We have three cafes: one in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward, one in our hometown of Viroqua, WI, and a third up north in Bayfield, WI on the coast of Lake Superior. ☀️ We became one of the first coffee roasters in the world to generate all its power from an on-site solar array! Originally named for the Kickapoo River Valley they call home, the company recognized their name as an appropriation of the Kickapoo Nation, a Native American Peoples. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Kickapoo released a statement saying it will change its name in 2020, as its use of the term Kickapoo could be considered appropriation of the name of four indigenous peoples’ … Semanchin and Nicholes have apologized to the Kickapoo tribes in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. Kickapoo Coffee officially introduced its new name and logo today, changing its brand to Wonderstate Coffee. No new name has been disclosed. Founder TJ Semanchin said the company’s plans for rebranding and marketing were set back by the COVID-19 pandemic, with employees working from home and delays for packaging printed in Asia. Kickapoo Coffee Roasters in Viroqua announced in April 2019 that it would change its name out of respect for the Kickapoo tribe. When the company was founded in 2005, our owners Denise and TJ Semanchin and Caleb Nicholes chose the name Kickapoo Coffee. In moves not related to COVID pressures, Milwaukee’s Kickapoo Coffee has completed its name change. Semanchin said in the statement, “By using Kickapoo, we claimed a name that was never ours to take. On my last visit to Milwaukee, I was disappointed not to have the chance to try Kickapoo Coffee, as they have a great reputation. Then, just before our visit, I learned about this. We had indeed had people over the years who asked us if we were affiliated with the Kickapoo Nation, but those inquiries were not what ultimately drove us to change the name. Last April, the company announced the decision to change the business’ name in light of growing concerns over cultural appropriation. A Kickapoo Coffee shop in Milwaukee. The award-winning, organic coffee roaster from Viroqua announced on social media in early 2019 that it would be changing its name in an act of deference to the Kickapoo Nation. No new name has been disclosed. Experience Wonderstate. Kickapoo Coffee’s founders and co-owners, TJ Semanchin and Caleb Nicholes, announced today their decision to change the name of their company after fourteen years. A defining natural feature of our landscape, the Kickapoo River wends its way through the heart of our community. But Kickapoo is not simply the name given to a river. The new discount codes are constantly updated on Couponxoo. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Kickapoo released a statement saying it will change its name in 2020, as its use of the term Kickapoo could be considered appropriation of the name of four indigenous peoples’ tribes. They do not yet have a new name for the company, which roasts its coffee in small batches in southwestern Wisconsin and has cafes at 232 E. Erie St. in Milwaukee's Third Ward, and in Viroqua and Bayfield. Kickapoo Coffee announced last April that they planned to change their name after recognizing they were appropriating it from a tribal nation. From: onmilwaukee.com. It seems lately Kickapoo Coffee Roasters has been winning award after award after award. ... “This name change reflects a desire to hold ourselves accountable. Kickapoo Coffee Cafe - Milwaukee Third Ward, Milwaukee: See 18 unbiased reviews of Kickapoo Coffee Cafe - Milwaukee Third Ward, rated 5 of 5, and one of 1,455 Milwaukee restaurants on Tripadvisor. Doughnuts are still on the menu, but Dunkin' Donuts is renaming itself Dunkin' to reflect its increasing emphasis on coffee and other drinks, which make up 60 percent of its sales. In a statement released yesterday, April 17th, owners TJ Semanchin and Caleb Nicholes cite appropriation as the reason the company has opted for the wholesale change. A fourth tribe lives in Mexico. In 2006, it released a new motto — "America runs on Dunkin' — that didn't mention doughnuts. A release from the company said the founders had “claimed a name that was never ours to take.” © 2020 Shepherd Express. Originally named for the Kickapoo River Valley they call home, the company recognized their name as an appropriation of the Kickapoo Nation, a Native American Peoples. Viroqua-based Kickapoo Coffee Roasters said on April 17 it will change its name, and is welcoming suggestions as it prepares to introduce an as-yet-undecided new moniker in early 2020. From: onmilwaukee.com. And DC cafe and bar Colony Club has changed its name to Doubles. Kickapoo Coffee announced last April that they planned to change their name after recognizing they were appropriating it from a tribal nation. Last April, the company announced the decision to change the business’ name in light of growing concerns over cultural appropriation. “We had actually started an internal dialog months earlier, initiated and facilitated in large part by one of our staff members, Shizue Roche Adachi. The name of the river is a tribute to the Kickapoo tribe who once called that area home, and