fairwave coffee collective

What fairwave coffee collective does

FairWave Coffee Collective, formally organized in 2020 as FairWave Holdings LLC (Missouri), is a specialty coffee and tea holding company that operates a collective of 14 acquired independent brands across five US markets. The portfolio includes heritage roasters and cafes such as The Roasterie (Kansas City, founded 1993), Messenger Coffee Co., Ibis Bakery, Spyhouse Coffee Roasters (Minneapolis, founded 2000), Up Coffee Roasters, Folly Coffee Roasters, Philtera Cold Brewed Coffees, Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. (Milwaukee, founded 1999), Ceremony Coffee Roasters (Maryland), Black & White Coffee Roasters and Joe Van Gogh Coffee (North Carolina), Fiddleheads Coffee Roasters, Black Dog Coffeehouse, Filling Station Coffee Garage, and Hugo Tea. The collective runs more than 50 cafes, roasteries, and bakeries supported by 6 roasting centers, with the Kansas City facility producing approximately 1.5 million pounds of roasted coffee annually.

Each brand retains its local identity, leadership, and community positioning while accessing shared infrastructure including joint green coffee importing (purchasing full containers across brands for unit-cost advantage), wholesale distribution, marketing, HR, technology platforms, and product development. Proprietary product capabilities include single-serve coffee pods using iFillSystems double-pleated filter technology (18% more coffee per pod), a nitrogen-flushed Bag-In-Box coffee concentrate with 6-month shelf life, and a wholesale tea program. FairWave's Kansas City roasting operation supports both retail packaged goods and wholesale private-label production.

FairWave generates revenue through four streams: direct retail sales at brand-owned cafes, roasteries, and bakeries; wholesale coffee and supplies (Up Coffee alone serves 1,000+ coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, and universities); B2B support services including menu development, barista training, and operational consulting; and bakery/cold brew supply to collective locations and external accounts (Ibis Bakery, Philtera). The customer base spans local specialty coffee consumers, independent cafes and restaurants seeking wholesale supply, hospitality venues (Mayo Clinic hotel, UMB Bank co-location), and community partners (Kansas City Monarchs, Milwaukee Fire Department). Pricing is negotiated individually per wholesale account and is not publicly disclosed.

Name

fairwave coffee collective

Legal name

FairWave Holdings LLC

Website

https://fairwavecollective.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

FairWave Coffee Collective is a specialty coffee and tea holding company operating 14 acquired independent brands across 5 US markets, with 50+ cafes, roasteries, and bakeries, 6 roasting centers, and 1,000+ wholesale accounts serving retail consumers, cafes, restaurants, hotels, and universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting and Cafés

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAC), Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Beverage Wholesale (AFAIAGAD), RTD Coffee Production (Non-Dairy/Non-Alcoholic) (AFAFABAE), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Wholesale coffee supply
• Coffee retail cafes
• Specialty tea wholesale
• Bakery operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Café Sales: Each brand operates multiple café locations serving end consumers directly. The collective operates 50+ cafes, roasteries, and bakeries across 5 US markets.
2. Wholesale Coffee & Supplies: Up Coffee Roasters provides wholesale products, equipment, and supplies to over 1,000 coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, and universities. Brands offer allied products, paper goods, and ancillary services to wholesale customers.
3. Wholesale Support Services: Menu development, barista training, operational efficiency consulting, and customer engagement support provided to wholesale partners as part of the collective wisdom offering.
4. Bakery & Food Service: Ibis Bakery supplies bread and pastries made in small batches with local grain and natural yeast to Messenger Coffee and other collective locations. Philtera provides cold brew on tap to cafes and restaurants.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FairWave Coffee Collective is a specialty coffee holding company that operates a collective of 14 independent coffee, tea, and bakery brands across 5 US markets. The collective owns and operates over 50 cafes, roasteries, and bakeries, and supplies wholesale coffee, tea, equipment, and allied products to more than 1,000 coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, and universities. Each brand retains local leadership and identity while benefiting from shared infrastructure, sourcing, marketing, and operational support.

Product overview

FairWave Coffee Collective is a specialty coffee holding company operating 14 distinct brands across 5 US markets, encompassing coffee roasteries, tea companies, bakeries, and cafés. The collective includes The Roasterie (Kansas City), Messenger Coffee Co. and Ibis Bakery (Kansas City), Spyhouse Coffee Roasters and Up Coffee Roasters (Minnesota), Folly Coffee Roasters and Philtera Cold Brew (Minnesota), Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. and Fiddleheads Coffee Roasters (Milwaukee), Ceremony Coffee Roasters (Maryland), Black & White Coffee Roasters and Joe Van Gogh Coffee (North Carolina), and Hugo Tea Company. Brands operate over 50 cafes, roasteries, and bakeries. The collective provides shared infrastructure including wholesale programs, coffee concentrate products, and tea programs for B2B partners. Each brand maintains local leadership and community focus while benefiting from shared resources, marketing, technology, and operational best practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FairWave Wholesale Partnership
• FairWave Coffee Concentrate
• Hugo Tea Wholesale Program
• The Roasterie Coffee Company
• Spyhouse Coffee Roasters
• Up Coffee Roasters
• Philtera Cold Brewed Coffees
• Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co.
• Ceremony Coffee Roasters
• Black & White Coffee Roasters
• Ibis Bakery

