City Bean Roasters Co‑Founder James Paul Marcotte Dies at 63

James Paul Marcotte, who co-founded City Bean Roasters and became a familiar figure in California and the broader Western U.S. coffee scene, died on February 16, 2026 at the age of 63. Marcotte’s passing removes one of the people credited with building City Bean Roasters into a recognizable regional name.

Marcotte helped establish City Bean Roasters and for many years worked in Western U.S. sales for the company, building relationships with café owners, independent retailers, and regional distributors across California and neighboring states. His role in Western U.S. sales made him a regular contact point for businesses sourcing roasted coffee in the region.

Colleagues and industry contacts noted Marcotte’s deep ties to the local market and his long tenure in the trade; he was widely known within California’s coffee community and among peers throughout the western states. Those who did business with City Bean Roasters over the past decades will recognize the influence of the sales work Marcotte carried out on behalf of the company.

City Bean Roasters loses a founding leader at a moment when the West Coast specialty coffee landscape remains shaped by long-standing roasters and regional networks. Marcotte’s death at 63 marks the end of a career that, through the company he co-founded and the Western U.S. sales responsibilities he carried, intersected with many independent cafés and small roaster operations across the region.

The coffee community that knew James Paul Marcotte by name and through City Bean Roasters now faces the practical and personal task of remembering his contributions while continuing the business and relationships he helped build in California and the Western United States.