Seattle's Best Coffee
A Seattle-origin coffee brand focused on smooth-roasted packaged coffee, foodservice beverages, cold brew, and licensed distribution.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Seattle's Best Coffee is an American coffee brand whose roots trace to a small combination ice-cream and coffee shop opened by Jim Stewart on Whidbey Island in Washington State in 1969. The business initially operated under the Wet Whisker name and developed its identity around roasting green coffee beans in small batches. Stewart and his brother Dave later expanded the operation to Seattle's waterfront, where it became Stewart Brothers Coffee and eventually grew into a regional specialty-coffee business. The brand adopted the name Seattle's Best Coffee in 1991 after winning a local coffee competition, linking its identity directly to Seattle's emerging reputation as a center of American coffee culture. The company developed from a local café and roasting business into a broader coffee supplier. It added espresso-based drinks in the early 1980s, opened shops in Bellevue and at Pike Place Market, and built a roasting operation on Vashon Island. During the 1990s, ownership changed several times. Investors associated with Torrefazione Italia formed Seattle Coffee Holdings, later renamed Seattle Coffee Company, before AFC Enterprises acquired the business in 1998 and expanded franchising. Under AFC, the Vashon roasting facility was upgraded and the company established an organic coffee line. Starbucks acquired Seattle's Best Coffee in July 2003. The transaction gave Starbucks a second coffee brand with a more accessible price and distribution profile than the Starbucks retail chain. Starbucks closed the Vashon Island roasting facility in October 2003 and transferred production to its Kent, Washington, roasting operation. The historic Vashon site later reopened independently as the Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie, preserving part of the brand's local industrial heritage but no longer operating as a Seattle's Best facility. Under Starbucks ownership, Seattle's Best increasingly became a licensed and channel-development brand rather than a direct competitor to Starbucks cafés. Its coffee was distributed through bookstores, department stores, restaurants, airlines, cruise ships, hotels, colleges, supermarkets, and other institutional channels. Partnerships included Borders, JCPenney, Royal Caribbean, Burger King, Subway, AMC Theatres, and Delta Air Lines. In 2010, Starbucks announced a major repositioning intended to expand the brand from roughly 3,000 points of distribution to approximately 30,000. The initiative introduced a simplified red-and-white logo, broader foodservice placement, and a positioning centered on approachable premium coffee. The redesign attracted substantial criticism for appearing generic and institutional, but it reflected Starbucks' effort to use Seattle's Best as a mass-market platform. Seattle's Best has generally been positioned as smoother, more approachable, and less expensive than Starbucks. Its brand language emphasizes consistency, balanced flavor, and convenience rather than artisanal exclusivity or the premium café experience associated with Starbucks. The brand's consumer products have included whole-bean coffee, ground coffee, single-serve K-Cup pods, ready-to-drink products, iced coffee, and cold brew. Current foodservice materials emphasize brewed coffee and cold brew, while Nestlé's consumer-facing channels continue to list ground coffee, K-Cup pods, and ready-to-drink products. On October 19, 2022, Starbucks announced an agreement to sell the Seattle's Best Coffee brand to Nestlé. Starbucks' filings state that the sale of the brand's principal intellectual-property assets was completed on January 13, 2023, for $110 million. Nestlé incorporated the brand into its North American coffee portfolio alongside Nescafé, Nespresso, and Blue Bottle Coffee. Starbucks has continued to roast coffee for the brand under post-sale arrangements, illustrating the separation between brand ownership and manufacturing responsibilities. Today, Seattle's Best Coffee operates primarily as a packaged-coffee and f…
History
Seattle's Best Coffee developed from a small Washington coffee business founded by Jim Stewart. In 1969, Stewart opened the Wet Whisker, an ice-cream and coffee shop in Coupeville on Whidbey Island. He bought green coffee beans from local roasters, roasted them himself, and sold the resulting coffee in the shop. The operation was modest, but roasting quickly became central to the business. By the end of its second summer, the shop had roasted and sold nearly 500 pounds of coffee. Stewart and his brother Dave subsequently moved the business toward the Seattle area. They opened a waterfront location on Pier 70 under the name Stewart Brothers Wet Whisker. In 1982, the shop began serving espresso-based drinks in addition to brewed coffee and other products. The following year, the business adopted the name Stewart Brothers Coffee. Expansion followed with locations in Bellevue and at Pike Place Market. The company also established a roasting presence on Vashon Island, helping it supply coffee to stores throughout the Seattle region. In 1991, the business took the name Seattle's Best Coffee after winning a local competition for the best cup of coffee in Seattle. Its