South Carolina Coffee Roasters

Charleston and Greenville together anchor the modern South Carolina specialty coffee scene. Charleston has King Bean, Liberty Beans, Second State, and Big Kick Coffee — 11 active independent roasters serving a downtown, peninsula, and West Ashley market that's grown into specialty coffee alongside the city's nationally-cited restaurant scene. Mt Pleasant's Tidal Grounds and James Island's Muddy Waters Coffee Bar extend the Lowcountry corridor. Ravenel's Carolina Coffee Works covers the western reach. Charleston's coffee scene tends toward small-batch single-cafe operations rather than multi-location chains, which keeps the customer-roaster relationship close.

Greenville's coffee scene runs distinct from Charleston's — anchored by Bridge City Coffee, Coffee Underground, Cohesive, and Early Goat Coffee Co. The 14 active independent roasters here serve a downtown that's been steadily rebuilt over the last fifteen years into one of the most acclaimed small-city food-and-design scenes in the South. Travelers Rest brings Tandem, a regional indie with strong wholesale presence. Easley has Yellow Bike Coffee Roasters. Anderson's Mull Tree extends the Upstate corridor southward. The Upstate stretch — Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Easley, Travelers Rest — increasingly functions as a single specialty market.

Beyond the two anchor cities, South Carolina's coffee scene reaches across the state. Columbia — home to USC — has Curiosity Coffee Bar and Indah Coffee Co. Cayce's Piecewise Coffee extends the capital metro. Myrtle Beach brings Beach Hippie, Birchin Lane, Caspin, and Grand Strand Coffee — four roasters in the Grand Strand tourist corridor. Hilton Head Island has its own Hilton Head Island Coffee Roasters. Bluffton brings Grind Coffee Roasters. Pawleys Island, Rock Hill (Cheza Roastworks, Rock Hill Coffee), Anderson (Mull Tree), Seneca (Blackwater), Saint Andrews (Mac's Java), Irmo (Loveland), and North Augusta (Overwatch — also serving Beaufort and Port Royal) round out a state whose 78 active independent roasters cover the Lowcountry, the Upstate, the coast, and the Sandhills.