A great space to grab a drink and study for a while, Back of the Yards Coffeehouse pays tribute to the historic neighborhood in which it resides. At the corner of South Hoyne Ave and 47th Street, this coffeehouse aims to acknowledge the immigrant working-class tradition of the Stockyards by adhering to four core principles: Social Impact, Economic Development, Environmental Responsibility, and Direct Relations. Also known as SEED, these four principles guide everything that Back of the Yards Coffeehouse does, from who they hire to where they’re located to the very packaging on their coffee blends.
Too often, artisanal coffee companies are viewed as entities that tend only to exist in predominantly white and/or well-off neighborhoods. Back of the Yards Coffeehouse challenges this notion as one of the few Latinx and women-owned coffee companies in the entire nation, and one of the only coffee companies or coffeehouses on the Southside of Chicago.
Co-owned by Mayra Hernandez and Jesse Iñiguez, Back of the Yards Coffeehouse opened in 2017, while their coffee roasting business, Back of the Yards Coffee Co., launched the year before. The Physical location aligns with the goal of creating and maintaining a socially and environmentally sustainable business. Both natives of the neighborhood, Hernandez and Iñiguez both had long-time passions for coffee, despite being unfamiliar with artisan coffee while growing up. Iñiguez briefly operated a coffee shop in the early 2000s until the recession forced it to close. Hernandez turned her taste for delicious coffee into a tangible skill, learning how to make various brews and drinks at home. Her recipes were so delicious that she began selling them at various markets and events. As fate would have it, Hernandez and Iñiguez eventually teamed up to create a forward-thinking and socially aware coffee experience.
Both Hernandez and Iñiguez see value in outside business aiding the community, and enthusiastically encourage those who are not from or familiar with Back of the Yards to come visit the shop and the neighborhood as a whole.
Click here for the BOTYC website