smooth flavor became the foundation of its brand identity. Company history also associates the early Henry's Blend with a cat named Henry that liked to sit near the roasting equipment for warmth. The story helped give the growing brand a distinctive local personality while the product line expanded beyond cafés. Ownership changed during the 1990s. Around 1995, investors connected with Torrefazione Italia acquired the business and formed Seattle Coffee Holdings, combining the two coffee interests. The company changed its name to Seattle Coffee Company in 1997. In 1998, AFC Enterprises purchased the business and expanded the Seattle's Best Coffee brand through franchising. AFC upgraded the Vashon Island roastery and established an organic coffee line, broadening the company's product and operating capabilities. Starbucks acquired Seattle's Best Coffee in July 2003. Starbucks retained the brand as a separate identity, using it to address channels and consumers that did not necessarily fit the Starbucks store model. Shortly after the acquisition, Starbucks closed the Vashon Island facility and moved production to its Kent, Washington, roasting operation. The Vashon building, which contained Jim Stewart's original 1952 roaster, later reopened independently as the Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie. This preserved a physical link to the company's origins even though the site was no longer part of Seattle's Best Coffee or Starbucks. The Starbucks era brought a major change in distribution. Seattle's Best coffee appeared in licensed cafés and kiosks at Borders bookstores, JCPenney department stores, and Royal Caribbean ships. It was also supplied through restaurant, hotel, college, airline, cruise, and other institutional channels. The brand's importance within Starbucks' channel-development strategy became especially visible in 2010, when Starbucks announced a large-scale reinvention. The plan introduced a new logo and sought to expand availability from approximately 3,000 locations to around 30,000 locations. Burger King, AMC Theatres, and other partners helped illustrate the new strategy: Seattle's Best would be a broadly available premium coffee brand that could operate alongside, rather than directly duplicate, a host location's core identity. The 2010 redesign generated criticism because the new logo abandoned much of the brand's vintage visual language. Some observers viewed the replacement as generic, clinical, or excessively institutional. Nevertheless, the repositioning made the brand more legible for mass foodservice and licensed distribution. Seattle's Best was increasingly marketed around smoothness, accessibility, and dependable quality rather than the specialized, high-touch café experience associated with Starbucks. The company continued to build channel partnerships in the early 2010s. Burger King added Seattle's Best coffee to thousands of United States restaurants, while Delta Air Lines introduced the brand across its flight network in 2011. The Borders relationship later contracted as Borders entered bankruptcy and closed stores, and Delta shifted its onboard coffee emphasis toward Starbucks in 2015. In Sweden, Max Hamburgers ended its Seattle's Best partnership in 2019. On October 19, 2022, Starbucks announced that Nestlé would acquire the Seattle's Best Coffee brand. The sale was completed on January 13, 2023. Starbucks' public filing stated that the assets sold primarily consisted of intellectual property and valued the transaction at $110 million. Nestlé placed the brand within its North American coffee portfolio while Starbucks continued to roast coffee for Seattle's Best under a continuing production relationship. Under Nestlé, Seattle's Best remains active in consumer packaged coffee and professional foodservice. Current materials highlight brewed coffee and cold brew, while consumer channels present ground coffee, K-Cup pods, and ready-to-drink products. GoTo Foods retains franchising and operating rights for the brand in certain international markets and military bases. In 2026, GoTo Foods expanded the brand's United States presence through a nationwide Cinnabon beverage platform. The brand's modern identity is therefore less dependent on a large standalone café estate and more dependent on packaged coffee, foodservice programs, licensed partnerships, and brand distribution through other restaurant and institutional networks.
- 2026
Cinnabon adopts Seattle's Best Coffee platform nationwide
[7]GoTo Foods announced a nationwide Seattle's Best Coffee beverage rollout across United States Cinnabon bakeries.
- 2023
Nestlé completes acquisition
[6]The sale of Seattle's Best Coffee assets to Nestlé was completed on January 13, 2023.
- 2022
Starbucks agrees to sell the brand to Nestlé
[4]Starbucks announced an agreement to sell Seattle's Best Coffee to Nestlé, subject to approvals and closing conditions.
- 2019
Max Hamburgers ends partnership
[1]Swedish fast-food chain Max Hamburgers discontinued its partnership with Seattle's Best Coffee.
- 2015
Delta shifts onboard coffee program toward Starbucks
[1]Delta adjusted its onboard coffee offering in favor of Starbucks products, reducing the prominence of Seattle's Best on its flights.
- 2011
Delta Air Lines partnership begins
[1]Seattle's Best Coffee began service on Delta's domestic, international, and Delta Connection flights.
