Wholesale Coffee for Cafés in Chicago
Common Friends Coffee is a Chicago wholesale coffee roaster built to support cafés with more than bags of beans. We help café teams build dependable coffee programs around great coffee, practical equipment, trained staff, consistent recipes and responsive ongoing support.
If you are opening a new café, changing roasters or improving an existing program, we can help shape the coffee, equipment and workflow around the way your business actually operates.
Request wholesale pricing and samples or explore our complete wholesale coffee and café support program.
Wholesale Coffee Built for Café Service
Our café coffee programs can include espresso, batch brew, decaf, rotating single-origin coffees and retail bags. We roast light, medium and dark profiles in Chicago and work with each account to choose coffees that fit its menu, guests, volume and price point.
- Espresso and house blends
- Batch-brew and drip coffee
- Single-origin and seasonal coffees
- Decaffeinated coffee
- Whole-bean and ground formats
- 5 lb foodservice bags and 12 oz retail bags
- Custom blends for qualifying programs
For larger-volume ordering, browse our 5 lb bulk coffee.
Café Equipment, Bar Design and Setup
The right coffee program depends on the equipment behind it. We help cafés select espresso machines, brewers, grinders, water filtration and supporting equipment based on menu, expected volume, available utilities, counter space, workflow and budget.
Support can include equipment selection, utility planning, water-filtration guidance, installation coordination, setup, calibration and staff onboarding. Learn more about our commercial café equipment and technical support.
Barista Training and Quality Control
We provide practical training built around your actual menu and service environment. Training can include espresso dialing, grinder adjustment, milk steaming, batch-brew recipes, cleaning and maintenance, workflow, drink consistency and coffee fundamentals.
We can support opening training, new-hire training, refresher sessions and ongoing quality-control visits. The goal is a program your team can execute confidently during a real service rush.
Technical Support After Opening
A wholesale relationship should not end after delivery day. We support cafés with equipment troubleshooting, grinder calibration, preventative maintenance, parts sourcing and ongoing program adjustments. Additional technical support is available for qualifying wholesale coffee partners.
More Than Coffee
Common Friends can also help consolidate parts of your beverage program with matcha, chai, oat milk, café powders, filters, brewing supplies, cold brew and ready-to-drink options.
Start a Wholesale Café Program
Tell us what you are serving now, what you are building and where the current pain points are. We can start with coffee samples and grow the conversation into equipment, training or a complete beverage program if that is useful.
Apply for a Common Friends wholesale account or contact us to schedule a tasting.
Wholesale Coffee for Cafés FAQ
Does Common Friends provide espresso and batch-brew coffee?
Yes. We build café programs around espresso, drip and batch brew, decaf, single-origin coffees and other formats based on the menu and volume of the business.
Can you help a new café choose equipment?
Yes. We can help with equipment selection, utilities, water filtration, setup, calibration, workflow and staff onboarding for new café openings and existing bars.
Do you provide barista training after the opening?
Yes. We offer opening training, refresher training, new-hire support and ongoing quality-control help for wholesale partners.