Fair Trade Coffee House

What Fair Trade Coffee House does

Fair Trade Coffee House is a single-location independent coffee shop operating at 418 State Street in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. The café serves coffee and espresso beverages (including specialty mochas, lattes, chai, matcha, cold brew, and nitro), smoothies, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, salads, and bakery items, with bread and pastries sourced from local supplier Madison Sourdough. The business is open seven days per week (Mon-Fri 7:30am-6pm, Sat-Sun 8am-6pm) and features indoor seating, two outdoor seating areas, and year-round rotating local art exhibits, positioning the venue as a community gathering space for University of Wisconsin-Madison students, downtown workers, and State Street visitors.

The business model is direct-to-consumer retail: in-store point-of-sale transactions at the Madison storefront and online ordering enabled through the Clover (Fiserv) platform for takeout and delivery. The company has approximately 10 employees and no disclosed multi-location expansion, wholesale, catering, franchise, or B2B revenue streams. Its technology stack is entirely third-party SaaS — SpotHopper powers the website, social media presence, and email marketing, while Clover handles point-of-sale and online ordering — with no proprietary technology or AI capabilities disclosed.

Marketing is conducted via organic channels only: a Facebook page, Instagram (@fairtrademadison), and a website email newsletter. No paid acquisition, third-party delivery partnerships (e.g., DoorDash, Uber Eats), or institutional investment, parent company, or ownership structure is disclosed. The business operates as an independent, locally-owned small retailer with no evidence of funding rounds, M&A activity, or leadership changes in the available source material.

Name

Fair Trade Coffee House

Website

https://fairtradecoffeehouse.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fair Trade Coffee House is a single-location independent café at 418 State Street in downtown Madison, WI, serving specialty coffee, espresso, smoothies, sandwiches, salads, and locally baked goods from Madison Sourdough to walk-in customers, UW-Madison students, and State Street visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Shop

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Independent Neighborhood Cafes (THAFADAC), Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus) (THAFADAG), Specialty Coffee Adjacent Beverage Bars (Chai, Cacao, Alternative Lattes) (THAFAKAH)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee shop
• Espresso beverages
• Cafe food service
• Online coffee ordering
• Community coffeehouse

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Point-of-sale retail sales of coffee drinks, espresso beverages, smoothies, breakfast sandwiches, lunch sandwiches, salads, and pastries. Single-location café operating on State Street in Madison, WI.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Fair Trade Coffee House operates a single downtown café selling specialty coffee and espresso beverages (mochas, lattes, chai, matcha), smoothies, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, salads, and locally baked pastries. Orders are fulfilled in-store and through an online ordering platform powered by Clover. The café doubles as a community gathering space with rotating local art exhibits and two outdoor seating areas.

Product overview

Fair Trade Coffee House is a single-location downtown coffee shop offering a unified cafe experience. The core product portfolio includes specialty coffee and espresso beverages (mochas, lattes, chai drinks, matcha), smoothies, and a full food menu (breakfast sandwiches, lunch sandwiches, salads) complemented by locally baked goods from Madison Sourdough. Online ordering via Clover Online provides an add-on ordering capability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coffee & Espresso Drinks Beverage offerings including specialty mochas (Turtle, Grasshopper, Almond Joy, Black Forest, White Chocolate), classics (Coffee, Latte, Mocha, Cappuccino, Americano, Espresso), cold drinks (Italian Soda, Cold Brew, Nitro, Tea), and seasonal specials such as Boffee, served to in-store and online customers.
• Smoothies Fruit-based blended beverages including Tropical Paradise (Mango, Banana, OJ), Strawberry Fields (Strawberries and Cream), Full Monty (Mango, Banana, Strawberry, OJ or Milk), Cheeky Monkey (Banana, Honey, Soy Milk), and P.B.B. (Peanut Butter, Banana, Chocolate with Milk).
• Specialty Tea Drinks (Matcha Latte, Chai Latte, Dirty Chai) House-made tea-based beverages including a sweetened matcha green tea latte served hot, a house-made chai tea latte, and a dirty chai combining house-made chai with espresso and milk.
• Breakfast Sandwiches Morning offerings including the Breakfast Sandwich (egg omelet with cheddar on bagel or croissant) with customizable bread and cheese choices.
• Lunch Sandwiches Midday sandwiches including Chipotle Chicken, Italian Chicken, Turkey Bacon Cheddar Melt, Californian, Sun-Dried Tomato, Deluxe Grilled Cheese, Hot Ham & Cheese, and Grilled Cheese on various bread choices.
• Salads Fresh salads including the Signature Salad (mixed greens with avocado, walnuts, cranberries, kalamata olives) and the Craisin Chicken (mixed greens with chicken, cranberries, walnuts, sunflower seeds and feta), served with house-made dressing choices.
• Bakery Items Locally baked bread and pastries sourced from Madison Sourdough, including croissants, muffins, bars, and cookies.
• Online Ordering Third-party online ordering platform via Clover Online that lets customers place drink and food orders for takeout or delivery.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Madison SourdoughcoreOthersLocal bakery supplier providing house-made bread, sourdough, croissants, and pastries. Supports the café's commitment to local sourcing and freshness.
• Clover (Fiserv)coreTechnology or IntegrationPoint-of-sale and online ordering platform enabling online order capabilities and in-store transaction processing.
• SpotHopperminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWebsite design, social media marketing, and email marketing services provider. Powers the company's digital presence and online customer engagement.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty coffee company with cafés focused on freshly brewed, single-origin coffee and minimal-intervention preparation. Comparable as a third-wave specialty café concept with a destination-store experience.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Premium third-wave specialty coffee roaster with cafés in major U.S. cities. Comparable as a direct-trade, specialty-focused coffee operator emphasizing high-quality espresso beverages in café settings.
• Colectivo Coffee: Wisconsin-based specialty coffee roaster and café chain with multiple Madison-area locations. Closest regional peer given shared specialty coffee positioning, Midwestern footprint, and comparable café-plus-bakery model.
• Caribou Coffee: Midwest-based specialty coffee chain with a strong regional presence in the Upper Midwest. Comparable as a specialty coffee café concept operating in similar geography with similar beverage-led menus.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster operating cafés in major U.S. cities with a beverage-led menu including draft lattes. Comparable as a specialty café concept that emphasizes café experience alongside coffee program.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Specialty third-wave coffee roaster and café operator known for direct-trade sourcing and café experiences. Comparable business model around ethically-sourced coffee served in destination café settings.
• Joe Coffee Company: Independent specialty coffee company operating cafés in major metro areas with a focus on high-quality espresso and neighborhood café experience. Comparable as an independent-style specialty café operator.

Broad incumbents

• Starbucks: Global coffee chain with multiple Madison locations including on State Street. Competes directly for the same downtown worker and student trade but as a broad incumbent rather than a local specialty player.
• Dunkin': National coffee and breakfast chain with broad U.S. footprint. Competes for breakfast and coffee occasions at a mass-market price point rather than specialty positioning.
• Peet's Coffee: Established specialty coffee chain operating cafés across the U.S. Comparable as a coffee-led café operator though broader and more national in positioning than an independent single-location concept.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/171146317827
• Instagraminstagram.com/fairtrademadison
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fair-trade-coffee-house

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fair Trade Coffee House