Maryland’s Ceremony Coffee Now Part of FairWave Collective

Ceremony Coffee second location, which opened in Baltimore in 2015. Public domain photo.

Maryland-based Ceremony Coffee Roasters is now part of the FairWave Specialty Coffee Collective, a conglomerate of specialty coffee brands that launched in 2020 and now comprises more than 30 cafes and six roasteries.

The financial terms of the deal, which was described in a press release from Ceremony as an investment, were not publicly disclosed.

According to the announcement, the deal involves all six of Ceremony Coffee’s retail coffee shops, its Annapolis roasting operation, administrative offices, its cold brew and ready-to-drink business and its e-commerce business. As with previous FairWave investments, the coffee company will continue to operate locally while leveraging shared resources of the business collective.

Ceremony becomes the 12th brand in the FairWave portfolio, and the first outside the United States Midwest region.

Backed by the Kansas City, Missouri-based investment firm Great Range Capital, FairWave launched with investments in Kansas City-based specialty coffee roasters and small chains Messenger Coffee Company and The Roasterie. The group subsequently acquired ownership stakes in Minnesota-based coffee companies Spyhouse Coffee Roasters, UP Coffee Roasters and Folly Coffee. Last year, FairWave acquired Milwaukee-based Anodyne Coffee Roasters. The collective also includes the Hugo Tea and Ibis Bakery brands.

Vincent Iatesta, who founded Ceremony Coffee in 2002, will continue to lead the company.

“The essence of Ceremony will look and feel the same, the same warm cafés, friendly baristas and exceptional coffee, now backed by an even stronger support system,” Iatesta said in the announcement. “As part of the Collective, we’ll begin to see the advantages of our new resources, systems and expertise infused into the quality of our work, spaces and culture.”

Ceremony currently operates cafes in Bethesda, Baltimore and its home base of Annapolis.

“As it looks to expand outside the Midwest, FairWave selected Ceremony for its vision and commitment to inspire and grow its own specialty coffee community,” the announcement stated.

Comments? Questions? News to share? Contact DCN’s editors here.