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Clay Center, Kansas, Kansas · Specialty Coffee Brand Deep Dive

Torch Coffee

Editorial sacred-geometry artwork for Torch Coffee; not a documentary photograph
IndependentRoasts its own coffeeSourcing: Farm level
TagsTorch CoffeeKansas coffee roastersChinaKenyaGuatemalaIndependentFarm levelRoasts in-house
Visit Torch Coffee's site

Torch Coffee is a specialty roaster and green coffee importer that distinguishes itself by maintaining a permanent, year-round presence in coffee-growing regions. By living and working alongside farmers in countries like China and Kenya, they oversee the entire supply chain from experimental processing at the farm level to roasting in their Clay Center, Kansas facility. Their mission centers on radical transparency and building direct, human-centered connections between producers and consumers.

Ownership
Torch Coffee is an independent, family-oriented organization founded by Marty Pollock that operates as a global coffee ecosystem with its US roasting headquarters in Kansas.
Founded
2014
Roasting
Reported to roast in-house.
What it's known for
Torch is known for its unique, vertically integrated model where the team lives at origin in countries like China and Kenya to manage processing, training, and green coffee sourcing directly before roasting the final product in Kansas.
Sourcing countries
China · Kenya · Guatemala
Farm-level sourcing
The brand emphasizes deep, long-term partnerships at origin, working directly with farmers and cooperatives to develop custom processing protocols. They focus on single-origin coffees and specific processing experiments rather than bulk blending, often highlighting the specific regions and washing stations where they maintain a year-round presence.
Notable coffees
  • — Tiger Tail (blend)
  • — Thunderhead (blend)
  • — Comfort and Joy (seasonal blend)
  • — Stardust
In the news

Recent news and media coverage about Torch Coffee, as documented by outside outlets. We link to the original reporting and do not rewrite or endorse it.

2026-06-29 · KCLY Radio
Torch, Clay Center Coffee Company, Launches New Product

Clay Center-based Torch Coffee has introduced a new ready-to-drink cold brew lemonade, a beverage inspired by the traditional Mazagran. The product features the company's signature Tiger Tail blend mixed with real lemons and turbinado sugar, packaged in 12-ounce slim cans.

Sources used in this deep dive
Research disclosure — this profile was compiled from public online sources on 2026-10-22. This company overview is not a tasting review. Original tasting reviews are labeled separately when they exist. Ownership, roasting and sourcing details are attributed to documented sources. While the brand's founding year is cited as 2014 in relation to their initial work in Yunnan, China, the exact incorporation date of the US-based roasting entity in Clay Center is not explicitly documented.

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