CHICAGO, USA – U3 Coffee, the first coffee ecosystem to connect coffee farmers and co-ops; the entrepreneurs who broker, roast, and sell coffee; and coffee consumers has launched. U3 Coffee is unique, combining content platform U3 Coffee Media, online marketplace U3 Coffee Exchange, and charitable arm U3 Coffee Bank.
Self-funded by Co-founders Kristi Ross and Craig Ross, U3 Coffee delivers the most meaningful coffee experience for millions of people by sharing the best coffee from the best sources, as well as the names, numbers, and stories behind each cup.
U3 Coffee Media offers high-quality, entertaining educational content and highlights the people behind the coffee, from farmers to entrepreneurs. U3 Coffee Exchange serves as a marketplace for sustainably farmed coffees including U3 Coffee’s own roasts. Consumers can also purchase multiple brands of coffee through subscriptions or one-time purchases, as well as merchandise and at-home coffee equipment. U3 Coffee’s charitable arm, U3 Coffee Bank, was created to give back to the farmers and support coffee entrepreneurs as they embark on their own unique journeys.
U3 Coffee plans to open U3 Coffee Roasters, located at 7430 Madison St, Forest Park, IL in Spring of 2024.
“I’ve spent 30 years in the financial services, trading, and brokerage industry and been through over 40+ mergers, acquisitions, capital raises, and startups in my career. Coffee was the fuel for my late nights and early mornings. What really inspired this new endeavor is getting closer to the bean in every way possible – connecting farmers, entrepreneurs, and consumers to create an ultimate product experience and enduring connection. This is no easy feat given that coffee is a $85B+ industry in the U.S. alone,” said Kristi Ross. “While some would say that the coffee marketplace would appear to be saturated, we believe there is an immense amount of room for innovation.”
“Perhaps the most exciting part of our company is U3 Coffee Bank, which will allow us to share our profits to uplift and further support communities and up and coming coffee entrepreneurs. U3 Coffee is different. Our goal is to drive empowerment from every bag of beans to every cup and have consumers truly understand the coffee journey – the pride, challenges, and quality that farmers work hard to deliver,” said Craig Ross. “We seek to understand and share what we learn with the world through U3 Coffee Media, and we want to unite the entrepreneurial coffee community, showcasing premium brands in one online marketplace. Helping educate and provide transparency throughout the coffee value chain, all the way to the end consumer is at the heart of everything we are doing.”
U3 Coffee provides whole or ground coffee beans wholesale and retail as well as U3 Coffee merchandise and coffee equipment, in addition to allowing consumers to access a marketplace to buy other roasters’ coffee. In keeping with U3 Coffee’s socially conscious business model, U3 Coffee selects roasters with regenerative agriculture practices, and specialty coffees.
For more information about U3 Coffee, visit https://u3coffee.com/.
