Colectivo Coffee On the Square

Ownership

Colectivo Coffee began in 1993 as Alterra Roasters, the brainchild of brothers Lincoln and Ward Fowler and their friend Paul Miller, three founders who remain on the company's board to this day. The company is independently owned and has not been acquired by external investors or corporations.

Local Sourcing

The company strives to source locally whenever it can, and sources the finest and freshest ingredients the Midwest has to offer for food items. However, their coffee sourcing relies on suppliers in Indonesia as well as parts of Central and South America and Mexico, with direct farmer relationships being part of the company since the 90s.

Community Involvement

Colectivo Coffee's fundraising program allows schools or non-profit groups to raise money by selling products from their local business. They raised over $26,000 from a Bucks in 6 coffee bag fundraiser, with funds supporting the Milwaukee Parks Foundation for basketball court renovations. The company has 15 years of partnership with Música del Lago and partnered with Bublr Bikes to help launch Milwaukee's bike share program.

Local Workforce

Colectivo Coffee employees rate the overall compensation and benefits package at 2.6-2.8 out of 5 stars. Only 34-36% of employees would recommend working at Colectivo Coffee to a friend. In 2021, Colectivo workers unionized, and in May 2022 the NLRB issued a final decision that the employees had won their election. Multiple reviews cite management issues and concerns about union-busting efforts.

Revenue Retention

Colectivo roasts its coffee and makes all its food products in Milwaukee, suggesting significant local production keeps revenue in the region. However, their expanding partnership with Target and growth beyond Wisconsin indicates revenue increasingly flows beyond the local community as the company expands regionally.

Local Presence

While the Madison location mentions specific local details (Tenney Plaza art deco architecture, artist Jeff Darrow murals, community events, local purveyors), the overall website is dominated by corporate signals: multi-location selector spanning Milwaukee/Madison/Chicago, corporate careers portal, parent company references, HQ address in Milwaukee, franchise-style boilerplate copy, and cookie-cutter template structure that treats Madison as one of many interchangeable locations rather than a unique local business.