The facility has capacity to produce four million pounds of Atomo’s beanless espresso product annually and will support its bid to supply more US coffee shops
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At full capacity, the new manufacturing site could supply around 2,000 coffee shops | Photo credit: Atomo Coffee
US coffee alternative brand Atomo Coffee has taken the next step in scaling production to extend its retail reach after opening a 33,500sq ft roastery in Seattle.
The site, which opens two years after Atomo opened a small cold brew factory in the same city, will enable the coffee alternative manufacturer to produce four million pounds of its beanless espresso product each year.
Atomo CEO Andy Kleitsch said moving ‘from lab scale to a full production line is one of the only times you scale up more than 10 times your existing capability’. At full capacity, the new manufacturing site could supply around 2,000 coffee shops, according to Atomo.
“Opening our roastery is a significant step for us. We love coffee and created our beanless espresso so that shops and cafés around the world could expand their specialty drink options; a great tasting coffee that’s better for the planet,” Kleitsch added.
The announcement comes hot on the heels of Atomo’s first major coffee shop deal – with US boutique café group Bluestone Lane. The Australian-inspired chain will begin offering Atomo’s beanless espresso across its 58 US outlets from August 2024.
Atomo launched its beanless espresso product in October 2023 and signed its first retail partnership later the same month with New York-based Gumption Coffee. Its product is now available at a further 10 coffee shops across the US, including Vigo Coffee in Illinois, Heard Coffee in Washington, Madrone Coffee in Texas and The Danish Pastry House in Massachusetts.
The brand’s beanless espresso product is formulated from upcycled, farm-grown superfoods, such as date pits, grapes, sunflower, lemon and guava, before being roasted and brewed. The product produces 83% less carbon emissions and requires 70% less farmland compared to conventional coffee, Atomo said citing data from sustainability database HowGood.
Launched in 2019, Atomo Coffee has raised more than $50m through three previous funding rounds and in December 2023 received a ‘multimillion-dollar investment’ from Japanese beverage giant Suntory Holdings to facilitate future international distribution.