Sidecar Coffee
Sidecar Coffee is a Cedar Falls, Iowa-based specialty coffee roaster and retailer operating five cafes across Cedar Falls and Waterloo, with a LEED-certified Waterloo roasting facility, online shop, coffee subscriptions, Iowa wholesale distribution, and a mobile coffee truck serving regional events.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersCedar Falls, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sidecar Coffee does
Sidecar Coffee is a privately held, locally owned specialty coffee roaster and retailer headquartered in Cedar Falls, Iowa, founded in November 2012. The company sources green coffee from named origins including Guatemala, Mexico, and El Salvador through direct-trade relationships, roasts in small batches, and holds Bird Friendly Certification on selected SKUs. Its core technology is a small-batch roasting operation housed in a LEED-certified historic Wonder Bread Bakery in Waterloo, Iowa, where approximately 35–40 staff roast, deliver, prepare, and serve coffee.
The company sells through five owned-and-operated cafes across Cedar Falls and Waterloo (College Hill, 1st & Hudson, Viking Road, Ridgeway, and Grand Crossing), an e-commerce site for shipped retail and gift-card sales, a recurring coffee subscription program, wholesale to retail locations throughout Iowa, and a mobile coffee truck serving the Cedar Falls Farmer's Market and regional events within a 75-mile radius. Coffee products are priced by weight and grind type, generally $14.99–$21.99 for 12–16 oz whole bean or ground coffee, with a three-month gift subscription priced at $150.
The customer base is almost entirely consumer — local Cedar Valley residents and Iowa households buying for home brewing — with no disclosed enterprise or institutional anchors. No outside funding rounds, acquisitions, partnerships, or AI/ML technology initiatives are recorded in the source data, indicating a bootstrapped, founder- or locally-owned regional specialty coffee operator with a multi-channel but single-state footprint.
Sidecar Coffee firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sidecar Coffee
- Legal name
- Sidecar Coffee
- Website
- https://sidecarcoffee.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Sidecar Coffee is a Cedar Falls, Iowa-based specialty coffee roaster and retailer operating five cafes across Cedar Falls and Waterloo, with a LEED-certified Waterloo roasting facility, online shop, coffee subscriptions, Iowa wholesale distribution, and a mobile coffee truck serving regional events.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sidecar Coffee industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee Roasting and Cafe Retail
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAD)
Keywords
Where Sidecar Coffee is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cedar Falls
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Sidecar Coffee business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Cafe Sales: Revenue from five company-owned cafe locations selling coffee beverages and related products directly to consumers in Cedar Falls and Waterloo.
- Coffee and Merchandise Sales: Direct sales of whole bean coffee, merchandise, and other products through online shop and in-cafe retail.
- Coffee Subscription: Recurring subscription service for regular coffee delivery to customers. Gift subscription available as a 3-month option.
- Wholesale: Bulk coffee sales to retail locations throughout Iowa.
- Coffee Truck Events: Mobile coffee service at Cedar Falls Farmer's Market and special events within a 75-mile radius of Cedar Falls/Waterloo.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Coffee products priced by weight and grind type |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Coffee Lovers Gift Subscription |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels2 records
Sidecar Coffee product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sidecar Coffee handcrafts and small-batch roasts specialty coffees sourced from regions including Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, and Ethiopia. The company sells whole bean and ground coffee through five company-owned cafes in Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Iowa, an online shop, a recurring subscription service, and wholesale distribution to retail partners across Iowa. Additional offerings include a mobile coffee truck serving events and a LEED-certified roasting facility in Waterloo.
Product overview
Sidecar Coffee is a locally owned Cedar Valley coffee roaster and retailer offering handcrafted coffee products and cafe services. The product portfolio centers on small-batch roasted whole bean and ground coffees available in multiple roast profiles (espresso, dark, medium, and single origins), sold alongside gift cards and subscription services. The company operates five cafe locations in Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Iowa, and maintains a LEED-certified roasting facility in Waterloo. Additional offerings include a mobile coffee truck for events and wholesale coffee for retail partners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Kick-Start Espresso Sidecar's flagship espresso blend consisting of high-grown Guatemala Huehuetenango, Mexico Finca Zacamitla, and direct trade El Salvador Finca La Joya. Available in whole bean or ground formats priced from $14.99 to $18.99.
- Mexico Special Dark Part of the Special Dark Series featuring Mexican coffee roasted darker for a fuller-bodied cup. Available in whole bean and ground formats priced from $16.99 to $20.99.
- Sidecar 'Project' Blend Sidecar's signature house blend featuring handcrafted small-batch roasted coffee. Available in multiple grind options and sizes, priced from $14.99 to $18.99.
- Ethiopia Guji Single origin coffee from the Ethiopia Guji region, hand-roasted in small batches. Priced from $17.99 to $21.99 across whole bean and ground formats.
- Guatemala Huehuetenango Classic Guatemala microlot with Bird Friendly Certification. Balanced cup with amaretto and mellow cooked citrus zest flavors. Priced from $16.99 to $20.99.
