One of Portland's oldest coffee roasters has been sold to a longtime California company.

Groundwork Coffee Co., a California-based organic roasting company, has acquired Portland's 43-year-old Kobos Coffee, and its Northwest cafe at 2355 N.W. Vaughn Street, in an undisclosed deal.

The company, founded in 1990 in Venice Beach, is now the largest organic coffee roaster in the Los Angeles area, operating eight cafes and distributing coffee to more than 900 food service and grocery stores across the country. This is Groundwork's first expansion outside of California in 26 years.

In Portland, Groundwork is planning to renovate the Northwest Kobos cafe location. The completed space is expected to open mid-summer and will likely offer a menu of its dozen plus "Signature Blend" roasts, single origin coffees, bottled cold brew, single estate and blended teas, tisanes and more. The cafe will continue to offer coffee during construction.

Kobos' downtown Portland cafe, at 200 S.W. Market St., will close due to the end of the lease. The landlord is planning to remodel the building. Kobos staff will be offered "opportunities to grow their positions within the new Groundwork company," according to a press release.

Founded in 1973 by Dave and Susan Kobos, Kobos Coffee helped lay the foundation for the city's robust specialty coffee scene. For the next several months, Dave Kobos will remain a hands-on figure at the company to help with the transition.

This is the second major Portland coffee acquisition in the past year. Last October, San Francisco coffee giant Peet's Coffee & Tea obtained ownership of Stumptown Coffee Roasters from its existing shareholders in an undisclosed deal.

-- Samantha Bakall

sbakall@oregonian.com

Follow @sambakall