Dave Lanning

Dave Lanning is the founder and CEO of Dave's Coffee, a Rhode Island-based artisan coffee roaster and espresso bar that has grown from a single café to a wholesale brand distributed in upscale supermarkets, restaurants, and cafes across the region.

Before launching Dave's Coffee, Lanning worked as a draftsman for E. R. Smith Associates. He founded the company in 1998, starting with a small café in the back room of a historic 1740 farmhouse in Charlestown, Rhode Island. The early focus was on espresso preparation, but Lanning soon expanded into roasting.

By 2003, Dave's Coffee had become a full roasting operation. Lanning began roasting Brazilian beans for whole bean sales and introduced a signature line of coffee syrups crafted with pure cane sugar. These syrups became a grocery-store staple and helped establish the brand beyond Rhode Island.

The company's cold-brewed coffee and coffee milk syrup—a Rhode Island classic—became signature products. Under Lanning's leadership, Dave's Coffee maintains its roots while serving customers throughout the Northeast, with the founder still hands-on with roasting and product development.