Intelligentsia Coffee

It all started over twelve years ago in October of 1995 when we left San Francisco to open an in-store roaster-retailer on Broadway Avenue on the north side of Chicago. At that time we were simply hoping to bring great, fresh-roasted coffee to our own coffee bar with our own 12 kilo roaster. Since then we have evolved to a place we never imagined.

We now have three great cities we call home: Chicago (a city that is brooding, practical and reluctantly beautiful) and Los Angeles (a city that views creativity as a birthright, that is decidedly impractical and that is equal parts messy and marvelous) and New York. Honestly, we love both of these places, but for very different reasons. Straight backed-Midwesterness gives us pragmatism and self discipline whereas West Coast optimism leads us to believe anything is possible. Really, it’s a perfect marriage for the kind of work we like to do: sourcing, developing, roasting and delivering the best coffee in the world.

Others talk about working with coffee producers and in many cases that’s all it is, talk. Our buying team cumulatively spends over 365 days each year at source. We do not just buy coffees; we actually develop them while working alongside growers. Our coffees are unlike any others, and they are exclusive to Intelligentsia. We take insights, practices and expertise in preparation and processing garnered from our work around the globe and apply it to each of our Direct Trade coffees to make them the absolute best they can be. We also want the growers we work with to prosper so we guarantee a price that is paid directly to them, which is set far above international fair trade standards. By combining focused attention at source with cup-quality price incentives, we continuously expand economic opportunity and culinary possibility.

In our coffee bars you can expect to find this remarkable coffee in all of its forms: whole bean, brewed and espresso. Our goal is that each of these is presented in an environment steeped in education and humility. We want great coffee to be revered, yet democratic, approachable and accessible. We are confident that you will be able to taste the difference that care makes in each cup.