Now in its 20th year of operation, Milwaukee’s Colectivo (formerly Alterra) is still a favorite for its hot and cold beverages and delicious bakery, sandwiches and goodies. Colectivo prepares all its own bakery items from scratch. Early this spring, the company decided to trademark its fare under the name Troubadour Bakery.
“The Troubadour Bakery offers exactly the same bakery people have been enjoying over the past 15 years—it’s just newly branded,” says Colectivo’s Director of Marketing Scott Schwebel. “We also launched an artisan bread line this year under the Troubadour name, which we had already been perfecting for more than three years behind the scenes. We added to our menu European-style station sandwiches, inspired from European train stations where people can grab a sandwich and eat on the go.”
The hub of all of Colectivo’s coffee roasting and baking is its Bay View location. “We use an Italian custom stone hearth oven to bake our breads,” says Schwebel. “It was shipped over in thousands of pieces and assembled by hand onsite by two craftsmen from Italy, without directions. Two of our bakers assisted in the process and that’s really special to us.”
The company’s newest location at 223 E. St. Paul Ave. is the smallest out of Colectivo’s 13 cafes, all of them located throughout Greater Milwaukee except for one in Madison. “There are so many unique neighborhoods in Milwaukee, but the Third Ward is special unto itself because of its really unique retail/living environment,” Schwebel says. “The café has a direct relationship with the sidewalk, including fully operational, custom-made windows. We wanted to blur the lines between café and sidewalk. We love the neighborhood and created our space with the intention of celebrating all aspects of the Third Ward: Our alley mural incorporates big city alleyways, our indoor/outdoor seating incorporates the Third Ward merchant feel and our busker series, where musicians play out in front of café, celebrates the area’s artistic side.”
The Third Ward café serves Colectivo Keg Company Beer. Perfect fit, right? Colectivo’s beer line was launched a little over a year ago at the Madison location. “A bunch of people at the company have been home brewers for years, so in Madison we tried our hand at beer because we enjoy serving great beverages in general, so it was a natural progression,” Schwebel says. “We then began offering beer at our Wauwatosa location and now to the Third Ward clientele.” The One Tun Pale Ale and the Cortado Imperial Stout are offered year round, accompanied by seasonal brews such as the Cáscara Farmhouse Ale, which is a saison with a light, fruitful flavor profile that comes from using Columbia coffee cherry skins.
For more information about Colectivo’s Troubadour Bakery and Keg Company Beer, visit colectivocoffee.com, call 414-273-3747 or email info@colectivocoffee.com.
