fairwave coffee collective
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersKansas City, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
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.
fairwave coffee collective firmographics
Firmographics- 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
fairwave coffee collective industry classification
Industry- 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
Where fairwave coffee collective is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kansas City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
fairwave coffee collective business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
fairwave coffee collective product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use fairwave coffee collective
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
fairwave coffee collective technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
fairwave coffee collective partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Equator CoffeesminorFairWave 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 DepartmentminorAnodyne 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 BankcoreThe 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 KCminorOn 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 MonarchscoreThe 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.
- ANTZminorSpyhouse 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.
- iFillSystemscoreFairWave 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)coreThe 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
fairwave coffee collective competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
fairwave coffee collective social profiles
Digital presencefairwave coffee collective financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
fairwave coffee collective leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
fairwave coffee collective subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries15 records
fairwave coffee collective funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
fairwave coffee collective 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 fairwave coffee collective
What does fairwave coffee collective do?
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.
Is fairwave coffee collective a public or private company?
fairwave coffee collective is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was fairwave coffee collective founded?
fairwave coffee collective was founded in 2020.
Where is fairwave coffee collective based?
fairwave coffee collective is headquartered in Kansas City, United States, in the North America region.
How does fairwave coffee collective make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Café Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Coffee & Supplies, wholesale Support Services and bakery & Food Service.
Who are fairwave coffee collective's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Verve Coffee Roasters, La Colombe Coffee Roasters, Blue Bottle Coffee, Intelligentsia Coffee, Counter Culture Coffee and Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Dilworth Coffee is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are S&D Coffee, Keurig Dr Pepper and Peet's Coffee.
Does fairwave coffee collective have an API?
No public API is recorded for fairwave coffee collective.
What industry is fairwave coffee collective in?
fairwave coffee collective's product category is Specialty Coffee Roasting and Cafés. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFADAE, Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes), with a secondary code of AFAFADAC, Coffee Blending & Flavoring. Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 2080.