Black Fodder Coffee

Black Fodder Coffee We roast, brew, cater, and teach uncompromising craft espresso, coffee, and tea.

We are a Chicago-born craft coffee company, offering specialty coffee and tea catering, coffee education, and (soon) our own label of roasted beans and bottled cold brew.

A little behind the scenes — because our café is about more than coffee and something sweet.Our philosophy is actually v...
08/17/2026

A little behind the scenes — because our café is about more than coffee and something sweet.

Our philosophy is actually very simple, but also uncompromising: we want to serve you the way we would want to be served ourselves.

And that applies not only to what lands on your plate, but also to what happens in the kitchen when no one is watching.

We don’t want to fool you with food that only looks good. We don’t want cheap shortcuts, unnecessarily processed ingredients, artificial flavors or ingredients we wouldn’t choose for ourselves and our own families.

There is already far too much highly processed food around us, while more and more people — often at a very young age — struggle with metabolic health and other diet-related problems.

So whenever we can, we choose real ingredients, organic products, grass-fed beef, good olive oil and food prepared simply and honestly. We clean the pan and use fresh olive oil for the next crepe. We read labels. We ask questions. And sometimes we choose the more expensive ingredient simply because we believe it’s the better one.

Are we perfect? No. Is absolutely everything organic? Not yet. But we know what direction we’re going in — and we’re not interested in pretending otherwise.

Real food. Honest ingredients. No unnecessary shortcuts.

That’s what hospitality means to us — even behind the kitchen.

If you’ve only ever had espresso… it’s time to discover coffee in a whole new way.One of the things that truly sets spec...
08/16/2026

If you’ve only ever had espresso… it’s time to discover coffee in a whole new way.

One of the things that truly sets specialty coffee apart is pour-over coffee — brewing methods that give the coffee and water a little more time to reveal the incredible complexity hidden inside the beans.

V60? Chemex? Kalita? Siphon? Or maybe something completely different?

With espresso, you get intensity, concentration, and character.
With pour-over, you can discover floral aromas, fruit, citrus, chocolate, caramel, jasmine, and sometimes notes you never expected to find in coffee.

And that’s exactly why pour-over can be… a completely different coffee experience.

If you always order espresso, try a pour-over next time.
You might be surprised by just how many flavors your coffee had that you simply never had the chance to discover.

Feel free to ask our baristas what’s special today — our pour-over coffees change from time to time, so there’s always something new to explore.

Come visit Black Fodder and give your coffee a little more time. ☕️

What do you think about breakfast bowls like this? Natural yogurt with collagen — because no one wants to age faster tha...
08/14/2026

What do you think about breakfast bowls like this?

Natural yogurt with collagen — because no one wants to age faster than they have to 😉 Plus a good dose of protein and calcium to keep our muscles and bones happy.

Blueberries for healthy eyes
Almonds for strong nerves — hello, magnesium!
Coconut, because we’ve known for a while that the MCTs it contains are a great source of quick energy, especially for the brain.
And strawberries — because who doesn’t love strawberries? Plus, they’re packed with vitamin C, which supports natural collagen production and ties this whole bowl together quite nicely. 😉

Sunshine. Rain. Tornado. Sunshine again! At this point, we’ve stopped checking the weather 😎Coffee, however, remains hig...
08/12/2026

Sunshine. Rain. Tornado. Sunshine again! At this point, we’ve stopped checking the weather 😎
Coffee, however, remains highly predictable ❤️

Post-wedding mornings deserve the best coffee. ☕🤍 Because why celebrate for just one day?
08/08/2026

Post-wedding mornings deserve the best coffee. ☕🤍 Because why celebrate for just one day?

Do you have a single-group espresso machine available to rent for just one day?Our machine unexpectedly let us down righ...
08/04/2026

Do you have a single-group espresso machine available to rent for just one day?

Our machine unexpectedly let us down right before an event, so we’re looking for a last-minute replacement.

☕ We’ll take great care of your equipment.
💰 Happy to pay a fair rental fee.
📍 Chicago area (River Forest / Oak Park preferred, but we’re happy to travel).

If you can help—or know someone who can—please send us a DM! ❤️

SpecialtyCoffee RiverForest OakPark CoffeePeople LastMinuteHelp

Great coffee deserves great company. Your favorites just got an upgrade. 😉Our Chocolate Mint and Belgian Spice cakes are...
07/25/2026

Great coffee deserves great company. Your favorites just got an upgrade. 😉
Our Chocolate Mint and Belgian Spice cakes are now available in protein versions.
Same delicious taste, extra protein. Come give them a try!

Not every cup tastes the same.The difference isn’t in the syrups or the add-ins.It begins with the quality of the beans,...
07/24/2026

Not every cup tastes the same.

The difference isn’t in the syrups or the add-ins.
It begins with the quality of the beans, the right grind, the water temperature, and the time taken to brew.

That’s why specialty coffee tastes… different.

If you’ve never tried coffee brewed with the pour-over method, this might be the perfect time. ☕

Watering works great… but only for plants. 🌿😉Your body needs more than just water.Electrolytes are essential minerals th...
07/21/2026

Watering works great… but only for plants. 🌿😉

Your body needs more than just water.

Electrolytes are essential minerals that help your body stay properly hydrated. They’re not just about glowing skin—they support your heart, muscle function, quality sleep, energy levels, and overall well-being.

That’s why we serve sugar-free, well-balanced electrolytes made with quality ingredients and no unnecessary junk.

Because real hydration is about more than H₂O.

Why No Sugar?“You’ll never make it using ingredients like these. You’ll definitely go bankrupt.”I have to admit, that th...
07/17/2026

Why No Sugar?
“You’ll never make it using ingredients like these. You’ll definitely go bankrupt.”
I have to admit, that thought crossed my mind many times—especially when I compared the cost of the ingredients used by most restaurants and cafés with the ones I wanted to build our menu around.
Real eggs. Real butter. Premium extra virgin olive oil. Only natural, carefully selected sweeteners. Real chocolate. Organic ingredients. Grass-fed beef from pasture-raised cattle, raised without antibiotics or added hormones.
Then I reminded myself why we started Black Fodder in the first place.
Because, as customers, we were too often disappointed. We know what real food tastes like.
We know what a cheesecake made with real cheese, butter, and cream should taste like. We know the difference between high-quality extra virgin olive oil and cheap oils used over and over again. We know quality comes at a cost.
We know what soup tastes like when it’s filled with fresh vegetables and quality meat instead of being thickened with flour. We know the difference between food made fresh and food repeatedly reheated in a microwave.
Real cooking belongs with real ingredients.
That’s why we refused to take shortcuts.
We never wanted to build our menu around the cheapest substitutes, artificial flavors, thickeners, or flavor enhancers.
We wanted to create a place where we would genuinely love to eat ourselves.
Because we believe great food begins with better ingredients.
To your health!

Address

River Forest, IL

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 5pm
Thursday 7:30am - 5pm
Friday 7:30am - 5pm
Saturday 7:30am - 5pm
Sunday 7:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+13122483575

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Black Fodder Coffee posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category