Wonderstate Coffee

For us, coffee is a source of wonder.

Since 2005, Wonderstate has roasted spectacular coffees that spark connections, inspire curiosity, and build integrity across communities.

Sometimes we feel like tiny specs in the great coffee cosmos. But like the small Midwest town we call home, we know you don’t have to be big to make an impression. From our 100% solar powered roastery, to our industry-leading minimum price guarantee to farmers and 5% Giving program, we’re working to do our part.

That weird, little bug in our logo is a cicada. Their big, ominous hum sparks a sense of mystery in us. Coffee isn't so different: there’s always more to it. 

For us, great coffee has to serve a collective future. At Wonderstate, our passion for exceptional beans and (some might say) obsession with terroir––the way the land speaks through a coffee––is matched by our passion and unwavering dedication to our community of farmers and farmer cooperatives. From leading the industry in fair compensation for farmers, to supporting resilient agriculture and innovative ways of doing business, we’re working to do our part.

And that isn't just talk. In 2015, we became one of the first 100% solar powered coffee roasteries in the world. And in 2017, we announced the highest published minimum price guarantee to farmers, more than 80% above the Fair Trade conventional minimum price and over 50% higher than Fair Trade organic prices.

Rural Wisconsin may not be the first place someone expects to find a specialty coffee company looking to push the conversation forward. But like the small town of Viroqua we call home, we know you don’t have to be big to make an impression. 

Our roastery is tucked amidst the rolling hills and valleys of the Driftless Region, a rare topographic wonder in the Midwest. Our founders, Denise & TJ Semanchin and Caleb Nicholes, were both drawn to this small community of 4,000 to set roots and raise their families. We may have outgrown the old train depot where we first roasted our beans, but we’re still as committed as ever to the communities that make our work possible.

The farmers who cultivate and harvest our coffee may feel seemingly distant from this place. But, like them, we also live surrounded by fields and growing crops. Where the stars blink bright and the rivers cut oxbows. From our hometown of Viroqua, to the rural communities where our coffee farmers live and work, to the vibrant neighborhoods our Wonderstate cafes call home across the state, honoring a connection to place and to the people that define it is at the heart of what we do.