Florida's largest independent coffee roaster now has a drive-thru on US 19 in Palm Harbor.

Kahwa Coffee, which the St. Petersburg-based company calls the state's biggest indie roaster, opened its newest location at 32700 US Hwy 19 N. on June 24, giving Palm Harbor residents a local option for house-roasted beans. The shop is also the brand's first-ever franchise location, operated by Chris and Pita Deneault, who signed their franchise agreement in October 2022.

Free coffee grand opening Aug. 17

Kahwa announced on Instagram that the Palm Harbor location will celebrate its official grand opening with free coffee all day on Monday, Aug. 17, at 32700 US-19 North.

The Palm Harbor café offers indoor and outdoor seating, a drive-thru and mobile app ordering for drive-thru pickup, according to Kahwa's website. The menu includes the full Kahwa espresso lineup, cold brew steeped 18 to 24 hours, nitro cold brew, iced lattes and fresh-baked pastries such as croissants, bacon and egg bites, and breakfast sandwiches. Hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. The phone number is (727) 777-0663.

The company's website positions the shop as "minutes from Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, and East Lake," making it a regional stop along the US-19 corridor.

Christopher Deneault grew up in Palm Harbor and previously worked in customer service at Chick-fil-A before launching the location alongside his parents, Business Debut reported in February 2025. The Deneaults signed their lease in June 2024, but hurricanes Helene and Milton delayed preparation, pushing the planned April opening to June. An extensive bathroom remodel required after a building inspection added further delays.

"We went to several of the shops around the area. We just liked the vibe and how it worked," Chris Deneault told the St. Pete Catalyst in July. "It was something that I could see myself doing for the rest of my life."

Kahwa operates a Dunedin location at 1520 County Rd 1, meaning the company now has two shops serving the Palm Harbor-Dunedin corridor.

Palm Harbor marks fifth franchise as brand scales up

The Palm Harbor shop is the fifth franchise location Kahwa has opened since launching its franchise program in September 2022. Approximately 15 more franchise locations are in the works, with a St. Pete Beach shop expected later in 2026. Combined with more than 15 corporate-owned standalone shops in Florida and Texas and over 1,000 wholesale accounts, the franchise push represents Kahwa's most aggressive growth phase since Raphael and Sarah Perrier founded the company in St. Petersburg in 2006.

Bigger roasting operation behind the beans

The Palm Harbor opening comes as Kahwa undergoes its largest expansion yet. The company moved into a 24,742-square-foot headquarters at 4001 35th St. N. in St. Petersburg in May, nearly 77% larger than its previous 14,000-square-foot facility, the St. Pete Catalyst reported on Aug. 6.

The new headquarters houses Kahwa's roasting operation, production space and corporate offices. Renovations included constructing a separation wall between production and office areas, installing new flooring and additional roll-up doors, and repainting the former post office building. The facility sits in the Petersburg Commerce Center, a three-building industrial park. Co-founders Raphael and Sarah Perrier each have their own offices in the new space.

"I think it's the next step for us as a company to keep on expanding," Raphael Perrier told the Catalyst. "We want to create coffee classes and barista classes. We have the space now to do that. We also have 10,000 more square feet to keep on growing."

The headquarters also includes a training center with a replica café built to educate employees. Perrier said coffee and barista classes open to the public are expected to launch in September or October. Kahwa plans an official grand opening for the new headquarters this fall.