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Kris Carlson says her Kansas City-based green coffee business, Coffeekris, sold the equivalent of more than 10 containers in its first year, above her initial hope of one. In an interview with Daily Coffee News, she described a sourcing model that connects roasters with 11 importing partners and said the business prioritizes transparency and ethical trading relationships.
Kris Carlson says Coffeekris sold the equivalent of more than 10 containers of green coffee in its first year, well above the one-container target she had cautiously set when launching the Kansas City business in 2025. In a Daily Coffee News interview published October 21, Carlson described a model that connects coffee roasters with a portfolio of importers while presenting herself as a “sourcing curator,” rather than operating as a conventional importer.
Coffeekris currently works with 11 importing partners offering coffees from producers around the world. Carlson said she acts as an authorized representative for the importers, helping roasters find and assess coffees through a single contact. According to Carlson, the importers pay her for making the connection, while Coffeekris clients pay the same prices they would pay if they bought directly from those importers.
The arrangement is intended to make the people and businesses behind each coffee visible to buyers. Carlson told Daily Coffee News she identifies the partners she works with and explains where coffees come from and why she selected them. She said her portfolio includes companies such as Swift Coffee Sourcing, Optimist Coffee Traders and Benchmark Coffee Traders, alongside other importers.
Carlson said she hoped to sell about one container’s worth of coffee during Coffeekris’ first year but reported sales of more than 10 containers. The interview does not specify the exact sales period, whether the figure represents shipped or contracted coffee, or the accounting behind the container-equivalent measure. The sales number is Carlson’s account; the report does not provide independently audited figures.
A Single Contact for Green Coffee
Coffeekris’ model offers roasters a way to explore coffees from several importers without starting each relationship from scratch. For smaller buyers, that may make it easier to compare offerings and build purchasing relationships across a broader network. Carlson said she is prepared to work with customers buying two bags, two pallets, two supersacks or two containers, indicating that her stated customer base spans a wide range of purchasing volumes.
The business also highlights a wider question for coffee buyers: how sourcing relationships and supplier representation are structured, and whether greater transparency can be part of a commercially sustainable business. Carlson said she favors partners led by women and people from historically underrepresented groups while maintaining a portfolio broad enough to serve different roasters. Her first-year sales account suggests demand for the service, though the interview does not establish how much of that growth came from the sourcing model, market conditions or individual customer relationships.
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Carlson’s Route Into Sourcing
Carlson’s background spans more than a decade of work in cafes, roasting, wholesale, green coffee sales and sourcing. She began as a barista at Take Five Coffee + Bar in Overland Park, Kansas, then joined Kansas City-area roaster and retailer Revocup Coffee Roasters. She told Daily Coffee News that learning who produced coffee led her to want to understand the global trading system and advocate for greater equity within it.
Her career later moved into green coffee through work with Mighty Peace Coffee, a Democratic Republic of Congo-focused importer that has since ceased operations, and then Anthem Coffee Imports. Carlson said those roles gave her experience cupping and selecting lots and building relationships with producers and exporters across Latin America, East Africa and Asia. She launched Coffeekris in 2025, drawing on those existing industry relationships.
Carlson also described the personal support she received from Revocup’s owners, colleagues and community after her mother died by suicide six months after Carlson started working there. She said the experience shaped her ability to discuss her career without separating professional development from personal support. The interview also notes her industry involvement, including competing as a Glitter Cat Roaster, volunteering as a U.S. Coffee Roasters Championship stage manager and receiving a 2022 Diedrich Roasters scholarship through the Coffee Roasters Guild.
“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, founder of Coffeekris, speaking to Daily Coffee News
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Sales Figures and Model Details
The interview does not include sales records, customer counts, revenue, profit figures or a precise definition of the container-equivalent sales Carlson reported. It is also unclear how much coffee was sold to repeat customers, how much was shipped during the first year, and whether the business has continued growing at the same pace since that period.
The article describes Coffeekris’ current portfolio as 11 importing partners, but does not list all of them or explain the terms of each representation agreement. Carlson’s comments about transparency and ethical sourcing reflect her account of the company’s practices; the interview does not provide a third-party audit or detailed criteria for evaluating those claims. The supplied interview excerpt ends partway through Carlson’s answer about what troubles her in coffee, so her full response on that subject is not available here.
ethical coffee beans from importers
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How Coffeekris Develops Its Portfolio
The published interview does not announce a new launch, expansion plan or sales target. The next developments to watch are whether Coffeekris adds or changes importing partners, how it serves roasters at different purchasing scales, and whether Carlson provides further detail on the business’s sales and sourcing practices. For now, the reported first-year figure and the 11-partner portfolio are the main measures of the company’s progress available in the source.
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Key Questions
What is Coffeekris?
Coffeekris is a Kansas City-based green coffee business founded by Kris Carlson in 2025. It connects roasters with coffees offered by a network of importing partners.
How does Coffeekris’ sourcing model work?
Carlson said she acts as an authorized representative for importers and helps roasters source coffees through one point of contact. She said the importers compensate her for the connection and Coffeekris clients pay the same prices they would by buying directly from those importers.
How much coffee did Coffeekris sell in its first year?
Carlson reported sales equivalent to more than 10 containers, compared with her initial hope of selling one container’s worth. The interview does not give audited sales figures or define the exact period and basis used for the container-equivalent estimate.
Which importers work with Coffeekris?
The interview names Swift Coffee Sourcing, Optimist Coffee Traders and Benchmark Coffee Traders among Coffeekris’ partners. Carlson said the portfolio currently includes 11 importing partners in total.
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