Exactly two years ago today, OnMilwaukee.com first reported that Alterra Coffee was changing its name to Colectivo.
In 2010, the owners sold the brand name – not the company – to Mars Drinks. During this time, the cafes and wholesale business remained owned by Paul Miller and brothers Ward and Lincoln Fowler and continued to operate independently.
After a three-year relationship with Mars Drinks, the Milwaukee-based coffee company struck an agreement with Mars to sell its name, intellectual property, consulting sessions and general knowledge / insight into the industry.
In exchange, Alterra received enough resources to expand – under a different name – and the Bay View, Madison, Wauwatosa and Third Ward Colectivo Cafes were made possible.
At first, customers had myriad opinions on the new name, but after 24 months, Scott Schwebel, director of marketing for Colectivo, says the "new" name has been embraced by customers.
"We are still the same organization, trying to do our best work each day. The Alterra name will always be a part of our history but I think Colectivo has started to roll off the tongue for many without much thought. I know I don't think twice about it anymore," he says.
What about you? Still call it "Alterra" or has "Colectivo" finally stuck?
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
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