Colectivo Coffee Roasters and Cafes has been roasting origin-sourced coffee since 1993. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Riverwest neighborhood, Colectivo Coffee prides themselves on relationships with farmers and co-op partnerships.

“Our name was inspired by the artful and funky buses used for public transportation across Latin America, ‘colectivos’ (co-lec-TEE-vo), and the iconic part of everyday life they represent.”

Along with coffee, Colectivo makes tea, brews beer and creates great baked goods out of their Troubadour Bakery.

Colectivo has a nice selection of shirts, drinkware, and other gifts including a coffee subscription.

Colectivo Coffee Review

Blue Heeler, Colectivo’s signature blend has been a standout flavor for over 20 years. This organic fair trade certified coffee is smooth and clean. Blue Heeler is a medium roast blend that consists of the following flavor profiles: spicy and smoky.

The coffee’s namesake comes from “Mina” the company’s Australian Blue Heeler mascot.

I’ve tried many of their varieties over the years and have been happy with all of them. Quetzal, named for the beloved national bird of Guatemala, Resplendent Quetzal tastes like the tropics: citrus, tropical fruit and milk chocolate. This is a light roast and full of flavor.

Colectivo Coffee often has limited, special series of coffee and I tried one of them: Ethiopia Natural Guji Guracho. This “featured farm series” coffee is a light roast with beams from small-scale farmers in the famous Yiragacheffe region of Ethiopia. This coffee has a flavor profile of “mixed berries and dark chocolate”. Highly recommended!

You can order any of their nearly 30 varieties of coffee at their online store. I discovered their coffee at the Lake Geneva, Wisconsin restaurant, Simple Cafe.

Marketing and Branding

Colectivo has incredible artwork on their packaging, which matches well with the whole artful vibe they are striving for. They are highly active on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with a healthy following.

One of the most interesting things about Colectivo is their involvement in the Milwaukee cultural scene. They sponsor numerous art and music events throughout the year.

Colectivo has an easy to navigate, mobile responsive website. The ordering process is easy and straightforward, using Shopify.