Elevate Coffee
Elevate Coffee is a Chicago-based specialty coffee shop operating two café locations in Boystown and Uptown, serving local consumers with signature specialty drinks, espresso, cold brew, tea, breakfast, and retail coffee and merchandise through an accompanying e-commerce storefront.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Elevate Coffee does
Elevate Coffee is a privately-held specialty coffee shop operating two café locations in Chicago's Boystown (3344 N Halsted St) and Uptown (1325 W Wilson Ave) neighborhoods. Founded in 2018–2019 and co-owned by three individuals identified as Niko, Alexandra, and Elena, the business serves local community consumers with a menu centered on signature specialty drinks (e.g., Bananas Foster Latte, Creme Bru-Latte, Milano Cookie Latte, Brown Sugar Oat Milk Latte), classic espresso beverages, 18-hour in-house cold brew, nitro cold brew, loose leaf teas, all-day breakfast, sandwiches, and baked goods. The company is NGLCC-certified as an LGBT business enterprise and operates a Pride Blend retail coffee product aligned with that positioning.
The underlying technology and operational stack is conventional for a specialty café: direct-trade espresso preparation, house-made flavored infusions (orange-vanilla oat milk, lavender milk), an 18-hour cold brew process kegged in-house, and a standard e-commerce and order-ahead platform running on order.elevatecoffee.us. All retail coffee and tea SKUs are sourced through Uncommon Coffee Roasters; merchandise includes Miir travel tumblers, branded apparel, and Oatly Barista Edition resale. Digital gift cards ($5–$500) are powered by Square.
The business operates as a direct-to-consumer retailer with three revenue streams: in-store café beverage and food sales, retail coffee/tea/merchandise e-commerce, and gift card sales. Pricing is unit-based across SKUs, with coffee beans priced from $13 (12 oz) up to $70 (5 lbs), loose leaf teas in the $7.99–$26.99 range, and merchandise items between $4 and $25. Distribution is limited to walk-in retail at two physical locations plus domestic e-commerce shipping. Marketing is primarily organic via Instagram, with review-driven acquisition through Google (4.8), Facebook (5.0), and Yelp. The company has no disclosed funding, no parent organization, and operates with a team of approximately 15 employees.
Elevate Coffee firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Elevate Coffee
- Legal name
- Elevate Coffee LLC
- Website
- https://elevatecoffee.us
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Elevate Coffee is a Chicago-based specialty coffee shop operating two café locations in Boystown and Uptown, serving local consumers with signature specialty drinks, espresso, cold brew, tea, breakfast, and retail coffee and merchandise through an accompanying e-commerce storefront.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Elevate Coffee industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee Café
- NAICS
- Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)
Keywords
Where Elevate Coffee is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Elevate Coffee business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Café Beverage Sales: In-store sales of specialty coffee drinks, espresso beverages, teas, and food items at two Chicago locations. Includes specialty lattes, cold brew, teas, and all-day breakfast and lunch menu items.
- Retail Coffee and Tea Products: Sale of whole bean coffee (Classic Espresso, Pride Blend, Cold Brew Blend, Decaf Espresso, Zalmari Estate) and loose leaf tea (Khongea Estate, Earl Grey, Mango Fandango, Temple of Heaven, Peach Oasis, Jasmine Pearls, GingerMint, Chamomile Flowers, Wellness) in 12 oz, 2 lb, and 5 lb bags. Tea available in 50g and 100g sizes.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including travel tumblers, baseball caps (snapback and fitted), knit beanies, crew neck shirts, and Oatly Barista Edition oat milk.
- Gift Cards: Digital gift cards available in custom amounts between $5-$500 for use on any product in-store or online.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Coffee beans - multiple roasts and blends |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Loose leaf tea - various varieties |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise items |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Gift cards - digital format |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Elevate Coffee product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Elevate Coffee operates two physical café locations in Chicago's Boystown and Uptown neighborhoods, serving specialty espresso-based drinks, an 18-hour in-house cold brew, nitro cold brew, loose leaf teas, all-day breakfast sandwiches, paninis, and baked goods. The company also runs an e-commerce storefront selling whole bean coffee blends sourced through Uncommon Coffee Roasters, loose leaf teas, branded merchandise (Miir travel tumbler, snapback and fitted caps, chunky knit beanie, crew neck shirt), digital gift cards, and Oatly Barista Edition oat milk. Order-ahead pickup with approximately 15-minute wait times and table reservations are supported online.
