Wonderstate Coffee: A Good Neighbor in Viroqua and Beyond

This Driftless Region’s solar-powered coffee roaster has much to celebrate in its 20th year of business.

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Eat/Drink

Between reaching 10 years of 100% solar-powered roasting, becoming B-corps certified, and winning Roaster of the Year for 2025 with Roast Magazine, Wonderstate Coffee is celebrating multiple milestones in their 20th year of business. Founded in the Driftless Region by Denise & TJ Semanchin and Caleb Nicholes, the roastery maintains ethical practice at the core of their business model and reflects the flourishing agricultural spirit of Viroqua, WI. Wonderstate operates their roastery out of Viroqua, as well as three regional cafes. 

At the end of 2024, Wonderstate was named Macro-roaster of the Year by an internationally renowned publication for specialty coffee craft and trade. Roast evaluates its awardee candidates primarily based on their roasts but also takes into consideration unique company qualities or above-and-beyond practices. It’s not the first time Wonderstate has been recognized by the magazine either; in 2010, they won Micro-Roaster of the Year after only five years in business as a specialty coffee roastery and distributor. 

Wonderstate’s beginnings can be attributed to a confluence of expertise between Nicholes and The Semanchins. In the late 90’s-early ‘00s, TJ Semanchin studied and worked in sustainable development in Costa Rica. “That was where my academic pursuits really hit ground level, not to mention I was living in Coffee Country,” he remarks. “I also traveled to other areas of Central America, including Southern Mexico where I worked closely with Zapatista coffee cooperatives.” These farm cooperatives are rooted in self-sufficient agricultural principles and a history of indigenous activism, an ethos that remains at the heart of Wonderstate’s production today. 

Following his time in Costa Rica, Semanchin worked in the coffee distribution world in Minneapolis. After some time, he and his wife Denise ventured to start a coffee business of their own, ultimately settling on Viroqua due to its unique alternative culture, small-town feel and organic agricultural roots, not to mention a desire to escape urbanity. “We came in following those waves of early pioneers who established [Viroqua] as a place committed to the rural lifestyle. There’s a lot of that entrepreneurial, starting-small energy,” Semanchin describes. 

Coincidentally, friend and business partner Caleb Nicholes relocated from Madison to Viroqua around the same time as the Semanchins to start up his own roastery. While in Madison, Nicholes worked as a wine importer, sourcing specialty Old World wines from Europe—meanwhile, he explored home coffee roasting as a hobby. Once TJ and Denise formed a business partnership with Nicholes, everything seemed to fall into place. “We met in the middle, and it’s become our dual mission.” 

A “Sweet Spot” Between Fair and Direct Trade  

Thanks to the direct partnerships formed with farm cooperatives during TJ’s time in Central America and Nichole’s experience in fine beverage trade, the founders synergized their niche skillsets to strike a balance between free and direct trade practices in their crop sourcing. “All of our coffee is consistent and based on long-term relationships and having as few intermediaries as possible, the deepest aspects of direct trade—as well as a focus on quality,” Semanchin explains. “But we also are committed to fair trade principles and how this overlaps with direct trade.”  

Wonderstate regularly purchases beans at a minimum price well above fair trade rates and intentionally buys multiple quality levels of beans from farmers rather than cherry-picking. “The ideal scenario is that we’re buying from a cooperative that has larger lots of the minimum quality we need, but that also has farmers who are looking to get a higher price by investing in unique and quality offerings.”  

Profit Sharing Initiative 

Wonderstate distributes a 10% profit share pool twice annually to all employees. This initiative comes from an earnest desire to share the wealth, to foster a company-wide sense of accomplishment when profit goals are met, and to inspire employees to feel invested in the overall health of the company. “As the company does better, we all do better,” says Semanchin. 

Semanchin also affirms that this profit-sharing model is one way to ensure that employee’s guaranteed wages are not jeopardized even amidst adverse economic conditions. Despite the imposed tariffs by the Trump administration, Wonderstate still guarantees that 10% profit share “no matter what the profit is.” 

Going 100% Solar and Supporting the Driftless Region 

Wonderstate takes pride in being a front-runner in renewable-powered coffee roasting. The roastery completely converted to grid-tied solar power in 2015 with the help of fellow Viroqua organization Ethos Green Power Cooperative. “Working with Ethos was surprisingly straightforward,” TJ expresses. He furthers on the benefits of being an active member of this circular economy, “Having experts in the field in our proximity was great—really, it meant we were relying on our neighbors.”  

As Semanchin alludes to, Wonderstate is a great neighbor in tight-knit Viroqua. The roastery and café gel nicely with the community seeing as residents and local businesses “are truly committed to this local food economy.” He beamingly portrays their Main Street café location as a strong contributor to the vibrancy of the community. Semanchin also describes their active giving program in which their specialty coffee is distributed to silent auctions, local organizations, and regional food pantries as a critical part of their investment in the community.  

The Future of Wonderstate

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wonderstate experience a significant uptick in online traffic as patrons sought to bring their beloved roasts home amidst lockdowns. Since then, their e-commerce expanded and became a major part of their sales. In coming months, Wonderstate plans to launch a new website, not only to make online shopping a better customer experience, but also to incorporate more opportunities for environmental and sustainability education.  

They hope to extend their dedication to renewable energy and localized carbon offsetting to their cafes, a pursuit that has proven challenging due to the small physical footprint of their café locations. Plans for more or expanded locations may be on a more distant horizon, though Semanchin mentions a personal interest in developing a joint hub in Madison for wholesale business alongside their existing coffee bar. 

For a quality cup of joe with a good heart, visit one of Wonderstate’s three café locations or order online at their web storefront. Wonderstate’s blends are also distributed to cafes and specialty grocery locations in Milwaukee, including Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern, Likewise Café, Sendik’s and Metcalfe’s Grocery.