Actual Coffee started in 2012, right here in Toledo. Specialty coffee had already taken hold in bigger cities, but in northwest Ohio, most people's only experience with coffee was commodity-grade dark roast from a drive-thru. People didn't know what they were missing.

Everyone deserves to actually enjoy their coffee. Lance figured that if he was going to drink coffee every day, it should actually be good. He started roasting it himself, on a popcorn popper, selling bags to friends, family, and local cafes, until a Kickstarter campaign funded the roastery's first real roaster.

Twelve years later, we're running a Loring S15 Falcon out of a 3,500 sq ft roastery and headquarters, complete with a cupping lab, training area, equipment showroom, and a coffee catering program.

Specialty coffee shouldn’t require a vocabulary lesson. You don’t need to know what “washed process” means to order a good cup here. You just need to want good coffee.

We believe in good coffee, honestly made. We’re deliberate about who we buy from and how, because sourcing well means honoring everyone who touched that coffee before it got to us. Coffee is more than a drink. It’s a habit, a moment, a reason to talk to another human. With every cup, we’re trying to earn the next one.

We’re here for humility, not hype. Great coffee speaks for itself. Our job is to stay out of its way.

We roast coffee in Northwood, Ohio, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and ship it fresh to your door. We supply wholesale coffee to cafes, restaurants, and offices across Northwest Ohio. We show up at markets, events, and pop-ups with our coffee cart. 

Different formats, same job every time: source it, roast it, serve it right.