Post job

Intelligentsia Coffee company history timeline

1995

Their dream was to open a café and roaster in the city’s emerging Lakeview neighborhood, and on October 9, 1995, the dream welcomed its first customers.

In many ways, Watts, who joined Zell and Mange in 1995, is the soul of the sourcing and roasting operation.

2003

In 2003, Intelli opened its second location with the Monadnock Cafe in the South Loop and began to accentuate high-end furnishings like an Italian espresso bar.

2010

Jen Apodaca worked at Intelligentsia’s operation in California from 2010-13, went on to become production manager at Blue Bottle Coffee and is now owner of Mother Tongue Coffee in Oakland, California.

2012

“It’s super hard,” said McLaughlin, who took over as president and CEO in 2012 after stints as general counsel and director of green coffee. “The cool part is it does create this constant movement of ideas with the business.

2015

With an eye on further expansion, Peet’s purchased a majority stake in Intelligentsia in 2015 and paired it with the acquisition of Portland, Oregon-based Stumptown.

2020

29, 2020, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

Work at Intelligentsia Coffee?
Share your experience
Founded
1995
Company founded
Headquarters
Chicago, IL
Company headquarter
Get updates for jobs and news

Rate how well Intelligentsia Coffee lives up to its initial vision.

Zippia waving zebra

Intelligentsia Coffee jobs

Do you work at Intelligentsia Coffee?

Does Intelligentsia Coffee communicate its history to new hires?

Intelligentsia Coffee competitors

Company nameFounded dateRevenueEmployee sizeJob openings
Stumptown Coffee Roasters1999$51.0M203-
Revelator Coffee2013$340,000165-
Counter Culture Coffee1995$11.0M3008
Argo Tea2003$19.7M250-
Ritual Coffee2005$13.0M203
Heine Brothers' Coffee1994$3.3M78-
Philz Coffee2003$48.0M61261
BIGGBY COFFEE1995$12.0M17515
Sigma Alimentos-$5.7M50-
It's A Grind Coffee House1994-720-

Intelligentsia Coffee history FAQs

Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Intelligentsia Coffee, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Intelligentsia Coffee. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Intelligentsia Coffee. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Intelligentsia Coffee. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Intelligentsia Coffee and its employees or that of Zippia.

Intelligentsia Coffee may also be known as or be related to Intelligentsia Coffee, Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, Intelligentsia Coffee Inc and Intelligentsia Coffee, Inc.