- Many of specialty coffee’s most respected third wave roasters appear to build their businesses on flagship blends and higher-volume single origins, while using micro lots to showcase quality and innovation.
- Typically produced in lots of just 7-50 bags, micro lots are inherently limited in scale – making them difficult to rely on as the commercial foundation of a roasting business.
- Rather than competing with flagship coffees, micro lots play a complementary role – building reputation and driving innovation.
Specialty coffee often celebrates micro lots, rare varieties and ever-changing coffee menus as hallmarks of a great roaster. These coffees generate excitement, demonstrate sourcing expertise and reinforce a company’s reputation for quality.
Yet the commercial reality of many successful third-wave roasters appears quite different. Rather than relying on an endless stream of limited releases, many of the industry’s most respected businesses build their portfolios around flagship blends and higher-volume single origins, using micro lots to showcase quality, innovation and producer relationships rather than underpin the business itself.
This apparent disconnect raises an important question: has specialty coffee become so focused on celebrating rarity that it overlooks the coffees that actually make successful roasting businesses sustainable?
The coffees that build the business
At first glance, this may seem counterintuitive. Micro lots are often the coffees that attract media attention, feature in competitions and generate the greatest excitement among coffee enthusiasts.
Yet they are also, by definition, limited in volume and availability. For many roasters, the challenge is balancing these prestige coffees with products capable of supporting a sustainable business year after year.
Rok Fabjan is Founder and Green Coffee Buyer at Coffers. He believes the perception of what makes a successful specialty roaster often differs from the commercial reality.
“Most successful roasters build their core business on reliable, repeatable coffees, while micro lots enhance the brand’s image and create excitement rather than drive the majority of sales,” he says.
He is careful not to dismiss micro lots altogether. Instead, Rok argues that different coffees fulfil different commercial roles.
“Flagship blends and higher-volume single origins are generally more likely to provide the foundation of a successful roasting business,” he says. “They generate the consistent sales, cash flow and profitability needed to sustain long-term growth.”
This distinction helps explain why the coffees that receive the greatest attention are not always those that define a roaster’s business. Limited releases can generate excitement, reinforce a company’s sourcing credentials and attract enthusiasts looking for something rare or unusual.
Typically produced in lots of between 7 and 50 bags, micro lots are inherently limited in scale. As a result, it is difficult to build a consistent retail or wholesale offering around them, making them better suited to complementing a core range – rather than replacing it.
“They offer unique sensory experiences, demonstrate innovation and craftsmanship, and strengthen a brand’s reputation,” says Rok.
“While some microlots can be profitable, their greatest value often lies in enhancing the brand rather than driving the majority of revenue.”
This distinction is reflected in the sourcing strategies of several respected third-wave roasters. Public transparency reports from companies such as Tim Wendelboe and Coffee Collective show purchasing programmes built around long-term producer relationships and higher-volume coffees, while rarer varieties and experimental lots are typically purchased in far smaller quantities.
While these reports do not reveal profitability, they suggest that the coffees generating the greatest attention are not necessarily those purchased in the greatest volumes.
Micro lots still matter
Despite their limited commercial role, micro lots remain central to specialty coffee’s identity. For many roasters, they are where experimentation happens, producer relationships are showcased, and the boundaries of quality continue to be pushed.
This role is fundamentally different from that of a flagship blend. The two are not competing products, but complementary ones – one provides commercial stability, while the other demonstrates the quality and sourcing expertise that defines a specialty coffee brand.
“Microlots are the engine that constantly pushes the boundaries and raises the standard of the entire industry,” Rok says.
“They encourage producers to experiment, roasters to approach roasting differently, baristas to create new brewing recipes and consumers to search for exceptional coffees.”
However, that innovation comes with additional commercial complexity, as finding exceptional coffees requires extensive sourcing and cupping before they even reach a roastery.
From there, each lot demands its own logistics, storage, roast development and quality control, while there is always the possibility that consumer demand will fail to justify the premium price.
This is why many established roasters may choose to work more deeply with a smaller number of producers, instead of continually expanding the number of farms they buy from. Commercially, these long-term relationships create more reliable supply chains, reduce sourcing costs and strengthen a roaster’s brand over time.
This strategy is reflected in Coffee Collective’s transparency report, where just eight coffees account for almost 70% of the company’s published purchasing volume, with many sourced through producer relationships averaging nearly 15 years.
“These partnerships give producers the confidence to invest in quality,” Rok says. “By working closer to producers, roasters gain greater consistency, a deeper understanding of the producer and spend less time searching and cupping hundreds of new samples.”
The mismatch between perception and reality
The rise of transparency reports has provided the industry with unprecedented insight into how respected roasters source coffee. While these reports vary in scope, many reveal businesses built around relatively concentrated sourcing programmes and long-term relationships, rather than constantly expanding menus of tiny lots.
Rok believes transparency itself is essential, but says the industry should recognise that coffee prices tell only part of the story – and that logistical complexities are often overlooked.
“Depending on the volume purchased, the shipping method and the complexity of the supply chain, transport costs per kilogram can vary from as little as €0.20 to €10 or even more,” he says. “Very few coffees can absorb that difference and remain commercially viable.”
He argues that transparency reports should therefore acknowledge not only producer prices, but also financing, inventory, logistics and the operational complexity involved in moving coffee from farm to roastery.
“Many coffee enthusiasts are willing to pay a premium for rare and diverse coffees, often valuing novelty over long-term relationships with exceptional producers,” Rok says.
“While diversity is important, I believe the industry should place equal emphasis on sourcing strategies that build lasting partnerships and support long-term sustainability.”
The sourcing strategies of many established third-wave roasters suggest that rarity alone is not what underpins a successful business – and that the industry’s fascination with rare coffees may sometimes overshadow the sourcing strategies that underpin genuinely sustainable businesses.
While micro lots remain an important way to showcase exceptional producers, highlight innovation and generate excitement among enthusiasts, they are typically accompanied by a smaller number – but greater volume – of dependable coffees that provide consistency for both customers and the business itself.
This distinction helps explain why many of the industry’s most respected roasters continue to invest heavily in flagship blends and higher-volume single origins, even as limited releases attract much of the attention.
“I would suggest at least one reliable signature coffee on the menu … an approachable flavour profile that is easily loved – even by those completely new to specialty coffee,” Rok suggests for coffee shops.
“Most importantly, this flagship coffee should be available always and priced friendly enough to appeal to consumers outside the ultra-premium niche market.”
Rather than competing priorities, these coffees fulfil different roles for coffee businesses – one builds reputation, the other builds resilience.
Ultimately, the most successful specialty roasters may not be those with the longest coffee lists or the rarest releases, but those that understand how to balance prestige with practicality.
Micro lots can elevate a brand, but dependable coffees, enduring producer relationships and products that customers return to every day are often what allow that brand to thrive.
