Fairwave adds another Minneapolis coffee company to its fresh-brewed collective alongside Messenger, Roasterie

August 3, 2022  |  Startland News Staff

Isaac Hodges, Messenger Coffee Company, and Dan Trott, FairWave Holdings

FairWave Coffee Collective has pulled another shot of growth, serving up news Tuesday of its acquisition of a second Minneapolis-based purveyor in as many years. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Up Coffee Roasters to the FairWave collective,” Suzanne Gunning, vice president of marketing, said in a release. 

The acquisition keeps Kansas City-based FairWave on track with its 2020-poured goal to brew a unified network of coffee brands — beginning with Messenger Coffee and The Roasterie — that operate together and provide communities with quality coffee.

“As the Collective grows in Minneapolis and into new markets, we are driven by the same purpose: to preserve and elevate local specialty coffee brands through best practices, innovation, and authentic coffee experiences,” added Dan Trott, CEO of FairWave.

Click here to learn more about FairWave Coffee Collective and its beginnings. 

Fellow Minneapolis-made brand, Spyhouse Coffee Roasters, joined the collective in 2021. 

“Up will bring a new element to the collective with most of its business focused on wholesale products, equipment, and supplies. We’re excited to be able to support and help grow another local Minneapolis business that is so heavily ingrained in the local community,” Gunning continued. 

A regional leader in Minneapolis, Up is known for its work to provide its peers with fair trade, organic coffee, wholesale specialty food ingredients, equipment, supplies, and cafe training. Its work has to date impacted more than 1,000 coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, and universities. 

In addition to its work to educate within the coffee space, the company operates at Northeast Minneapolis storefront, Up Café. 

 “It’s an exciting day for Up Coffee as we join the FairWave Coffee Collective,” said David Chall, owner. 

 “For almost three decades, we’ve been providing the Minneapolis area with wholesale artisan fair trade organic coffee, and we know this new partnership will only help us grow and improve our operations.”

Chall will continue to run the company despite its acquisition by FairWave — of which he is now an investor. All Up employees will retain their positions and the company will continue to operate as a local entity. 

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

2022 Startups to Watch

    stats here

    Related Posts on Startland News

    Tim Barton, Jessica Renfrew, and Matt Druten, Edison Spaces

    Second Edison Spaces flexible office site designed for uncertainty of startup life

    By Tommy Felts | September 19, 2018

    Growing a startup is risky enough, said Matt Druten, co-founder of Edison Spaces — entrepreneurs shouldn’t have to worry about finding and maintaining an office. “Changes are unexpected. Nobody really knows where their company is going to be in six months,” he said. “Is my startup going to double in size? Is it going to…

    Digital crossroads

    Digital Crossroads: Techstars sees hints of KC’s future in its history as a collision point of ideas

    By Tommy Felts | September 19, 2018

    Techstars’ Oct. 11 programming during Techweek Kansas City finds inspiration in the past, Lesa Mitchell said, but it focuses on the metro’s future at a digital crossroads. “In the old days, it was called the crossroads because this was actually where all the trains were going through from Mexico to Canada, and east and west…

    My Girl Story

    Jasmine Diane: ‘My Girl Story’ empowerment is bigger than T-shirts, Instagram

    By Tommy Felts | September 18, 2018

    Jasmine Diane Cooper dreams of inspiring women across the world with the My Girl Story movement, she said. “[As women] we will tear ourselves down or we look for things that kind of separate us, but we all have the same struggle,” said the social media influencer and rising star on the Kansas City marketing…

    Pipeline

    Pipeline rotates The Innovators gala to Omaha for celebration of fellows, incoming cohort

    By Tommy Felts | September 18, 2018

    Pipeline hopes moving its The Innovators gala to Omaha for 2019 will help keep the premier startup event fresh after more than a decade in Kansas City, said Joni Cobb. “Change and experimentation are what Pipeline is all about,” said Cobb, president and CEO of Pipeline. “We are an entrepreneurial organization, and as such we…