Photo courtesy Cartel Roasting Co.
Cartel Coffee Lab started as a small family-owned operation in Tempe and has since expanded to 10 locations across the Southwest and continues to lean into sustainable growth – all with a new name and look.
The local coffee roaster and retailer is now known as Cartel Roasting Co. to better reflect its mission and vision as a force in the coffee production industry. A new 12,000-square-foot roasting, canning and cold brewing facility, a full line of canned coffee, an enhanced digital presence and new retail locations are also in the works. This rebrand and expansion touches on all four of the company’s pillars: retail, wholesale, RTD and bakery.
Cartel’s new look started with a simple challenge – to more accurately depict what makes Cartel stand out from the pack. In partnership with Phoenix’s Monomyth Studio, Cartel’s new look embodies the business’s efforts including hand-roasting every single bean it serves, exclusively working with small-scale coffee farmers and supporting the local community.
An updated website and brand-new app are part of the coffee company’s rebrand, plus four to five new retail locations across the Southwest within the next five years.
Amy and Jason Silberschlag founded Cartel as a modest coffee cart in 2007. Now, they’re constructing a high-tech coffee production facility and cannery, where they’ve been refining their cold-brewing recipe for two new ready-to-drink offerings: Sonoran Sun and Night Vision Nitro. These canned coffees are adorned with hand-drawn illustrations from local artists and can be found at all Cartel locations, select Whole Foods stores in Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada and online.
Cartel is also committed to the community – 10 percent of proceeds from each bag of Give Back Blend are donated to local nonprofits. It also regularly collaborates with Valley artisans and businesses.
“Cartel is unique in that we are involved in the coffee process from seed to cup,” Amy Silberschlag says. “Our beans are carefully sourced from farmer relationships that we’ve been cultivating for years, and reflects our commitment to ethical, sustainable, high-quality coffee. We love our craft – our science – and we love to share it with you.”
