Episode 14: How Kahwa Coffee Became One of St. Pete’s Most Recognizable Local Brands
Updated: May 22
In Episode 14 of Talkin’ St. Pete, Ryan Bogden sits down with Raphael Perrier, founder of Kahwa Coffee, to talk about how the company started, why he believed in St. Pete before many others did, and how a small wholesale roasting business grew into one of the most recognized local coffee brands in the area.
This episode is about much more than coffee. It is about vision, community, growth, hospitality, and believing in St. Pete long before the city became nationally recognized.
How Kahwa Coffee Started in St. Pete
Before Kahwa Coffee existed, Raphael was working in Philadelphia at La Colombe, one of the most respected coffee companies in the country.
After studying marketing at Temple University, he entered the coffee industry through a barista job that eventually turned into managing coffee shops and working in wholesale coffee distribution.
That experience gave him a deep understanding of roasting, sourcing, blending, hospitality, and customer service.
Later, Raphael and his wife Sarah moved to St. Pete after spending years visiting the city and realizing how much potential it had.
At the time, St. Pete looked very different.
There were fewer local coffee companies, fewer independent businesses, and far less national attention on Downtown St. Pete than there is today.
But Raphael saw something in the city early.
He believed St. Pete had everything people wanted:
great weather, waterfront views, strong community, walkability, local culture, and room to grow.
So in 2006, Kahwa Coffee was born.
Why Kahwa Started With Wholesale Instead of Coffee Shops
One of the most interesting parts of the episode is hearing why Kahwa originally focused on wholesale roasting instead of opening cafés immediately.
Raphael explains that he wanted people to recognize the coffee brand first before opening retail locations.
So instead of launching coffee shops right away, Kahwa started by roasting coffee and supplying local restaurants, cafés, and businesses throughout St. Pete.
That strategy worked.
By the time Kahwa opened its first coffee shop two years later, locals were already familiar with the name because they had been drinking the coffee around town.
Today, Kahwa Coffee has:
14 retail locations
Over 800 wholesale customers
Partnerships throughout Tampa Bay and beyond
A growing franchise expansion model
It’s a great example of building a local brand slowly and intentionally.
What Makes Kahwa More Than Just Coffee
One of the best parts of this episode is hearing Raphael explain how much thought goes into every part of Kahwa Coffee.
From the beginning, Kahwa was never built to be just another coffee brand. Raphael brought years of experience from the coffee and hospitality world, and used that background to create blends that were intentional, balanced, and consistent.
Instead of focusing only on single-origin coffees, Kahwa became known for carefully crafted blends. Raphael explains how each bean plays a role, from body and acidity to sweetness, and how the right blend creates the kind of coffee people want to come back to.
That focus on quality helped Kahwa stand out early, but one major turning point helped put the brand in front of a much bigger audience. Through a connection with legendary French chef Paul Bocuse’s organization, Kahwa Coffee became part of the French pavilion at EPCOT. That partnership gave the brand credibility and helped open doors with more restaurants, cafés, hotels, and hospitality spaces across Florida.
Today, Kahwa can be found far beyond its original St. Pete roasting roots, including luxury resorts, major hospitality destinations, and high-profile events like the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
But even with all that growth, one thing is clear in the episode: Kahwa is still rooted in hospitality.
It’s about the coffee, but it’s also about the people. It’s about the meetings, conversations, morning routines, local partnerships, and community moments that happen around a cup of coffee.
That’s why Kahwa fits so well in St. Pete. It has grown with the city while still holding onto the local connection that made people support it in the first place.
St. Pete’s Growth and the Future of the City
Raphael has now watched St. Pete evolve for nearly two decades.
One of the strongest parts of the conversation is hearing him talk about how many people around the country are now paying attention to St. Pete in a way they never did before.
And while growth brings challenges, he believes the city is still just getting started.
The episode touches on:
Rising costs for businesses
Housing affordability
The growth of local entrepreneurship
The importance of preserving local culture
Why supporting local businesses matters more than ever
At the same time, Raphael remains optimistic about where St. Pete is headed.
He believes the city can continue growing while still protecting the local identity that makes people want to live here in the first place.
More Than Just a Coffee Company
One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is that Kahwa Coffee is not just about coffee.
It is about hospitality.
It is about relationships.
It is about creating places where people meet, work, connect, and build community.
Coffee shops have become gathering places throughout St. Pete, and Kahwa has played a major role in helping shape that culture across the city.
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