Blue Heeler

Colectivo Coffee traces its roots to 1993, when Lincoln Fowler, Ward Fowler, and Paul Miller launched Alterra Coffee Roasters from a Walker's Point warehouse basement in Milwaukee with a vintage Probat roasting machine. The company rebranded to Colectivo in 2013 and continues to hand roast on two vintage Probats at its Riverwest headquarters on Humboldt Boulevard, relying on craft and intuition rather than computer controlled profiles. Direct sourcing relationships date back to 1994 with Finca Oriflama in Guatemala, and an early Fair Trade partnership with the Kulaktik Cooperative in 1998 placed the company at the forefront of the movement in the United States. Roughly half the selection carries Fair Trade certification, with a wide range of USDA Organic options available as well. Colectivo now operates 21 cafes across Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicago, and its coffee reaches national retail shelves at Target, Whole Foods, and Kroger.