the coffee company wants to keep that name sacred. Yesterday Wisconsin-based Kickapoo Coffee announced plans to change its name due to concerns over cultural appropriation. Kickapoo Coffee (kickapoocoffee.com) is a Southwest Wisconsin-based specialty coffee roaster. Dunkin' is dropping the donuts — from its name, anyway. According to the press release, Semanchin and Nicholes chose the name Kickapoo when … Last April, the company … "What are the bigger ramifications as we grow in stature and on the national stage?". The latest ones are on Jan 05, 2021 For now, the DeHavens are still trying to decide on a new name and other steps toward re-branding. Viroqua-based Kickapoo Coffee Roasters said on April 17 it will change its name, and is welcoming suggestions as it prepares to introduce an as-yet-undecided new moniker in early 2020. Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas Chairman Lester Randall to address the name change of Kickapoo Coffee in Viroqua, Wisconsin. In a statement released yesterday, April 17th, owners TJ Semanchin and Caleb Nicholes cite appropriation as the reason the company has opted for the wholesale change. The non-Native founders had “claimed a name that was never ours to take,” they admitted. “When Kickapoo Coffee was founded in 2005, we chose the name with the intention of honoring the place where our business has its roots: the Kickapoo River Valley,” Semanchin explains, “But Kickapoo is not simply the name given to a river. “We claimed a name that was never ours to take,” owners TJ Semanchin and Caleb Nicholes wrote in a public statement. We are still the same people, roasting the same coffee, committed to the same values,” the letter continues. All rights reserved. This little (big actually) baby … See their individual pages for more information. Kickapoo Coffee (kickapoocoffee.com) is a Southwest Wisconsin-based specialty coffee roaster. Paying farmers more with a minimum price guarantee that's double the Fair Trade price. After calling in an agency to help and going through a long process to really find the identity of the brand, the company chose the name Wonderstate. The name change reflects a move away from negative associations with colonialism, particularly given the gentrification in its Park View neighborhood, and ties to their in-house ping pong … One local coffee shop took on the task two years ago, and is now introducing their new name and packaging. Ultimately it’s an act toward erasing their existence, a continuation of their genocide. The progressive Wisconsin-based company formerly known as Kickapoo Coffee has officially changed its name to Wonderstate Coffee, marking a major milestone in a long and lesson-filled road to a comprehensive rebrand. Maybe this is the best of both worlds!?! Did you know that In 2015, our roastery went 100% solar powered? Follow her on Twitter at @mkediner or Instagram at @mke_diner. The … Kickapoo Coffee Roasters has chosen a new name but is keeping quiet. Award-winning, organic coffee roasters in Wisconsin. It was exactly a year ago that southwest Wisconsin's Kickapoo Coffee announced they would be completely rebranding and no longer using the Kickapoo moniker under which they had operated for well over a decade. Kickapoo Coffee’s founders and co-owners, TJ Semanchin and Caleb Nicholes, announced today their decision to change the name of their company after fourteen years. In an interview, Semanchin said customers in Wisconsin have associated the company name with the location, but customers living outside Wisconsin don't make that association, leading to questions about the name. By using “Kickapoo,” we claimed a name that was never ours to … The Kickapoo are a People, with tribes in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Mexico. This name change reflects a desire to hold ourselves accountable. On its website, Kickapoo Coffee also says it has "set aside $25,000 to support projects and programs that directly support the Kickapoo Nation and combat cultural assumptions that led to our appropriation." According to the press release, Semanchin and Nicholes chose the name Kickapoo when … "We just kind of allowed ourselves to ask harder questions," Semanchin said. The company said in 2019 it would change its name this year from Kickapoo, seen as an appropriation of the Kickapoo Nation's name. Our name change and rebranding reflect a desire to hold ourselves accountable. Citing concerns for cultural appropriation, Kickapoo Coffee will be changing its name before January 2020. We got in the way of their SEO and that meant we were contributing to their erasure. Kickapoo Coffee is named after the Kickapoo River Valley, which runs near Viroqua where the company was started. Semanchin estimated the new logo, new signage in the cafes … It is not the result of a change in ownership or management. Citing concerns for cultural appropriation, Kickapoo Coffee will be changing its name before January 2020. The change-over – which included the renaming of the cafes in Viroqua, Bayfield and the Milwaukee-based cafe at 232 E. Erie … “One of the things we love about the name is it’s an invitation for people to interpret it,” Wonderstate Co-Founder TJ Semanchin told Daily Coffee News. Kickapoo Coffee, the