Coffee in Helena
Helena coffee roasters start on Last Chance Gulch, where Fire Tower Coffee House roasts organic beans in house, and reach out to East Helena, where Galaxy Roasting has roasted since 2001. Helena is also where Morning Light began roasting in 1988 and where Florence Coffee opened its first shop. Last Best Coffee Club sends a bag from a different independent Montana roaster in every box.
Helena's coffee story
Morning Light Coffee Roasters started in Helena in 1988. A year later it opened a warehouse roasting plant and coffee house in Great Falls, and it roasts there today. (Source: the Morning Light profile.)
Florence Coffee Company opened its first shop in Helena, after its first coffee stand in Florence, and Alisha, one of the four founders, managed it. The company still has a Helena shop at 2102 N. Last Chance Gulch. (Source: the Florence profile.)
Galaxy Roasting in East Helena began roasting in 2001 to supply The Bagel Company, a longtime Helena favorite, according to Galaxy's own history page.
Fire Tower Coffee House opened on Last Chance Gulch in 2013 under Nord Johnson, who still owns it. The room is known for its record collection, signed guitars and decor that keeps changing. (Source: the Fire Tower profile.)
A coffee house that roasts its own beans keeps the whole job in Helena, from the roaster to the cook. Buying from it keeps it that way, which is the short version of why local roasters matter.
Roasters in and near Helena
- Fire Tower Coffee House and Roasters, 422 North Last Chance Gulch. Every retail bean it sells is organic: an espresso roast, an Ethiopian light roast and a Mexican French dark roast, whole or ground.
- Galaxy Roasting, East Helena. It started roasting to supply a Helena bagel shop and has kept at it since 2001. We have no profile for Galaxy and do not link its site.
- Florence Coffee Company pours in Helena and roasts in Butte. Its Signature Blend, a medium roast of Indonesian with Central and South American coffee, is the family's most popular.
- Morning Light Coffee Roasters roasts in Great Falls now, at 1701 9th Avenue South, with a cafe at the roastery.
The Roast Local directory lists several more roasters in and around Helena, including one in Clancy.
Getting Montana coffee delivered in Helena
With Last Best Coffee Club, a different Montana roaster fills each box. You tell us the roast and style you like, whole bean or ground, and whether you want a box every 2 or 4 weeks. The roaster roasts your 12 oz bag to order and ships it in their own bag, and our packing slip tells you whose coffee it is and what to taste for. It is $16.99 a bag, any roast. The first bag is free and you cover the shipping. Skip, pause or cancel online. Pick your coffee.
- Roasted and shipped within 3 days.
- Free replacement if a bag disappoints.
- A reminder email 3 days before each box.
- Your ratings steer the next bag.
Helena coffee questions
Which Helena coffee house roasts its own beans?
Fire Tower Coffee House on North Last Chance Gulch roasts its organic beans in house. It is open Monday to Saturday mornings and cooks food to order.
Which Montana roaster got its start in Helena?
Morning Light Coffee Roasters started roasting in Helena in 1988, then moved its roasting to Great Falls in 1989.
Does Fire Tower sell a light roast?
Yes. Fire Tower sells an organic Ethiopian light roast, whole bean or ground, as listed on September 27, 2026.
Where is the coffee at Florence Coffee's Helena shop roasted?
In Butte. Florence Coffee roasts for all of its shops at its Butte roastery, including the one on North Last Chance Gulch.
Nearby
Sources
- Roast Local: Montana roasters by town, pulled September 27, 2026
- Roaster details: our profiles of Fire Tower, Florence Coffee and Morning Light, written from each roaster's public pages, read September 27, 2026.
- Galaxy Roasting: its own history page, read September 27, 2026 and not linked.
Updated September 27, 2026.