Veteran Roasters: Our Chicago Roots

The Windy City is home to hot dogs, jazz music, deep dish pizza, countless sports fanatics, and almost a half a million military veterans. Veteran Roasters was founded in 2017 to help provide employment and support services to the Chicago veteran community, many of whom have struggled with transitioning back to civilian life. 

On a cold winter day nestled in the westside of Chicago, our Veteran Roasters warehouse is guaranteed to be full of chatter, community, and the smell of great coffee. 

Jessie, a Chicago native, Cubs fan, and Navy veteran is likely packaging shipments while sipping on a cup of Night Ops Dark Roast. Pedro, a Marine Corps veteran, is working by Jessie’s side helping fulfill subscription orders while drinking a mug of Cup O’ Joe Medium Roast. Whoever’s in charge of the day’s roasting gets to play DJ, but we’re likely all rocking out to 90s Hip Hop. The Veteran Roasters team has become like family, and the opportunity to hire additional hands is a celebration all around.

Coffee serves as the perfect medium for Veteran Roasters’s mission of employing veterans in the Chicago area. Unfortunately, many military jobs do not easily transition to civilian positions. As a growing industry, coffee roasting offers relevant, transferable skills to our workforce of veterans, preparing them for success outside of our warehouse doors. 

Our small team of Chicago veterans is just the beginning of our mission. With every purchase of our coffee, you’re helping to provide job security to our Chicago team while also helping further our goal to help Veterans nationwide. 

Veteran Roasters is one of many Chicago mission-based companies working hard to better our community and create a brighter future for our neighbors. Veteran Roasters is proud to join the family of #ShoCo Businesses, a group of local businesses helping to make Chicago just, equitable, and sustainable. 

Follow @veteranroasters on Instagram to keep up with our veteran-owned business.