Proud Mary Coffee was founded in Melbourne, Australia, in 2009 by Nolan and Shari Hirte. The couple built the business around café hospitality and a growing commitment to buying exceptional coffee at origin. It later expanded to Portland, Oregon, bringing that Australian café background to the United States.

Repeated visits to producers and long-term relationships are central to its sourcing. The selection includes distinctive varieties and small lots from farms such as Finca Sophia in Panama, alongside more familiar coffees intended for everyday drinking.

Proud Mary uses the categories Mild, Curious, Wild and Deluxe to help describe the flavour experience and level of exploration. These are guides to the coffee’s character, rather than a simple scale of roast darkness. The range lets drinkers move from approachable sweetness towards more unusual processing and rare lots while following the people behind the coffees. Roast development follows the lot and the flavour sought, across both filter and espresso coffees.