About us

Panther Coffee is a specialty coffee company focused on sourcing, roasting, and preparing some of the finest coffees in the world. We roast in small batches, work directly with producers, and work alongside a passionate team to serve coffee with intention and care. Our mission is to serve delicious coffee while creating relationships that are mutually beneficial for everyone involved.

Founded in Miami in 2010, we’ve grown from one roastery café in Wynwood, Miami, to multiple locations across Florida, New York, and Michigan. We support a vast network of wholesale partners—cafés, restaurants, hotels, and markets—and collaborate with companies and organizations around the world on events and activations. Whether you visit us for a single-origin espresso or partner with us for large-scale coffee programs, our commitment is the same: excellence and hospitality.

Panther Coffee was founded by Leticia and Joel Pollock, coffee professionals with more than 40 years of combined experience. They met at a coffee convention and decided to join forces to open a wholesale and retail specialty coffee company. On a visit to Miami in 2008, they noticed that while there were plenty of traditional Cuban coffee shops and a strong community of coffee lovers, the specialty coffee scene hadn’t yet taken root. They felt it was the right place to build something new. The first of many Panther Coffee retail locations opened there and was quickly embraced by the community. More recently, Joel, who grew up in Traverse City, Michigan, helped lead Panther’s expansion there in 2020, establishing a second roasting operation and a deeper connection to his hometown.The name Panther Coffee was inspired by their travels through Latin America, where they noticed how often companies used animals in their branding. That idea became a running conversation during their trips, and when it came time to choose a name, they liked the idea of having an animal in the logo. After some back-and-forth, they landed on Panther. Joel’s cousin Benji Andrews drew up a logo, and the brand took shape.

As our sourcing partnerships have grown, so have our sustainability efforts. Some of the initiatives we support include installing rainwater tanks and planting mosquito-repellent crops in Uganda, working with the Café Cocano cooperative in Haiti to build drying beds and improve processing infrastructure, and repurposing our burlap coffee bags through a women-led artisan group in Haiti. In Miami, our cold brew coffee grounds are composted through a local environmental partnership.

Panther Coffee has been honored to receive recognition for its work both locally and internationally, including:

World's 100 Best Coffee Shops 2025
Good Food Awards - Multiple years
Southeast Regional Barista Competition (SERBC)
United States Barista Competition (USBC) 5th place
Monocle Magazine Top 10 Coffee Shops in the World 
Miami New Times Readers Choice - Multiple years
USA Today Best Coffee Shops in America 2014
Zagat 21 Hottest Coffee Shops in the U.S. 2015
TOP 3 Cold Brewed Coffee in the US by Foursquare