Intelligentsia Coffee is an American coffee roasting company and retailer based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1995 by Doug Zell and Emily Mange, Intelligentsia is considered a major representative of third-wave coffee in the United States. In 2015, Peet's Coffee & Tea (itself part of JAB Holding Company) acquired a majority stake in the company.
History and locations
Intelligentsia is headquartered at 1850 W. Fulton Street, Chicago, IL, and has several cafe retail locations throughout the Chicago area. They supply coffee to various Chicago-area cafes and restaurants, as well as other locations in the US and Canada."Hot" Chicago Restaurants get custom blends from Intelligentsia. Intelligentsia in LA Wicked Cafe in Vancouver, Canada serves Intelligentsia They generally buy their beans directly from growers in Central America, South America, East Africa, and Ethiopia.Shernoff, Leon, "Intelligentsia, more Cedars, Come to Co-op", ever Green, March 2007, Vol. 60, #3. Their roasting facility is in Chicago with a 300 kilogram capacity Probat R1500R roaster alongside two Gothot roasters with a capacity of 90 and 23 kilograms respectively.
On August 17, 2007, Intelligentsia opened its first store outside of Chicago at Sunset Junction in Silver Lake, a district east of Hollywood in Los Angeles, California.Scattergood, Amy, "A Lucky Break For Drip Coffee", LA Times, March 14, 2007 Intelligentsia has opened two additional stores in the Los Angeles area, in Venice and Pasadena. In 2013, Intelligentsia opened its first store in New York City inside The High Line Hotel. The second New York City location opened in June 2014, inside the Urban Outfitters store in Herald Square. This is the first location to offer a full food menu. They also have 2 stores in Boston and one in Austin, Texas. A 2008 decision to stop serving 20-ounce coffee and espresso beverages in stores was met with controversy. Zell stated that the proportions are altered at such large quantities and certain drinks become watered-down, arguing that 20-ounce drinks end up "masking and adulterating the pure, intense flavors we work hard to source, roast and produce. We don't want this to just be a caffeine delivery device."
In 2009 Intelligentsia acquired Ecco Caffè of Santa Rosa, California, and has retained the brand.
In October 2015, it was announced that Peet's Coffee & Tea would buy a majority stake in Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea by the end of the year, as part of an expansion of Peet's into third wave coffee that also involved the acquisition of Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Intelligentsia was expected to continue operating independently, with founders Zell and Mange retaining a role in the company. The announcement came weeks after Intelligentsia had made known that it was seeking a private equity buy-out over $100 million.
In May 2022 employees working in Intelligentsia's Chicago locations and Roasting Works warehouse filed a petition for union representation. In August 2022, employees voted to unionize, and ratified their first collective bargaining agreement in December 2022. They are represented by IBEW 1220, the same branch of IBEW that represents Colectivo Coffee Roasters.
Honors In 2006, Intelligentsia was included on several local#2 in Chicago Citysearch Best Coffee category 2006 AOL Cityguide - Best of Chicago 2006Chicago Magazine Best Coffee November 2006 and national10 great places to get jazzed about great java, USA Today, March 3, 2006.Coffeegeek.com Best Expresso Blend December 18, 2006 best-of lists. One of their baristas also won national and international honors.U.S. and World Barista Championship results.
It has been winning local best of list recognition from 2000 to 2005.Best Coffee Bar - Citysearch 2000 Best cup of coffee - Citysearch 2001 Best coffee - Citysearch 2002 Best coffee - Citysearch 2004 In 2005, the localAOL Cityguide Winner, Best Coffeehouse 2005 Best coffee - Citysearch 2005 Chicago Magazine - Best Beans 2005 Newcity Magazine Best place to buy beans and Best place to buy tea leaves recognition extended to nationalBest coffeehouse - Playboy April 2005 recognition. In 2006, Intelligentsia was included on several local"Best Coffeehouse" by New City Chicago for 2006 and nationalZagats 2006 America's Best Beverage Bets (Best Cup of Regular Coffee, Best Espresso, Best Seasonal Coffee or Tea Beverage) Fastcompany.c0m - 12 Best Coffees Roast Magazine - Roaster of the Year for 2007 "best" lists.
See also
Blue Bottle Coffee Counter Culture Coffee La Colombe Coffee Roasters Revelator Coffee Stumptown Coffee Roasters List of coffeehouse chains List of coffee companies Third-wave coffee in the United States
References
External links