Kansas City-based FairWave Specialty Coffee Collective has finalized its purchase of Fiddleheads Coffee Roasters Company, its second local coffee acquisition.
The company bought Anodyne Coffee Roasting Company in 2023.
FairWave plans to bring the Fiddleheads food operations to Anodyne.
Here are somethings to know about FairWave:
Where is FairWave based?
Founded in 2020, according to its LinkedIn page, FairWve Specialty Coffee Collective is located in Kansas City, Missouri.
Who owns FairWave?
FairWave owned by Great Range Captial, a private equity firm based in Mission Woods, Kansas. Great Range also owns Milwaukee-based commercial roofing company Roofed Right America, according to its website.
How many locations does FairWave have?
Besides Wisconsin, FairWave has stores in Minnesota, Kansas, Missouri, Maryland and Washington, D.C., according to its website.
In the Kansas City ears, including both the Kansas and Missouri sides of the border, it has 12 locations. It has one location in the nation’s capital, and five locations nearby in Maryland. It has one location in Rochester, Minnesota and seven locations in the Minneapolis, St. Paul area.
FairWave owns Anodyne. How many Anodyne locations are there?
Anodyne has locations in Bay View, Walkers Point, the Milwaukee Public Market and Wauwatosa.
Anodyne was started in Milwaukee in 1999 on Brady Street before closing the shop and moving its main location to Bay View.
Are Anodyne workers unionized?
Yes. Workers voted unanimously to form a union in July 2025. It’s unclear if Fiddlehead workers plan to follow Anodyne and try to form a union.
When did Fiddleheads start?
Fiddleheads opened in 1996 in Thiensville. It has locations in downtown Milwaukee, Mequon, Shorewood, Thiensville, Wauwatosa, Cedarburg, Grafton and Menomonee Falls.
So how many locations between Anodyne and Fiddleheads are under FairWave’s control?
There are now 12 Milwaukee area coffee shops owned by FairWave. In comparison, Stone Creek Coffee has four locations in the Milwaukee area; Colectivo Coffee has 12 locations.
So FairWave is now one of the largest coffee shop owners, behind Starbucks which has several dozen locations in the area.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about FairWave, Kansas City firm that bought Fiddleheads
Reporting by Ricardo Torres, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
