Sey Coffee

Overview

Sey Coffee is a contemporary micro-roastery based in Brooklyn that specializes in single-origin, specialty-grade coffees roasted with minimal intervention to highlight the beans' inherent characteristics. The company has built a reputation for pursuing Nordic-style flavor profiles—bright, clean, and complex—while maintaining transparency throughout the supply chain from sourcing to roasting. Sey earned recognition as Food & Wine's #1 Coffee Shop in America in 2019, establishing itself as a notable player in the specialty coffee market despite its small scale.

History

Founded in 2013 by Lance Schnorenberg and Tobin Polk, the company initially operated under the name Lofted Coffee before rebranding to Sey (spelled backwards) in 2017. The founders opened their flagship location in Bushwick, Brooklyn, building a dedicated customer base around their commitment to quality and sustainability. Over the past decade, the company has earned industry accolades while maintaining focus on sourcing exceptional beans and minimal roasting practices that preserve coffee complexity.

Product Lines

Manufacturing

Sey roasts coffee in-house at its Brooklyn facility using minimal roasting techniques designed to fully express the beans' characteristics. The company sources green beans directly from producing partners around the world, emphasizing relationships and transparency in the supply chain rather than outsourcing production.

Notable Products

• Single-Origin Seasonal Offerings - Rotating selection of single-origin coffees sourced from specialty producers worldwide, roasted to highlight unique flavor profiles
• Nordic-Style Roasts - Light to medium roasts emphasizing bright acidity and clean flavor expression characteristic of Nordic coffee preferences
• Direct Trade Coffees - Beans sourced through direct relationships with producing partners, emphasizing sustainability and fair compensation

Reputation

Sey is regarded as a serious player in specialty coffee circles, known for uncompromising quality standards and transparency in sourcing and roasting practices. The brand appeals to coffee enthusiasts seeking complex, nuanced flavors and values ethical sourcing. While highly respected within specialty coffee communities, the micro-roastery's limited production scale and premium pricing restrict its reach to a niche market of dedicated coffee aficionados rather than mainstream consumers.