How Kahwa Coffee Roasters’ distributor brewed a deal with Publix

St. Pete’s beloved Kahwa Coffee Roasters chain has sprouted from local storefronts to having its products on the shelves of retailers – and notably in Publix supermarkets through an exclusive agreement. 

Kahwa, founded 15 years ago by Sarah and Raphael Perrier, has its wholesale products in hotels, local restaurants, 15 Kahwa-branded storefronts and in over 80 Publix  locations, whether it’s on the shelves or available at Publix’s in-store cafes.  

The latest Publix store to open with Kahwa products is Tampa’s first GreenWise Market in Water Street, which debuted this week. 

The Kahwa station in Publix’s new GreenWise Market in Water Street. Photo courtesy of Raphael Perrier.

“The Publix team members have really embraced the whole brand. When you have people behind the bar who know about our coffee and have been trained about the brand, that’s half the battle,” said Raphael Perrier. 

The Water Street Market is the ninth GreenWise store Kahwa has its products in. 

Perrier said the integration into Publix-branded cafes was made possible through its Tampa-based distributor TBS Beverage Solutions, which distributes coffees, teas, kombuchas and specialty items in all-natural health food segments. 

“We developed a relationship with Kahwa nine years ago as our exclusive coffee client and we worked with them differently than any other brand. Most distributors manage the logistics, but we handled the sales, services and have a dedicated staff to drive Kahwa’s product,” said Sean Kersting, President of TBS, stating TBS’ primary business dealings are in St. Pete. 

“We first engaged with Publix at a Florida-based trade show. Publix representatives came up to our sales executive Tommy Sivert at TBS’ booth and gave us an opportunity to do a tasting with Publix.”

Sivert then brought Publix executives to Kahwa’s roastery and gave them a tour of TBS’ training center in Tampa where they train baristas on Kahwa’s brand.  

The conversations with Publix lead to an agreement that was inked four years ago in an undisclosed amount. 

Publix did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The Kahwa pours at the in-store cafes typically offer a condensed menu from the stand-alone Kahwa locations, and a big fan favorite are the cold-brewed coffees. 

In addition to growing its brand in Publix’s markets, Kahwa recently opened a drive-thru Dunedin location in late June. The chain converted an old building used by a dry cleaning business into a new location with inside and outside seating. 

A rendering of Kahwa Coffee’s 4th Street location constructed from reclaimed shipping containers. The photo is from Kahwa. 

Kahwa is currently in the permitting process to open a drive-thru location on 4th Street. The cafe will be constructed from three reclaimed shipping containers. Perrier said he hopes to open the new drive-thru this year. 

Perrier is also interested in adding two new drive-thru locations in the Tampa Bay area, and is considering expanding the physical footprint to Orlando and Lakeland.