Ballard Bridge from La Marzocco’s Seattle location — and installed a Loring Kestrel 35k. La Marzocco described it as an American-made roaster that uses far less fuel than most drum roasters; The Way to Coffee puts the reduction in gas use at 75% compared with conventional equipment.

Style and sourcing

• Lighter roasting: La Marzocco called Kuma “one of the first few roasters to introduce a lighter style of roasting coffee in Seattle”, while noting it was not quite Scandinavian in style.
• Price transparency: The Way to Coffee reports that Kuma was the first Seattle roaster to publish the exact per-pound price paid for every coffee in its inventory.
• Direct buying: about half of its coffee is bought directly from farms at above-market prices, per the same profile.
• Reach: in 2019 Kuma sold to accounts in 32 of the 50 US states (La Marzocco USA).

Coffees named in sources

The Way to Coffee lists blends including Bright Blend, Sun Bear, Classic and Momma Bear (a 50/50 decaf-regular blend), plus rotating single origins from Ethiopia, Guatemala, Colombia and Rwanda. La Marzocco’s 2019 feature highlighted an Ethiopia Wuri from the Wuri washing station in Gedeb, sourced through Atlas Coffee. Offerings rotate, so check the roaster’s site for what is current.

Press

Kuma’s own press page lists coverage from Seattle-area and coffee outlets; the earlier Snobcoffery blog appeared on that list. This page is a new, independent profile written in 2026.