- Decaffeinated Sidecar Project Blend Decaffeinated version of Sidecar's signature Project Blend house coffee, available in whole bean and ground options priced from $14.99 to $18.99.
- Almost French Roast Dark roast coffee delivering smooth and bold flavor without the bitter or burnt aftertaste of traditional overly dark roasts. Available in whole bean, coarse, or drip grind formats priced from $14.99 to $18.99.
- Premium Single Origin Coffee Premium single origin coffee offering from Sidecar Coffee, available in select grind and size options priced from $2.50 to $17.00.
- Sidecar Gift Cards Digital gift cards available for purchase at cafe locations, redeemable for coffee beverages, retail products, and subscription purchases across all Sidecar locations.
- Coffee Subscription Recurring subscription service delivering freshly roasted Sidecar coffee on a regular cadence to subscribers' homes.
- The Coffee Lover's Gift Subscription A 3-month gift subscription delivering freshly roasted coffee to a recipient over a fixed period. Priced at $150.00.
- Mobile Coffee Truck Service Mobile coffee truck serving the Cedar Falls Farmer's Market (May-October, Saturdays 8:30am-Noon) and special events within a 75-mile radius of Cedar Falls/Waterloo. Travel fees apply beyond 25 miles.
- Sidecar Cafe Locations
Companies that use Sidecar Coffee
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sidecar Coffee technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Sidecar Coffee partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sidecar Coffee competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Colectivo Coffee: Wisconsin-based specialty coffee roaster operating a network of cafes and wholesale distribution across the Upper Midwest. Closely comparable to Sidecar's roastery-cafe model, multi-channel distribution, and regional Midwestern footprint.
- Verve Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster with company-owned cafes and a strong farm-to-cup sourcing program. Comparable to Sidecar in its direct-trade coffee philosophy, single-origin emphasis, and roastery-cafe retail format.
- Heart Coffee Roasters: Portland-based small-batch specialty roaster operating cafes and wholesale channels with light-roast, single-origin emphasis. Comparable in scale, roastery-cafe structure, and specialty positioning.
- Counter Culture Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster focused on sustainability, direct trade, and education-driven wholesale accounts with supporting cafe/tasting bar experiences. Directly comparable on direct-trade sourcing and training-driven wholesale model.
Broad incumbents
- Blue Bottle Coffee: Large specialty coffee company operating cafes, e-commerce, and wholesale. Comparable in single-origin, fresh-roast positioning, but operates as a much larger, venture-backed national player.
- Intelligentsia Coffee: Established specialty coffee roaster with direct-trade sourcing, multiple cafes, and broad wholesale distribution. Comparable in third-wave specialty positioning but operates at significantly larger scale.
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Major specialty coffee roaster with cafes, wholesale, and direct-trade program. Operates in the same third-wave specialty category as Sidecar but at much greater national scale and brand recognition.
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster with cafes, wholesale, and ready-to-drink product lines. Comparable in vertical integration of roastery-cafe and wholesale but at significantly larger scale.
Emerging players
- Onyx Coffee Lab: Specialty coffee roaster with a competition-winning brand, cafe, and growing wholesale presence. Comparable in single-origin, competition-grade positioning and roastery-cafe operations, though with stronger specialty competition credentials.
Regional players
- Perc Coffee: Iowa-based specialty coffee roaster with cafes and wholesale across Iowa and the Midwest. Direct geographic competitor to Sidecar in the Iowa specialty coffee market with comparable roastery-cafe positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sidecar Coffee social profiles
Digital presenceSidecar Coffee financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sidecar Coffee leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Sidecar Coffee funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sidecar Coffee M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sidecar Coffee
What does Sidecar Coffee do?
Sidecar Coffee handcrafts and small-batch roasts specialty coffees sourced from regions including Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, and Ethiopia. The company sells whole bean and ground coffee through five company-owned cafes in Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Iowa, an online shop, a recurring subscription service, and wholesale distribution to retail partners across Iowa. Additional offerings include a mobile coffee truck serving events and a LEED-certified roasting facility in Waterloo.
Is Sidecar Coffee a public or private company?
Sidecar Coffee is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sidecar Coffee founded?
Sidecar Coffee was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Sidecar Coffee based?
Sidecar Coffee is headquartered in Cedar Falls, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sidecar Coffee make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Retail Cafe Sales are the primary driver. The others are coffee and Merchandise Sales, coffee Subscription, wholesale and coffee Truck Events.
Who are Sidecar Coffee's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Colectivo Coffee, Verve Coffee Roasters, Heart Coffee Roasters and Counter Culture Coffee. Broad incumbents are Blue Bottle Coffee, Intelligentsia Coffee, Stumptown Coffee Roasters and La Colombe Coffee Roasters. Onyx Coffee Lab is listed as an emerging player. Perc Coffee is listed as a regional player.
Does Sidecar Coffee have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sidecar Coffee.
What industry is Sidecar Coffee in?
Sidecar Coffee's product category is Specialty Coffee Roasting and Cafe Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFADAE, Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes), with a secondary code of THAFADAA, Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave). Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 5810.