Even coffee can be high-risk: How Bankful helps merchants brew success

Most people expect “high-risk” industries to mean CBD, firearms, or supplements. But coffee?

Yes — even coffee merchants can get denied by traditional processors. From CBD-infused roasts to cross-border bean sourcing, coffee businesses often find themselves flagged as “too risky” by banks and payment providers. And when payments stall, growth stalls.

At Bankful, we believe underbanked doesn’t mean undervalued. Whether it’s CBD coffee, Haitian roasts, or merchants selling online subscriptions, our mission is to give small businesses the tools, support, and payment flexibility they need to thrive.

Today, we want to highlight two coffee merchants who prove that even coffee isn’t as simple as it seems — and how Bankful helped them grow.

High Level CBD Coffee: Turning jitters into bliss

After 50+ years in coffee and a decade of cannabis science, the founders of High Level CBD Coffee noticed a growing problem: coffee lovers were dealing with jitters, crashes, and stomach issues.

Their solution? Award-winning CBD-infused coffee that delivers clean energy and calm focus. Using a proprietary infusion method with 25mg of full-spectrum hemp extract, every batch is third-party tested and roasted to order. Their French Roast and Daily Bliss Subscription Bundle have earned rave reviews:

“There is none of that jittery feeling with this coffee, only the good stuff! I feel happy, calm, energetic, and gently blissed out.” – Customer Review

But selling CBD coffee isn’t easy. Many processors refuse to work with CBD or subscription products. That’s where Bankful came in.

“Bankful’s team truly provides human-to-human service. From returning phone calls promptly to answering all of my questions quickly, they make us feel valued. As a small, family-run business, it means everything to have a partner who takes the time to really take care of us.”

– High Level CBD Coffee

With Bankful:

• High-risk CBD products are supported instead of shut out.
• Subscription billing is simplified, fueling recurring revenue and customer retention.
• Rapid Dispute Resolution (RDR) tools help them stay protected against chargebacks.
• Crypto wallet-to-wallet payments are an option for customers who prefer borderless, irreversible transactions.

For a family-run startup, that means less stress about compliance and more focus on brewing products people love. To learn more about High Level CBD Coffee visit their website or follow them on Instagram.

I Need Coffee Jupiter: Community, culture, and compliance

When the pandemic hit, I Need Coffee Jupiter launched a café in Florida to bring the bold taste of Haitian coffee to their community.

Their shop features Singing Rooster’s Haitian Arabica beans, grown at over 4,000 feet in volcanic soil. Every cup helps support Haitian farmers and contributes to Haiti’s GDP. Beyond the beans, they’ve built a community hub with unique seasonal syrups — from brown sugar cinnamon to honey rose. Local favorites like their Haitian cold brew keep customers coming back, even in the Florida heat.

But moving from a local café to a nationwide online business required a payment partner who could handle cross-border products, compliance, and online security.

“Bankful makes payments seamless and secure, freeing us to focus on quality and community. Their support was essential in launching our online store, which now lets us share Haitian coffee and hemp wellness products with customers nationwide.”

– I Need Coffee Jupiter

With Bankful:

• Secure, compliant payments gave them confidence to expand beyond their café.
• Ecommerce onboarding was fast, helping them start selling online during COVID.
• Chargeback prevention tools reduced risk as they grew their national customer base.
• Alternative payments like digital wallets opened doors to customers everywhere.

What began as a small café now ships coffee nationwide, powered by payments that work. To learn more about I Need Coffee Jupiter visit their website or follow them on Instagram.

Why coffee (and more) gets flagged as high-risk

So why do coffee businesses struggle?

• CBD-infused products trigger compliance concerns.
• Cross-border sourcing adds banking scrutiny.
• Subscriptions and consumables raise chargeback risk.
• New startups often lack the history banks demand.

It’s the same story faced by countless small online merchants: they’re underbanked not because they’re untrustworthy, but because traditional processors don’t understand their business.

At Bankful, we built a platform to change that. From chargeback protection to crypto payments to support for startups and niche industries, we give merchants the tools to start, grow, and scale — without fear of being shut out. Because if coffee can be high risk, anything can. And that’s exactly why Bankful exists: to stand behind the merchants who fuel our days, in every industry banks overlook.

☕ Strong coffee. Stronger payments.