- 2010
Brand reinvention and distribution expansion
[11]Starbucks announced a new logo, broader foodservice strategy, and plans to expand Seattle's Best Coffee distribution to approximately 30,000 locations.
- 2010
Burger King partnership announced
[10]Burger King announced plans to add Seattle's Best Coffee to approximately 7,250 United States restaurants.
- 2004
Borders café licensing agreement
[9]Borders and Seattle's Best Coffee agreed to introduce Seattle's Best cafés in more than 400 Borders stores.
- 2003
Starbucks acquires Seattle's Best Coffee
[1]Starbucks acquired the brand from AFC Enterprises and subsequently moved roasting from Vashon Island to Kent, Washington.
Products and positioning
An approachable, value-oriented premium coffee brand built around a smooth and consistent flavor profile. Compared with Starbucks, it has generally occupied a less expensive and more everyday position, with significant emphasis on packaged coffee, foodservice, licensing, and institutional distribution.
Packaged coffee
Ground Coffee
Ground coffee has been one of Seattle's Best Coffee's core consumer offerings. The line is designed for conventional home brewing and emphasizes the brand's smooth, balanced, everyday flavor profile. It gives the brand a supermarket presence distinct from its historic café operations and supports its positioning as an accessible alternative to more expensive specialty-coffee products.
Packaged coffee
Whole-Bean Coffee
Whole-bean coffee extends the brand's original identity as a roaster into the home-consumption market. Seattle's Best describes its coffee as made from Arabica beans and built around consistent, smooth roasting. Whole-bean products are also important to the brand's foodservice and hospitality distribution.
Single-serve coffee
K-Cup Pods
Seattle's Best Coffee K-Cup pods provide single-serve preparation for consumers using compatible Keurig brewers. The format gives the brand access to the convenience-oriented portion of the at-home coffee market and has been identified by Nestlé as one of the brand's principal consumer product formats.
Foodservice beverage · 1970
Brewed Coffee
Brewed coffee is the central foodservice expression of the brand. Current Nestlé Coffee Partners materials present a range of blends and roasts for operators, supported by preparation training and point-of-sale materials. The offering is intended for restaurants, cafés, institutions, hospitality venues, and other locations where consistent batch-brewed coffee is required.
Foodservice beverage
Cold Brew
Cold brew is a current foodservice offering positioned around smoothness, richness, and balanced flavor. Its inclusion in the brand's modern professional portfolio indicates an effort to participate in contemporary ready-to-serve and chilled coffee occasions while retaining the brand's established smooth-roast identity.
Ready-to-drink beverage
Ready-to-Drink Coffee
Seattle's Best has offered ready-to-drink coffee beverages, including iced latte products, as part of its effort to extend beyond whole-bean and ground coffee. These products provide portable consumption occasions and support the brand's broader convenience-oriented positioning.
Coffee blend
Henry's Blend
Henry's Blend is associated with the early Seattle's Best Coffee brand story. According to the brand's history, the blend was named for Henry, a cat that spent time near the roasters for warmth. The product helped connect the company's early roasting heritage with a memorable brand narrative.
Controversies
2025
Nestlé trademark challenge involving Seattle Strong
Nestlé challenged the trademark of Seattle Strong, a Seattle-based cold-brew company, before the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Nestlé argued that the name could cause confusion with Seattle's Best and dilute its mark. Seattle Strong argued that the companies' products and branding were sufficiently distinct and objected to Nestlé's attempt to control Seattle-related coffee naming.
2010
Backlash over the 2010 logo redesign
The visual identity introduced during Starbucks' 2010 mass-distribution strategy was criticized by commentators who viewed it as generic, clinical, or disconnected from the brand's vintage Seattle heritage. The episode was primarily a design and positioning controversy rather than a legal or regulatory scandal.
Marketing campaigns
- 2026Cinnabon Seattle's Best Coffee Beverage Platform
United States
GoTo Foods introduced a nationwide Seattle's Best Coffee platform across Cinnabon bakeries in the United States, building on a longstanding international relationship between the two brands.
Outcome. The program was designed to increase beverage attachment, support bundled purchases, improve frequency, and provide franchisees with a coffee offering requiring limited additional equipment investment.
- 2011Delta Air Lines Onboard Coffee Program
United States · International Delta routes
Seattle's Best Coffee entered an agreement to be served on Delta domestic, international, and Delta Connection flights beginning March 1, 2011.
Outcome. The partnership gave the brand national and international travel exposure, but Delta later shifted its onboard coffee offering toward Starbucks products in 2015.
