Colby Barr and Ryan O'Donovan opened in Santa Cruz on November 19, 2007, after scouting several Bay Area sites. Verve works directly with producers wherever possible and, Roast reported in 2023, typically has a key partner in each sourcing country. Its Farmlevel Summit held its first edition at the Los Angeles roastery in 2019, and the 2022 edition brought key partners from across Latin America to Los Angeles.
Roast reported 19 cafés across Northern California, Los Angeles, and Tokyo in October 2023, and Verve's locations page lists a Market Street café in San Francisco. The October 2026 new arrivals on its site include Guatemala La Nueva Montaña, Kenya Kiunyu, and Honduras Juan Benitez.