Product overview
Elevate Coffee is a Chicago-based specialty coffee shop and cafe with two locations (Boystown and Uptown). The company operates as a traditional brick-and-mortar cafe combined with an e-commerce retail platform. The core offering consists of specialty espresso-based drinks, teas, and food items served in-cafe, alongside a retail product line featuring whole bean and loose leaf teas for home brewing, branded merchandise (travel tumblers, apparel, headwear), and gift cards. The in-cafe menu centers on specialty drinks (lattes, cold brews, matcha beverages), espresso drinks, teas, all-day breakfast items, sandwiches, and baked goods. The online shop extends the brand experience through retail coffee (Classic Espresso, Pride Blend, Cold Brew Blend, Zalmari Estate, Decaf Espresso sourced from Uncommon Coffee Roasters), retail teas (Khongea Estate, Earl Grey, Mango Fandango, Temple of Heaven, Peach Oasis, Jasmine Pearls, GingerMint, Chamomile Flowers, Wellness), and branded merchandise (Travel Tumbler, Snapback Baseball Cap, Fitted Baseball Cap, Chunky Knit Beanie, Crew Neck, Elevate Gift Card, Oatly Barista Edition oat milk). The company also offers online ordering with 15-minute preparation time and table reservation capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Specialty Drinks
- Espresso Drinks
- Black Coffee
- Tea Beverages
- All-Day Breakfast
- Sandwiches & Bites
- Baked Goods
- Retail Coffee Beans
- Retail Loose Leaf Tea
- Travel Tumbler
- Snapback Baseball Cap
- Fitted Baseball Cap
- Chunky Knit Beanie
- Crew Neck T-Shirt
- Elevate Gift Card
- Oatly Barista Edition
Companies that use Elevate Coffee
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Elevate Coffee technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Elevate Coffee partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Uncommon Coffee RoasterscorePrimary coffee and tea supplier providing all retail coffee beans (Classic Espresso, Cold Brew Blend, Decaf Espresso, Zalmari Estate, Pride Blend) and loose leaf teas. All products are sourced through Uncommon Coffee Roasters.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Elevate Coffee competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Dark Matter Coffee: Chicago-based specialty coffee roaster and multi-location café operator with a unique brand identity and experimental beverage menu. Directly comparable to Elevate's craft coffee positioning, Chicago footprint, and emphasis on distinctive signature drinks.
- Intelligentsia Coffee: Chicago-headquartered specialty coffee roaster and café operator with a strong focus on direct-trade coffee and third-wave café experiences. Highly comparable to Elevate in product philosophy, Chicago market presence, and emphasis on specialty espresso and retail coffee offerings.
- Metropolis Coffee: Chicago specialty coffee roaster operating cafés and wholesale accounts with a focus on single-origin and direct-trade coffee. Comparable to Elevate as a Chicago specialty coffee business with retail bean and in-café offerings.
- Sparrow Coffee: Small Chicago specialty coffee roaster and café operator focused on craft coffee and neighborhood service. Comparable to Elevate as a local Chicago boutique coffee shop with a curated specialty menu and community focus.
- Gaslight Coffee Roasters: Chicago-based specialty coffee roaster with cafés emphasizing craft espresso and a curated single-origin program. Comparable to Elevate's local Chicago specialty coffee café model and direct-trade sourcing approach.
- Colectivo Coffee: Midwest specialty coffee roaster and café chain with multiple locations, full espresso and brewed coffee menus, and retail coffee/merchandise sales. Comparable to Elevate in multi-location café operations, specialty menu positioning, and integrated retail product line.
Broad incumbents
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Established specialty coffee roaster with multiple cafés nationwide and a strong DTC retail and wholesale business. Comparable to Elevate in specialty menu, retail coffee products, and café experience, but at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.
- Blue Bottle Coffee: Premium specialty coffee chain with cafés and DTC retail subs, focused on fresh-roasted, single-origin coffee. Comparable to Elevate on specialty coffee positioning and retail bean sales, but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Well-known specialty coffee roaster with multiple cafés, espresso-driven menu, and strong direct-trade positioning. Comparable to Elevate on coffee philosophy and signature espresso offerings, but operates at much broader scale.
- Starbucks Reserve: Specialty/Reserve concept from the world's largest coffee chain featuring premium small-batch coffee and craft beverages. Competes with Elevate for premium coffee occasions in Chicago but at massive scale and with substantially broader menu and marketing investment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Elevate Coffee social profiles
Digital presenceElevate Coffee financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Elevate Coffee leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Elevate Coffee funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Elevate 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 Elevate Coffee
What does Elevate Coffee do?
Elevate Coffee operates two physical café locations in Chicago's Boystown and Uptown neighborhoods, serving specialty espresso-based drinks, an 18-hour in-house cold brew, nitro cold brew, loose leaf teas, all-day breakfast sandwiches, paninis, and baked goods. The company also runs an e-commerce storefront selling whole bean coffee blends sourced through Uncommon Coffee Roasters, loose leaf teas, branded merchandise (Miir travel tumbler, snapback and fitted caps, chunky knit beanie, crew neck shirt), digital gift cards, and Oatly Barista Edition oat milk. Order-ahead pickup with approximately 15-minute wait times and table reservations are supported online.
Is Elevate Coffee a public or private company?
Elevate Coffee is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Elevate Coffee founded?
Elevate Coffee was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Elevate Coffee based?
Elevate Coffee is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Elevate Coffee make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Café Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are retail Coffee and Tea Products, merchandise Sales and gift Cards.
Who are Elevate Coffee's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Dark Matter Coffee, Intelligentsia Coffee, Metropolis Coffee, Sparrow Coffee, Gaslight Coffee Roasters and Colectivo Coffee. Broad incumbents are La Colombe Coffee Roasters, Blue Bottle Coffee, Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Starbucks Reserve.
Does Elevate Coffee have an API?
No public API is recorded for Elevate Coffee.
What industry is Elevate Coffee in?
Elevate Coffee's product category is Specialty Coffee Café. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFADAA, Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave), with a secondary code of CRAHAGAI, Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories). Its NAICS code is 722515 and its SIC code is 5810.