Our Story
Sweetwater Organic Coffee has always been about more than great coffee, it’s about building community, honoring farmers, and connecting people across borders through a shared love of quality and sustainability.
Our story begins in Gainesville, Florida, where Sweetwater was originally founded as a small, local roastery. In 2008, we were approached by the original owners, who had created a beloved neighborhood brand. They roasted with care, managed the company with dedication, and earned the trust of loyal customers. But while they sourced from reputable importers, they were not yet connected directly to farmer cooperatives.
That’s where we saw an opportunity. As part of Cooperative Coffees, a co-op of like-minded roasters committed to fair trade and direct relationships, we envisioned Sweetwater as a “sister roastery”, a way to bring this farmer-focused business model to Gainesville, a city known for its vibrant university community, environmental values, and appreciation for craft.
In late 2008, we finalized the buyout and officially took the reins. From the start, our goal was simple: keep the heart of Sweetwater intact while deepening its connections, sourcing through our co-op partners, honoring roast profiles, and continuing to build community in Gainesville and beyond. In January 2009, Sweetwater re-launched under new stewardship, and we’ve been growing steadily ever since.
That growth has been grassroots and relationship-driven. We delivered coffee ourselves to local markets like Ward’s, partnered with restaurants and cafés, and built strong ties with the University of Florida through classes, presentations, and workshops. Over time, Sweetwater expanded across Florida, reaching from Tampa to Miami, Jacksonville to the Panhandle, while also developing a robust online presence that now allows us to share our coffee nationwide.
Our journey has included meaningful milestones. In 2017, Sweetwater proudly hosted the Cooperative Coffees Annual General Meeting in Gainesville, bringing together roasters from across North America to discuss sustainability, trade justice, and the future of coffee. Around the same time, we built a strategic alliance with partners in Taiwan, who admired our model so much they adopted it in their own community. Today, we still export green coffee to them, sustaining a relationship that’s lasted more than a decade.
Of course, our story is also about people. From Jim, our early roaster, to dedicated team members like Ryan, Joe, and Larry, each has shaped Sweetwater in lasting ways. And in recent years, creative partners like Vinny Fiorello have helped expand our voice and vision through design, storytelling, and community engagement.
Fifteen years later, the heart of Sweetwater remains unchanged. We are still a Gainesville-based roastery, committed to organic, fair trade, shade-grown coffees, roasted with care and shared with purpose. Our model has always been relationship-driven, from the farmers who grow the beans, to the customers who brew them, to the communities we serve in between.
Gainesville has embraced us with its authenticity, entrepreneurial spirit, and rich cultural life. And in return, we remain deeply committed to brewing coffee that reflects those same values: quality, sustainability, and connection.
Because at Sweetwater, every cup tells a story, and we’re honored that our story continues to be written alongside yours.