Black & White Coffee Roasters

Black & White Coffee Roasters was founded in 2017 by Kyle Ramage and Lem Butler in Raleigh, North Carolina. The two are not unknown in competitive circles — Lem Butler has been a consistent presence in U.S. barista competition — and that competition DNA shows in the roastery's emphasis on traceable, producer-named single origins with tightly dialed roast profiles. Its tagline, 'exceptional coffee, kept simple,' undersells the technical operation behind it.

What began as a Raleigh roastery has grown into a 14,000-square-foot production facility roasting roughly 10,000 pounds per week, with three retail locations in the area and a presence at RDU airport. The operation also ships nationally through an online shop structured around weekly drops, alongside a wholesale program and an expanding instant coffee line — a trajectory that, per RDU.com, has taken the brand well beyond its Triangle-area roots.

The roasting floor runs three Loring machines: an S15 Falcon, an S35 Kestrel, and an S70 Peregrine. Director of Roasting and Operations Matt Ferraro described the lineup to Fresh Cup as 'the Falcon as the sports car and the Peregrine as the bus or freight train — the 35-kilo Kestrel is our daily driver.' Quality control leans on a Sovda Pearl Mini Optical Sorter for defect detection alongside a dedicated cupping lab. The sourcing skews producer-specific — current offerings name individual farmers like Jose Jijón (Ecuador), Nahun Fernandez (Honduras), and Oscar Hernandez — and the roastery runs a 'Young Producers Project' highlighting emerging growers. Processing ranges from clean washed lots to natural co-ferments, with a 'Black Label' tier and 'Grand Reserve' designations reserved for the most limited material.