Driftaway Coffee Named 2026 Roaster of the Year
Driftaway Coffee has won Roast Magazine’s 2026 Macro Roaster of the Year award, marking the first time in the award’s 22-year history that a New York roastery has taken home the top prize.
The Brooklyn-based company, founded in 2014 by Anu Menon and Suyog Mody, has built its reputation on an unusual model: an online-first subscription service launched from a one-bedroom apartment, years before the pandemic made direct-to-consumer coffee mainstream.
From Engineers to Roasters
Menon and Suyog came to coffee from engineering and corporate consulting backgrounds, bringing a data-driven approach that Roast Magazine praised as a “scrappy spirit of data collection, experimentation and evolution.” They built their business around The Lean Startup philosophy—testing quickly, gathering feedback, and iterating.
Their signature offering, the Explorer Box, actually emerged from a logistical constraint. Early shipping limitations forced them to send multiple smaller bags instead of one large bag, and customers loved the side-by-side tasting experience so much it became the company’s calling card.
“Give customers the tools to explore and let them decide what they like,” Suyog explains of their approach.
The Numbers Behind the Award
Driftaway roasted 125,683 pounds over the past 12 months, qualifying them for the Macro category (companies roasting over 100,000 pounds annually). They work with 46 wholesale partners while maintaining their direct-to-consumer focus.
The Roaster of the Year award recognizes companies demonstrating superior quality, dedication to sustainability, employee education, and commitment to diversity and inclusion. Driftaway checks every box.
People First, Coffee Always
What sets Driftaway apart goes beyond beans. The company operates under a “People First, Coffee Always” philosophy that shows up in measurable ways: 93% of employees come from underrepresented communities, and all staff earn above New York City’s minimum wage.
On the sourcing side, they’ve established equity metrics in their coffee buying, prioritizing women- and minority-owned farms. Their full pricing transparency lets customers see exactly where their money goes—a practice still rare in specialty coffee.
Sustainability as Standard
Driftaway runs carbon-neutral operations, measuring and offsetting their full footprint including shipping emissions. Their Loring S35 Kestrel roaster—one of the most energy-efficient commercial machines available—supports these goals by reducing fuel consumption and minimizing emissions.
The company also donates to World Coffee Research through their Bean for Bean program, and their Farmer Feedback Program shares consumer input directly with producers, collapsing the typical distance between the people growing coffee and the people drinking it.
Why This Matters
The award signals a shift in what the industry values. Driftaway didn’t win by opening the fanciest café or landing the splashiest wholesale accounts. They won by building systems that work for everyone in the supply chain—from farmers earning fair prices to employees earning fair wages to customers getting transparency and education along with their beans.
For a company that started in an apartment with two engineers who’d never roasted coffee professionally, becoming the first New York winner in over two decades represents more than a trophy. It validates a different way of building a coffee business—one focused less on growth for growth’s sake and more on doing things right at every step.