At a glance
- Roasts inPortland, OR
- Founded2009
- Founded byBruce Milletto and Matt Milletto
- CafesPortland
- VisitorsOpen to the public
Water Avenue Coffee is one of the beloved local roasters we follow in Oregon: an independent roaster based in Portland, founded in 2009. Here is what their own pages and public sources say about them, in our words.
Their story
Water Avenue began roasting small batches in the winter of 2009 near the Willamette River in Portland's Southeast Industrial District. Its founders, father and son Bruce and Matt Milletto, had spent decades training and advising coffee businesses. Bruce Milletto founded Bellissimo Coffee Advisors in 1991 and opened the American Barista and Coffee School with Matt in 2003. They set up the roaster and cafe in the same building as the school, around a vintage 1974 French-built Samiac roaster bought from a company in Switzerland. Before the cafe opened in June 2010, the company roasted two pounds at a time for a handful of wholesale customers. It won a Best Bean in Portland award for 2010, and Seattle Weekly named its El Salvador Pacamara the best espresso of 2011.
In September 2015 it moved roasting into a remodeled warehouse with three new Proaster roasters and a larger training lab. Staff get health insurance, education credits and paid volunteer hours, and every year several team members travel to the farms, mostly in Central America, that grow its coffee. The company was sold to Harder Day Coffee in August 2024.
What they roast
Roast levels run medium and dark. House blends include Bull Run (flagship blend), Blue Creek (house blend, medium), Boxcar, Canoe, Rogue Valley Dark Roast and Cold Brew Blend (organic, medium). Single origins on the list when we checked: Guatemala San Antonio La Paz (washed), Colombia Bochica (washed), Ethiopia Limmu Kossa (washed) and Indonesia Sumatra Mutu Batak (wet-hulled). Velvet Falls Decaf, a water processed version of the Bull Run blend. Offerings change with the seasons, so this is what their own pages listed on 2026-09-27.
Where to drink it
The roasting warehouse is will call by appointment only. The flagship cafe on SE Water Ave and two downtown cafes are open to the public.
- Flagship Cafe: 1028 SE Water Ave, Suite 145, Portland
- Southwest (Clyde Hotel): 1026 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland
- Wells Fargo Center Lobby: 1300 SW 5th Ave, Portland
Address
1215 SE 8th Ave, Suite G, Portland, OR
Roasting warehouse (will call by appointment).
Why buying from Water Avenue Coffee matters here
The company says 90% or more of what it roasts is hand delivered to partners within 50 miles of its Portland roastery. Its River Trip blend supports Human Access Project, which works to connect Portlanders to the Willamette River. It makes partner coffees with Oregon groups, including Bird Alliance of Oregon, The Freshwater Trust, Portland State University and the Rose City Track Club. Co-founder Matt Milletto is a past president of the Oregon Coffee Board.
The Boxcar blend is pitched as a toast to SE Portland's Central Eastside.
Every bag bought from a Portland roaster pays roasting and cafe wages in Oregon, and the coffee reaches you days after roasting instead of months. That is the reason the club exists. Why local roasters matter.
About this listing
Listed as a local favorite. A listing does not mean Water Avenue Coffee is part of the club.
Are you Water Avenue Coffee? Email roasters@multnomahcoffeeclub.com to correct or remove this page.
More Oregon roasters
- Heart Coffee Roasters, Portland
- Trailhead Coffee Roasters, Portland
- Roseline Coffee, Portland