Kettlehouse Coffee: Turning a Local Wholesale Roaster Into a National Direct Shop
The seller
Kettlehouse Coffee wholesales roasted beans to about a dozen cafes across Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Founded by David in 2016.
The challenge
Their brand was well-known within a two-hour drive of their roastery and unknown outside of it. The wholesale business had grown to a comfortable plateau. Growth beyond that meant more cafes or a direct-to-consumer channel.
What changed
Rather than opening their own e-commerce site (they'd tried once, poorly), they used Suliit as their direct channel. Bags shipped weekly on a fixed roasting schedule. Subscription-style repeat customers were encouraged with a small discount on their fifth order.
The result
Direct-to-consumer revenue reached roughly 30% of total revenue within 14 months, largely from customers outside their traditional wholesale footprint. Wholesale margins improved as the fixed-cost base spread over more volume.
In his words
"The wholesale accounts still ground us. Direct is what lets us buy the next roaster."
These case studies are drawn from real sellers on Suliit. Names or details may be adjusted at seller request; numbers are approximate.