The Midwest expansion continues for FairWave Specialty Coffee Collective. The brand that began as a consolidation of Kansas City, Missouri’s Messenger Coffee and The Roasterie has grown once again by acquiring two Minneapolis-based sister companies, Folly Coffee Roasters and Philtera Cold Brewed Coffees.
Announced May 2nd via press release, the two most recent additions to FairWave operate in different spaces in the coffee industry. Started in 2019, Folly is a more traditional micro-roaster and cafe space where as Philtera is primarily a wholesale operation that sells cold brew to cafes and restaurants around Twin Cities area. Philtera already has an established relationship with Folly as well as Spyhouse Coffee, another Minneapolis-based roastery with multiple cafes that has been part of FairWave since 2021.
“Joining FairWave allows us to continue in our mission to introduce new people to the world of specialty coffee. With the collective knowledge and expertise at FairWave, we’ll be able to grow Folly and Philtera by doing more of what we love – roasting and delivering delicious coffees,” says Rob Bathe, owner and founder of Folly Coffee and co- founder of Philtera Cold Brewed Coffees.
This brings the total number of companies under the FairWave banner to nine, including KCMO’s The Filling Station and Ibis Bakery (both part of the Messenger family of brands before the formation of FairWave) as well as Up Coffee Roasters in Minneapolis.
Like with prior acquisitions, Folly and Philtera will continue to operate independently, keeping their own name and branding. Becoming part of FairWave, per Bathe, will give both the companies more “access to incredible green coffee globally, increased capabilities, a shared system of best practices across like-minded local coffee brands, and back-of-house business support.”
For more information or to see a full list of their brands, visit FairWave Specialty Coffee Collective’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
