Chicago Coffee Conspiracy

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes (830 words)

One of the little perks that keeps city life interesting are the anonymous posters that pop up on just about every sign post, telephone poll, and street light. Rarely do these posters offer any great insight; most of them are advertisements for B-list bands, dog walkers, or the ramblings of some extremely esoteric conspiracy theorists.  

I always enjoy stopping to read these posters — you never know what you’re going to find — and it was to my surprise that I recently found something interesting. Given the ALL CAPS style of the flyer I initially thought it was a half-baked manifesto on someone’s pet conspiracy theory. But as I read on my intrigue grew:

COFFEE IS MORE THAN A STIMULANT; IT’S A SOCIAL LUBRICANT, A CATALYST FOR COLLABORATION AND CAMARADERIE. IT’S THE SPARK FOR CONVERSATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS, FOSTERING CONNECTIONS THAT TRANSCEND THE CONFINES OF COFFEE SHOPS, WORKPLACES, HOMES AND THE WALLS THAT IS EVERYDAY LIFE. 

BREWING COFFEE IS MORE THAN JUST A MORNING ROUTINE; IT’S A SACRED RITUAL THAT MARKS THE BEGINNING OF EACH DAY. THE AROMA OF FRESHLY GROUND BEANS FILLS THE AIR, AWAKENING THE SENSES AND INVITING ANTICIPATION. THE FIRST SIP - A MOMENT OF PURE BLISS THAT TRANSCENDS THE ORDINARY AND TRANSPORTS YOU, THE DRINKER, TO A REALM OF DEEP SATISFACTION AND COMFORT.

SHARING COFFEE WITH SOMEONE IS NOT JUST ABOUT GETTING OVERLY CAFFEINATED; INSTEAD IT IS A CELEBRATION OF COMMUNITY AND TRADITION. IT IS A REMINDER THAT IN A WORLD OF HUSTLE AND BUSTLE, TAKING THE TIME TO SAVOR MOMENTS OF TOGETHERNESS IS THE TRUE ESSENCE OF LIFE.

YET AMIDST THE RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF PRODUCTIVITY, THERE’S A PARADOXICAL TRUTH: COFFEE BOTH PROPELS US FORWARD AND ANCHORS US IN THE PRESENT MOMENT. IT’S A PAUSE BUTTON IN A WORLD THAT NEVER STOPS SPINNING, OFFERING A BRIEF RESPITE FROM THE CHAOS OF MODERN LIFE.

This wasn’t the only poster I noticed around my neighborhood. Similar ones, whether in ALL CAPS, walls of text, or with catchy animations, drew my attention. They were all united around one theme: coffee. Several contained contact information for a semi-anonymous account/business named Little Press Coffee. 

“I guess coffee is a bit of a conspiracy,” Dylan Bissonette told me with a chuckle when I met him for a pick up of coffee beans. Bissonette runs Little Press Coffee, a one-man DIY coffee roastery that operates out of his kitchen. The posters and flyers are his low budget, yet effective, guerilla marketing campaign. 

Through an Instagram DM (@littlepresschi), I ordered an eight ounce bag of Rwanda dry process mashesha beans, which was hand-delivered by Bissonette a day later. Little Press’ offerings change regularly, but usually feature a few types of beans and merchandise. 

“I would like to think that if I came across a flyer and saw a number [I would] reach out to that person,” he explained. “But I also understand how maybe there could be a little bit of hesitation with that in today's day and age.” Nonetheless, Bissonette explained that he sees an uptick in sales when he posts a fresh batch of advertisements across the city. 

Like a lot of hobbies-turned-businesses, Little Press started during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and has grown from there. 

“I was using a popcorn popper at first,” Bissonette said. “I was really just roasting for myself and then for my roommates and friends. When Covid started I just posted something on Instagram: ‘If I roasted some coffee, would anybody want some?’ Whatever they would pay I would donate to different organizations.” That was almost five years ago, but Little Press has mostly stayed under the radar. 

Considering the underground, startup nature of his business, the beans punched above their weight. The bag I received brewed into a respectable expression of Rwandan coffee. The tasting notes Bissonette provided from the wholesaler listed “rustic, chocolate and winey berry hint,” which was accurate to the final brew. On Bissonette’s recommendation I used a French press, but he noted that the beans can be roasted longer if requested for use as espresso. 

Chicago contains several excellent coffee roasters, from old-guard Metropolis to newer spots like Magnifico in Avondale. But the city contains very few roasters like Bissonette and Little Press. 

Little Press has certainly seen some growth — Bissonette says he roasts about 40 pounds of beans at a time, and has maintained a healthy upward trajectory — but it’s not a fully fledged business. According to him, “it’s a side hustle right now. I'm working towards trying to get a bigger roaster so I could do this a little bit more consistently and roast in larger quantities cause.”

Ultimately, he wants to get his coffee in front of more people, whether that’s through pop ups and events or as a supplier for cafes. “I think that stuff is a little more compelling for me right now than opening a cafe,” he said. 

For the time being, I’ll be keeping my eyes out for more posters — and ordering more coffee.