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Kris Carlson launched Kansas City-based Coffeekris in 2025 as a sourcing business linking coffee roasters with a network of specialized importers. Carlson says the company sold the equivalent of more than 10 containers in its first year, exceeding her cautious goal of one.
Kansas City coffee sourcing business Coffeekris sold the equivalent of more than 10 containers of green coffee in its first year, founder Kris Carlson told Daily Coffee News, well above her initial hope of selling one. The 2025 startup connects roasters with a network of importing companies through a single point of contact, offering an alternative to sourcing from each importer separately.
Carlson calls her role a “sourcing curator”, rather than operating as a conventional importer. Coffeekris represents a network of specialized importers and helps roasters find coffees from those suppliers. Its portfolio currently includes 11 importing partners with offerings from multiple coffee-producing regions, according to the report.
Under the arrangement Carlson describes, importers compensate Coffeekris for connecting them with buyers. Roaster clients pay the same prices they would by buying directly from those importers, she said. Carlson told Daily Coffee News the business is transparent about its partners and coffee origins, and said it does not charge roasters an added price for the connection.
The partners named in the report include Swift Coffee Sourcing, founded by Emily McIntyre; Optimist Coffee Traders, founded by former Mighty Peace Coffee co-founder Jim Ngokwey; and Benchmark Coffee Traders, founded by Vikram Patel. Carlson said she favors companies led by women and people from historically underrepresented groups, while aiming to serve buyers ranging from small roasters to larger commercial customers.
A Different Route to Green Coffee
Coffeekris’ model gives roasters one contact for coffees supplied by multiple importers, while the importers retain their role in the trade. That may reduce the effort required for buyers to identify and compare offerings across suppliers, particularly for smaller businesses that do not purchase at container scale. The report does not quantify any time or cost savings for clients.
The business also offers a concrete example of how sourcing services can make commercial connections across the coffee trade. Carlson says the company’s growth reflects demand for its approach, but the first-year sales figure is her account; the article provides no independently audited sales data. Her description of the model and its growth matters to roasters weighing how they source coffee and to suppliers seeking new buyers.
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From Cafe Work to Sourcing
Carlson spent more than a decade working across cafes, roasting, wholesale, green coffee sales and sourcing before starting Coffeekris. She began as a barista at Take Five Coffee + Bar in Overland Park, Kansas, then joined Revocup Coffee Roasters, a Kansas City-area company founded by Ethiopians. Carlson said learning who produced coffee and how it moved through the trade sparked her interest in making the system more equitable.
She later moved from cafe work into management, roasting and wholesale, and took on industry roles including competing as a Glitter Cat Roaster and volunteering as a stage manager for the U.S. Coffee Roasters Championship. A 2022 Diedrich Roasters scholarship through the Coffee Roasters Guild was among the industry support she received. Her work in green coffee included Mighty Peace Coffee, which focused on the Democratic Republic of Congo and has since ceased operations, followed by Anthem Coffee Imports.
Carlson told Daily Coffee News that experience took her to origins in Latin America, East Africa and Asia, where she cupped and selected lots and built relationships with producers and exporters. Coffeekris drew on connections developed during that career when it launched in 2025.
““Unlike most brokers, I’m transparent. You know exactly who I’m working with, why, and where the coffee is coming from. There’s no gatekeeping knowledge.””
— Kris Carlson, speaking to Daily Coffee News
Sales and Model Details
The reported first-year sales total comes from Carlson; the source does not provide audited figures, the exact dates covered by the sales tally, or the number of separate roaster clients. It is also unclear how Coffeekris’ sales were distributed among its 11 import partners, origins or buyer sizes.
The report describes the compensation arrangement in broad terms but does not state the commission structure or provide contract details. Carlson’s account says roasters pay the same prices as when buying directly, but the article does not independently verify individual transactions. The source material also ends partway through Carlson’s response about what troubles her in the coffee industry, so her full answer is not available here.
Building the Partner Network
The report does not announce a new launch, expansion date or next sales target for Coffeekris. Carlson said the portfolio spans 11 importing partners and is intended to serve buyers from a few bags to commercial volumes. The next visible developments will be whether the business adds partners, continues to broaden its coffee offerings or reports further sales results.
For roasters considering the service, the immediate next step is to review Coffeekris’ available coffees and partner information and compare them with buying directly from importers. The source does not specify a public schedule for further updates or disclose a planned change to the company’s sourcing model.
Key Questions
What is Coffeekris?
Coffeekris is a green coffee sourcing business founded by Kris Carlson in Kansas City in 2025. It connects roasters with a network of importing companies.
How does Coffeekris make money?
Carlson told Daily Coffee News that importers compensate Coffeekris for connecting them with roasters. She said clients pay the same coffee prices they would when buying directly from those importers.
How many importers are in its portfolio?
The report says Coffeekris’ portfolio currently includes 11 importing partners. Named partners include Swift Coffee Sourcing, Optimist Coffee Traders and Benchmark Coffee Traders.
What sales did Coffeekris report in its first year?
Carlson said the business sold the equivalent of more than 10 containers in its first year, compared with her initial hope of selling one. The report does not provide audited sales figures or exact dates for that tally.
Source: rss
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