award-winning roaster based in Viroqua, announced Wednesday that it would change its name to make right what a co-founder said … “By using Kickapoo, we claimed a name that was never ours to take,” Kickapoo Coffee Co-Founder and Co-Owner TJ Semanchin said in a company announcement of the forthcoming name change. © 2021 www.jsonline.com. Nicholes said in the statement that the name change was the company's first step toward making amends. Kickapoo Coffee is named after the Kickapoo River Valley, which runs near Viroqua where the company was started. The U.S. continues to do this with our recorded history because we aren’t sharing the whole story of native peoples. A longtime leader in crafting coffee with integrity, Kickapoo Coffee announced their decision to change their name last spring. ", Semanchin acknowledged that a number of businesses in the Kickapoo River Valley incorporate Kickapoo in their names, but because of the coffee company's national sales, "this issue is unique to us.". Kickapoo’s main cafe is at the edge of the Historic Third Ward, a neighborhood near downtown with lovely old buildings, some warehouse conversions, the Milwaukee Public Market food hall, and some … As Loretta Guzman, founder of Bison Coffeehouse, Portland’s only Native American-owned coffee shop and cafe, explains: “There are a lot of coffees with Native names, but … In 2015, the company became the country’s first solar-powered roastery. Reckoning with our use of the Kickapoo name has been a humbling and vital process. With a new 80-panel solar array installed and hooked up to the local grid, the company achieves a balance over the course of the year and covers 100 percent of its electricity usage with … It is not the result of a change in ownership or management. A spokeswoman said the Kickapoo tribes did not contact the company before the owners made the decision to change the name. On its website, Kickapoo Coffee also says it has "set aside $25,000 to support projects and programs that directly support the Kickapoo Nation and combat cultural assumptions that led to our appropriation." Over the past few months, the company has devoted staff hours and finances to the series of changes consumers will see in late spring, including new biodegradable packaging. Wonderstate Coffee at 27 W. Main St. has an ambitious menu of breakfast foods and sandwiches, all overseen by chef David Blair. In 2015, Kickapoo Coffee Roasters, based in the southwestern Wisconsin town of Viroqua, took advantage of a federal grant offering a 30 percent tax break to convert its roasting facility to solar power. The company started off the year as Kickapoo Coffee Roasters, the name TJ Semanchin and Caleb Nicholes chose for their Viroqua roaster (and eventual four cafés) in 2005. The explanation on a page of their website dedicated to the name change announcement states: “When you chance upon something good and find yourself awed: that’s the Wonderstate.”. (“It’s like telling someone the name of your kid before they’re born,” RocheAdachi said.) Once you sign up, please check your inbox. "We were ignorant to the fact that the name of … Kickapoo Coffee's main wholesale business is in the Upper Midwest, but the coffee also is brewed at upscale multiroaster cafes in places such as Texas, California and Oregon. According to the press release, Semanchin and Nicholes chose the name Kickapoo when starting their coffee company back in 2005 “with the intention of honoring the place where our business has its roots: the Kickapoo River Valley.” They were at that time unaware that Kickapoo—an Algonquin word meaning “one who goes there, then here”—is also the name of an indigenous people that once … In an official statement published on their website, Kickapoo Coffee founders and co-owners TJ Semanchin and Caleb Nicholes called their original decision to use the name of the Kickapoo People, and to continue to operate under … As a company committed to social justice and the pursuit of a more fair and equitable world, we recognize that this work begins with us. cafes at 232 E. Erie St. in Milwaukee's Third Ward, Journal Sentinel Food & Home page on Facebook, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 100% solar powered. All Rights Reserved. Kickapoo Coffee announced last April that they planned to change their name after recognizing they were appropriating it from a tribal nation. Southwest Wisconsin’s Kickapoo Coffee have announced that after 14 years in existence, the specialty coffee roaster will change names. Kickapoo Coffee Rebrands, Becomes Wonderstate Coffee. The owners of a popular Wisconsin coffee company say they're changing their name over concerns about appropriation of American Indian culture.. Kickapoo Coffee is named after the Kickapoo River Valley, which runs near Viroqua where the company was started.But the name comes from a Native American nation who lived in Wisconsin during the 17th century. Southwest Wisconsin’s Kickapoo Coffee have announced that after 14 years in existence, the specialty coffee roaster will change names. By using “Kickapoo,” our company claimed a name that was never ours to take. March 8, 2020 Kickapoo Coffee’s New Name, New Café. 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