Quantifiable outcome

• Up Coffee Roasters serves over 1,000 wholesale accounts including coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, and universities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Equator CoffeesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025FairWave joined an industry-wide campaign led by Equator Coffees to support the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and immigrant rights. From July 1-5, FairWave made donations through the FairWave Foundation on behalf of all brands including The Roasterie, Messenger Coffee, Ibis Bakery, Spyhouse, and others.
• Milwaukee Fire DepartmentminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 May 2025Anodyne Coffee partnered with the Milwaukee Fire Department to celebrate their 150th anniversary. Anodyne created the MFD 150th Anniversary Blend, available at wholesale to firehouses and retail at all four Anodyne café locations. $5 per wholesale bag and $1 per retail bag donated to MFD charitable organizations.
• UMB BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 August 2023The Roasterie opened its seventh café location inside the new UMB Bank building near Interstate 435 and State Line Road in Kansas City. The partnership represents a co-location model providing banking customers access to specialty coffee while supporting the local community.
• Nurture KCminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 August 2023On September 8, The Roasterie donated a portion of proceeds from its new UMB Bank location to Nurture KC, a nonprofit working to reduce infant mortality and improve family health for Kansas City metro families.
• Kansas City MonarchscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2022The Roasterie collaborated with Kansas City Monarchs to create the Trailblazer Blend, named after legendary Negro Leagues players. The Roasterie donates 10% of all Trailblazer Blend proceeds to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. This is part of The Roasterie's culture of partnering with local organizations to give back to the Kansas City community.
• ANTZminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpyhouse Coffee Roasters collaborated with ANTZ (Juxtaposition Arts) on an exclusive drink called the AC Cooler that gives back to at-risk youth in their community. 100% of proceeds are donated to Juxtaposition Arts, a nonprofit youth art and design education center.
• iFillSystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationFairWave partnered with iFillSystems to produce single-serve coffee pods using their double-pleated filter technology. This technology allows for full contact with coffee grounds, resulting in finer grounds and a much stronger brew compared to traditional weak paper filters. The Roasterie's new pod line utilizes this technology.
• Fazenda Lagoa (Brazil)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Roasterie maintains a 25+ year relationship with Fazenda Lagoa (Farm by the Lake) in Brazil. Beyond sourcing, The Roasterie helped fund a social center for the thirty multi-generational families that live and work on the property and seasonal workers that join for harvest.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Verve Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee roaster with multiple cafes, a strong DTC and wholesale program, and elevated brand positioning. Closely comparable to FairWave's flagship roasters like The Roasterie and Ceremony in terms of cafe-plus-wholesale specialty model.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Independent specialty coffee roaster operating cafes, wholesale distribution, and a growing RTD draft latte business. Directly comparable to FairWave on product mix (specialty roaster + cafes + RTD) and target customer (premium consumer and wholesale cafe partners).
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty coffee roaster with cafes, subscription, and ready-to-drink coffee, majority-owned by Nestlé. Closely comparable to FairWave on craft cafe experience, premium pricing, and the institutional-buyer exit dynamic relevant to FairWave's roll-up.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Pioneering third-wave specialty coffee roaster with cafes and wholesale programs, now owned by Peet's Coffee. Comparable to FairWave's acquired brands like Anodyne and Black & White in third-wave positioning, multi-cafe operations, and B2B wholesale.
• Counter Culture Coffee: Independent specialty coffee roaster focused on direct trade, sustainability, and wholesale to cafes and restaurants. Comparable to FairWave's individual roasters in B2B wholesale focus, sustainability narrative, and training programs.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Portland-based specialty coffee roaster owned by Peet's Coffee (itself owned by JAB Holding). Operates cafes, wholesale, and RTD cold brew products. Direct comparable as a multi-channel specialty coffee competitor now under scaled corporate ownership.

Emerging players

• Dilworth Coffee: Southeast US specialty coffee roaster with a multi-location cafe and wholesale program. Comparable to FairWave's Mid-Atlantic and Southeast brands (Ceremony, Black & White, Joe Van Gogh) in geographic profile and wholesale-driven model.

Broad incumbents

• S&D Coffee: Large US coffee roaster and supplier to foodservice and convenience channels. Comparable to the wholesale side of FairWave's business, particularly Up Coffee's B2B distribution to restaurants, hotels, and universities.
• Keurig Dr Pepper: Large publicly traded beverage conglomerate with both at-home coffee (Keurig, Green Mountain) and emerging specialty coffee and RTD coffee exposure. Relevant as the scaled incumbent operating across wholesale and retail in the same beverage categories FairWave serves.
• Peet's Coffee: Large specialty coffee company owned by JAB Holding, operating cafes, wholesale, and packaged retail coffee. Relevant as the scaled specialty incumbent that has acquired several direct FairWave peers (Stumptown, Intelligentsia) and competes for wholesale accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fairwave-specialty-coffee-collective

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries15 records

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 →

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