Shopify Masters The Unlikely Path That Built Our 7-Figure Coffee Brand
Dec 30, 2025
Casey Watalevich and Allie Walsh, co-founders of Canyon Coffee, share their unique journey in building a seven-figure coffee brand. They discuss how their nontraditional backgrounds fueled a design-first approach, targeting boutiques instead of cafes. The duo emphasizes organic sourcing and community engagement, using creative content marketing to foster growth. From thoughtful packaging to the challenges of bootstrapping, their story highlights innovative strategies that prioritized sustainability and relationships, all while navigating industry shifts.
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From Travel Ritual To Brand Mission
- Allie and Casey discovered pour-over coffee while traveling and made it a daily ritual that inspired Canyon's mission of adding warmth to life.
- They built the brand to fill a gap they saw in specialty coffee aesthetics and organic sourcing, not from industry expertise but personal passion.
Sell Where Coffee Isn't Sold
- Canyon entered unconventional wholesale channels like boutiques and gift shops to reach customers who display beautiful ceramics and books.
- Design and aesthetic fit next to lifestyle products became a strategic distribution advantage early on.
Use Local Relationships To Start Wholesale
- Use existing personal relationships and local shop knowledge to get early wholesale accounts and run pour-over tastings to win placement.
- Start small and scale case counts as demand grows, using pop-ups to convert curious customers into repeat buyers.