STILL SMALL AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

How & Why Stone Creek Coffee Stayed Little on Purpose

By all accounts, we shouldn’t still be a “small” company. We’re 32 years old. We’ve got 9 cafes, a roastery, a bakery, a kitchen, a bunch of trucks, a bunch more spreadsheets, and enough coffee to keep all of Milwaukee buzzed through the next polar vortex.

But we are “small.” By scale. By size. By soul. And we’re good with that.

Why aren’t we trying to take over the world?

Because we’re not in this to franchise our souls out to the highest bidder. We’re not interested in becoming the next faceless, soulless coffee empire pumping out cookie-cutter stores and undercutting labor costs to hit quarterly growth targets.

Nah. We want to stay weird. Stay human. Stay freakishly committed to doing things the right way, even if it costs more, takes longer, or doesn’t look as shiny on a pitch deck.

But don’t you want to grow?

Sure. But growth ≠ expansion. We want to grow better, not just bigger.

We’re a certified B Corp. That means we’re contractually and philosophically committed to growing with purpose. That means higher pay for our people. More stability for our teams. Stronger partnerships with our farmers. It means real benefits, not just fake perks. It means thinking long-term in an industry built on short-term margins.

We’re here to create a sustainable business. That doesn’t mean staying stagnant. It means evolving in a way that doesn’t burn out our people, our soil, or our sanity.

But isn’t the coffee industry a volatile mess?

Yup. It absolutely is. Climate change, wars, tariffs, consolidation, and green coffee pricing swings that would make a Wall Street guy puke. All that is real, and it all hits small roasters like us square in the gut.

That’s exactly why staying small (and smart) matters. We’re agile enough to pivot. We’re close enough to the ground to feel what’s actually happening in our cafes, our community, our supply chain. And we’re experienced enough to know when to tighten the belt, when to reinvest, and when to pour another damn cup and ride it out.

So what’s next?

We’ll keep showing up. For our baristas. For our farmers. For our neighbors. For the freaks who care about origin, elevation, fermentation, and the difference between a washed and honey-processed lot. (We see you.)

We’ll keep roasting, baking, brewing, and building the kind of coffee company that doesn’t just look good on Instagram, but actually feels good to work for, partner with, visit, and buy from.

And yeah, we’ll stay small…ish.