Iowa's specialty coffee scene is anchored by Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, the Quad Cities, and Iowa City, with a long tail of small-town roasters spread across the state. The 62 active independent roasters here serve communities that have grown into specialty coffee at a steady pace, supported by a customer base that's quietly become more discerning over the last decade and a half.
Roast Local maps 62 independent coffee roasters across Iowa, concentrated in Des Moines, Sioux City, and Cedar Rapids. Read the Iowa coffee scene guide for the full write-up.
62 independent roasters listed · Updated August 2026
Des Moines is the center of Iowa's specialty coffee scene. Horizon Line Coffee, Black Silo, Coffalo, Friedrichs, Grounds for Celebration, Happy Home Coffee Roasters, Kingman Coffee, Wake Up Iowa Coffee, and Zanzibar's Coffee Adventure serve a downtown and East Village specialty corridor that's grown alongside the city's restaurant scene over the last decade. The 7 active independent roasters in DSM proper are extended by Ankeny's Twisted Bean, Grimes's Lightbrite Coffee Roasters, and West Des Moines's Corazon Coffee Roasters. The metro has matured fast, with operators increasingly running cafe-roastery hybrids and supplying the city's growing food scene through wholesale programs. Customer fluency has caught up with the supply side, which keeps the bar high for new entrants.
Cedar Rapids and Iowa City together form the eastern Iowa specialty corridor. Cedar Rapids has Dash Coffee Roasters, Iowa Coffee Roasters, Paris Perks, and Roasters Coffee House. Iowa City brings Brass Ring Coffee and DAYDRINK, serving a market shaped by the University of Iowa's writing-and-arts community. North Liberty's Capanna Coffee & Gelato extends the metro. Cedar Falls, anchored by UNI, has Sidecar Coffee Roasters, one of the better-known Iowa operators with a regional wholesale presence, plus Cottonwood Canyon. Davenport and Bettendorf in the Quad Cities add Country Club, Redband, and Milltown, serving a metro that straddles the Mississippi and links Iowa's coffee culture to Illinois.
Beyond the main metros, Iowa's coffee scene reaches across the state. Decorah's Impact Coffee anchors the northeastern corner. Ames has Morning Bell and Windmill Coffee Roasters, serving the Iowa State community. Pella has Iris Coffee Company and Pella Coffee Company, in a town with Dutch-heritage roots. Sioux City brings Hardline Coffee and Stone Bru. Mason City's Jitters / Last Ditch Roastery, Waterloo's Fat Cup, Dubuque's Wayfarer, Marion's Beans Teas & Other Things, and Mt Vernon's Little Scratch round out the smaller cities. Stacyville's Kojo Roastery and Tama's Ross Street Roasting Company cover the rural reaches. Iowa's 62 active independent roasters represent a state where coffee culture has built itself out methodically rather than concentrating in one or two cities.
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