3. Based in Milwaukee, WI
Began in 1993(4) by three dudes…The
original location was in Bayshore (with a 10 lb.
roaster)
4. Hey…take a look at me now
235 Employees
150 Full Time
85 Part Time
Nine Locations and Counting
Mission(2008)
Todeliver an exceptional coffee experience to our
customers, co-workers and community.
6. LINCOLN FOWLER,
one of three co-founders of
Alterra Coffee Roasters:
"My four years at Marquette were
the finest four years of education
I've ever had. . . .
There was a strange mingling of
, a confidence in our abilities and the unavoidable hubris
of teenage boys. This created an atmosphere of healthy, intense
competition . . . and fostered strong egos while never letting us
forget that
7. Paul Miller
“Bringing your to
work helps create a really
,”
“What we’re trying to do is
create an
(for customers).
And that requires people to bring
their personalities
to bear on the job.
And that’s where you can empower
people.”
8. Individuality and lack of uniformity
is a double-edged sword,
Miller and the Folwer brothers said.
We’re forced to
establish goals
and find what is
appropriate.
We don’t want to tie
down our
people too tightly.
It’s a struggle to balance.”
Ward Fowler
9. Alterra Coffee Company
Vision(2008)
Recognize and create a culture of
continual improvement.
Provide our customers and co-workers with creatively-designed, non-
traditional environments conducive to building
relationships, stimulating conversation, and
forging community connections.
Build strong, mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with coffee producers
Participate in the continuous improvement and
development of our local community through long-term partnerships with
non-profit organizations and like-minded businesses.
10. Goals
Involve 30% of our staff with
community building activities each year.
Bakery Manager
Milwaukee Center for Independence
Forging relationships
Refugee Services
Lutheran Services
WI Department of Labor
Catholic Charities
11. Human Resources Generalist: Carolyn Castillo
Interview process
through corporate mentality
Only the best suited will be hired
Philosophy:
“The further out you , the more you
learn.”
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
Spidey’s Uncle
12. Hiring Process
Online vs. In-person application
95% of applications online
Pros and cons
Voluntary Self ID
Affirmative Action Plan (AAP)
Mayfair and Lakefront hiring
Employee Referral Program
Challenges: age, personality, cognitive
style, background, education
UWM Job Fair
13. City of Milwaukee
Demographics
Population 594,833
21.3% of the population and 17.4% of families are below the
poverty line
At 43% in 2007, Milwaukee has the second highest black male
joblessness rate in the country behind Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Race Makeup
White 43.6%
Black 39.5%
Native American 0.8%
Asian 3.6%
Pacific Islander 0.05%
Other race 7.3%
Two or more races 2.1%
Hispanic 14.9% Note: Hispanics may be of any race
14. Commitment to Community
100% wind powered
Revitalized interesting historic buildings that anchor neighborhoods
Experimental artificial wetland that treats parking lot runoff
Fair trade coffee buying practices
Works with urban farming legend Will Allen’s Growing Power on a
vermiculture project
Urban Ecology Center-From the daily donation of baked goods by Alterra Coffee Roasters
Second Harvest -Alterra’s support of Second Harvest of Wisconsin is
noteworthy. This organization distributes millions of pounds of food
each year to people who need it in our state. The company donates
a small portion of their sales to the cause and, perhaps more
importantly, has raised awareness for Second Harvest’s efforts to
feed hungry people.
Sponsors annual mountain bike race
15. Coffee anyone
Did you know worms like coffee too! Since 2000, Alterra Coffee has delivered
the used coffee grounds from their Prospect Avenue café to the
vermicomposting bins at Growing Power Food Center and Training Facility. It is
a great nitrogen source and it keeps our nice group of red wrigglers well
fed. We compost over 300 pounds of coffee grounds per week.
For those of you counting, Growing Power composts more than 180,000
pounds of waste per week.
That’s over ten million pounds of waste not going into Wisconsin’s and Illinois’
landfills annually.
17. Second Harvest of WI
Alterra’s support of Second Harvest of
Wisconsin is noteworthy. This organization
distributes millions of pounds of food each
year to people who need it in our state.
The company donates a small portion of their
sales to the cause and, perhaps more
importantly, has raised awareness for Second
Harvest’s efforts to feed hungry people.
18. As always, the Alterra Team
continues its strong tradition of
community service. bike rodeo, the Bicycle
Free helmets for kids at a local
Federation of Wisconsin, and WORBA. Donates to the
development of the Hank Aaron State Trail.
19. Mars …Flavia …what does it
mean???
our relationship with mars is unique and took some time to craft.
we remain locally owned and operated.
all of our staff keep their jobs.
all cafes stay open and all our management stays in place.
we remain committed to our culture and community.
the only thing that may change is our ability to grow that
commitment and strengthen our culture.
we are truly excited to bring alterra's roasting, sourcing and brewing expertise to elevate the bar in single-serve coffee. we like the mars organization.
they are an impressive bunch. their family is committed to sustainability and although vastly different in size/scope, we share many values.
we're looking forward to the months of work ahead. there are new challenges, but our operations, culture and community will not change.
i wore shorts to work today......and i'll wear shorts to work tomorrow. that may give you a sense for the magnitude of change we are expecting.
thanks to all of you who enjoy the cafes and coffee. we really appreciate you.
lincoln fowler
co-owner
20. Humboldt Headquarters
90% reclaimed
“Shot in the arm”( of adrenaline) for the
neighborhood
Alderman Michael D’Amato
$3 million project due to sustainability
Diversity of River West
The Humboldt Avenue location has received
environmental awards and has a large outdoor
seating area. K. Jenkins, Yahoo! Contributor Network
21. What the founders say about the
locations…
If (a café or location) has a patina, it would be criminal
to get rid of it,” Ward Fowler said. “People look for
that. They respond to places that have history and
have been lived in.”
It is an aesthetic that we work towards,” Miller said.
“Every store is a little different. The lakefront (café)
tells a different story than (the Riverwest cafe) and the
Foundry is a little different.”
Having its production facilities connected to cafes is
part of Alterra’s operational model and part of the
company’s connection to Milwaukee’s industrial
heritage, said Lincoln Fowler.“We like work, and
showing people how things work,” he said. “We don’t
like the attitude of (glossing) things over to make them
look good.”
22. Recommendations
Computers in cafés (for hiring purposes)
Benefits( would perhaps generate diversity in
age of applicants)
Expounding on Fair Trade Much of Alterra’s coffee carries
the Fair Trade label – a certification process that some coffee
producers, suppliers and roasters go through to ensure that growers in
South and Central America are being paid living wages for their products.
let us know who the farmers
are…make it personal
