Miami · United States
Panther Coffee
Panther Coffee roasts in Miami, Florida.
Since 2010 · Joel Pollock, Leticia Pollock
Overview
Panther was founded in 2010 by coffee veterans Joel and Leticia Pollock, who arrived in Miami from a cross-country road trip with a 1927 Probat roaster and opened in Wynwood months before Tony Goldman's Wynwood Walls debuted next door — Goldman became their landlord and deferred rent while the business found its footing. Panther anchored Miami's specialty scene for over a decade before expanding to a second roastery in Joel's hometown of Traverse City, Michigan in 2020, and opened a Shopify-partnered Manhattan popup at 131 Greene Street in early 2024.
Known for
- Miami's defining third-wave coffee roaster
- Vintage 1927 Perfekt roaster sourced from Lighthouse Roasters Seattle
- Wynwood Arts District flagship (2010)
- World's 100 Best Coffee Shops (2025)
- Café Cocano Haiti drying-bed and burlap-upcycling partnerships
Why it matters
Panther proved that third-wave specialty could thrive in a market dominated by Cuban café culture, then anchored the Wynwood arts neighborhood as it transformed from postindustrial fringe to design destination — the rare coffee company whose growth tracks a city's gentrification arc directly.
Production
- head roaster
- Mike (head roaster, surname not publicly disclosed in surveyed sources)
- roaster machine
- 1927 Perfekt drum roaster (Wynwood) — refurbished by Lighthouse Roasters Seattle, runs on natural gas; second roastery in Traverse City, Michigan
- roastery location
- Wynwood, Miami, Florida + Traverse City, Michigan
Café
Wynwood flagship on NW 2nd Avenue + Brickell, MiMo, Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, Little Haiti (Miami HQ)
Recognitions
- World's 100 Best Coffee Shops (2025)
- Good Food Awards (multiple years)
- Monocle Magazine Top 10 Coffee Shops in the World
- USA Today Best Coffee Shops in America (2014)
- Zagat 21 Hottest Coffee Shops in the U.S. (2015)
- U.S. Barista Championship 5th place