- 2010Seattle's Best Coffee Brand Reinvention
United States · Canada
Starbucks repositioned Seattle's Best Coffee as a broadly distributed, accessible premium coffee brand. The initiative introduced a new logo, simplified visual system, and an expansion plan targeting approximately 30,000 points of distribution through restaurants, theaters, airlines, bookstores, and other foodservice venues.
Outcome. The initiative increased the brand's visibility in foodservice and licensed channels, although the new logo attracted significant criticism for appearing generic and overly institutional.
- 2010Burger King Coffee Partnership
United States
Seattle's Best Coffee replaced Burger King's BK Joe coffee program in a planned rollout covering approximately 7,250 Burger King restaurants. The offering included brewed hot and iced coffee, with flavored options such as vanilla and mocha.
Outcome. The partnership expanded Seattle's Best's reach in quick-service restaurants and reinforced its role as a licensed foodservice brand.
Brand decisions
2026
Expansion through GoTo Foods and CinnabonStrategyBackground
Seattle's Best Coffee's current growth model emphasizes foodservice, licensing, and distribution rather than a large standalone company-operated café network.
Action taken
GoTo Foods rolled out Seattle's Best Coffee as a nationwide beverage platform across United States Cinnabon bakeries.
Aftermath
The move strengthened the brand's presence in franchised bakery locations and was designed to improve beverage attachment and operational simplicity.
2022
Starbucks agrees to sell Seattle's Best Coffee to NestléM&ABackground
Starbucks and Nestlé had already formed a Global Coffee Alliance covering packaged coffee and foodservice products. Starbucks wanted to concentrate more closely on its premium retail brand, while Nestlé sought to strengthen its North American coffee portfolio.
Action taken
Starbucks announced an agreement to sell the Seattle's Best Coffee brand to Nestlé.
Aftermath
The transaction closed on January 13, 2023. Nestlé became the brand owner, while Starbucks continued to roast coffee for the brand under ongoing arrangements.
Purchase price for assets primarily consisting of Seattle's Best Coffee intellectual property. $110 million (January 13, 2023)
2010
Mass-market foodservice repositioningStrategyBackground
Starbucks sought to use Seattle's Best Coffee to reach consumers and locations that were not served by Starbucks cafés, particularly in quick-service restaurants and other licensed channels.
Action taken
The company introduced a new logo, emphasized accessible premium coffee, and pursued a distribution expansion from approximately 3,000 locations toward 30,000.
Aftermath
The brand expanded through Burger King, AMC Theatres, airlines, bookstores, and other partners, while the new identity generated public criticism.
- Burger King — Burger King adopted Seattle's Best Coffee as a replacement for its BK Joe coffee program in thousands of United States restaurants.
2003
Starbucks acquires Seattle's Best CoffeeM&ABackground
Seattle's Best had developed regional roasting, cafés, and franchise distribution, while Starbucks was expanding its own retail and channel-development businesses.
Action taken
Starbucks acquired the brand from AFC Enterprises and retained it as a distinct coffee identity.
Aftermath
The brand became part of Starbucks' broader portfolio and was increasingly used for licensed, institutional, and mass foodservice distribution.
2003
Roasting production moves from Vashon Island to KentStrategyBackground
Starbucks determined that the existing Vashon Island logistics and roasting arrangement was insufficient for the brand's expanded needs.
Action taken
Starbucks closed the Vashon Island roasting facility and transferred production to its Kent, Washington, roastery.
Aftermath
The Vashon facility ceased to be part of Seattle's Best Coffee, although the historic building later reopened independently as the Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie.
Sources12 sources
- 1Seattle's Best Coffeeen.wikipedia.org
- 2Seattle's Best Coffee Our Historygoodnes.com
- 3Seattle's Best Coffee | Nestlé Coffee Partnersnestlecoffeepartnerssl.com
- 4Nestlé to acquire the Seattle's Best Coffee brand from Starbucksnestle.com
- 5Starbucks Enters Into an Agreement to Sell Seattle's Best Coffee Brand to Nestléinvestor.starbucks.com
- 6Starbucks fiscal filing on Seattle's Best Coffee salesec.gov
- 7Cinnabon Launches Seattle's Best Coffee Platform Nationwidegotofoods.com
- 8Nestlé targets Seattle cold brew company in trademark disputeaxios.com
- 9Borders Books and Seattle's Best Sign Agreementqsrmagazine.com
- 10Burger King and Seattle's Best Coffee partnership announcementfranchising.com
- 11Seattle's Best Gets a Makeoverqsrmagazine.com
- 12Bland New Seattle's Best Logo Positions Starbucks Brand for Foodservice Dominancecbsnews.com
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