TAKE A HIKE. No backpack or specialty boots necessary for this route! Hiker Coffee is a true small business success story with owners Addy Serum and Zach Pecha, pictured, rockin' it at the helm. 

While some folks may be learning about Hiker Coffee for the first time through its cafe location nestled inside the brand-new, bustling Market On River building in Chippewa Falls, the locally-founded business has been making big moves for nearly a decade.

In less than 10 years, Hiker Coffee – an Eau Claire-based coffee roaster – has seen impressive, hard-earned growth. Hiker came to life as an earnest passion project in 2016, and in just a handful of years, became a full-time gig for owners Addy Serum and Zach Pecha. Since then, the roaster has launched a caffeine-on-the-go rental camper; expanded into a new warehouse with new equipment; rebranded and reformulated to further emphasize Hiker’s commitment to clean coffee; went nationwide by hitting the shelves of 30-plus REI stores; and to kick off 2025, opened its first cafe.

"The Curry" served as a bowl.

“We’ve always had (the idea of a cafe) in the back of our minds,” Zach said during a phone call at the end of February. “We just didn’t think it was going to be this soon.”

With a couple of weeks of cafe operation now under their belts, Addy and Zach joked that they are finally getting some sleep (which I imagine has more than a kernel of truth to it) and have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers and other businesses housed in Market On River.

Hiker’s reformulation and rebrand that rolled out in 2024 was more than a business move. Addy and Zach’s own lifestyle changes – sparked after autoimmune disease diagnoses – changed their lives, and put what they ate and drank day-to-day under the microscope. That included Hiker’s coffee, and ultimately made it even cleaner and safer to consume. That same mindset was applied to the cafe, and the food.

For the new cafe, it’s all about the details. Every batch of beans is third-party tested – a measure that is not industry standard – and is completely free of seed oils. Hiker also uses a water purification process called RO (Reverse Osmosis) for its water and ice machine, a seemingly small detail that the owners went out of their way to implement.

To the surprise of some, every menu item at the Hiker Coffee cafe is gluten- and dairy-free (though folks can choose to add cheese to their food, as is necessary for some Wisconsinites). From the oat milk used in some of the drinks to the gluten-free focaccia bread used for sandwiches, a lack of certain ingredients does not equal a lack of flavor at Hiker.

"The Beef" sandwich at left.

“We knew that (the cafe) needed to be an extension of Hiker’s values,” Zach said. “The food is all whole, real ingredients, and organic and locally-sourced as we can. That’s really important to us, to work with other small businesses.”

“Our sign says it all: organic, local, and no B.S.,” Addy said.

The curry dish – made with turmeric, chickpea, and cauliflower – has been a fast favorite alongside the cafe’s beverages, some of which feature locally-made honey from Kaiserson honey and lavender syrup from Chippewa Falls’ Pondview Lavender Farm. Plus, any of Hiker’s sandwich items can be made bowl-style too.

“Our coffee and food is clean, gluten-free, and dairy-free, but you’re not going to taste a big difference. It’s not in-your-face healthy,” Zach said. “This is still good Midwestern food, we just went with clean, safe ingredients.”

“We’re a safe haven for people in the community that want to eat clean, and also a great option for everybody else,” Addy said.

Hiker Coffee opened its Market On River cafe location (128 W. River St., Chippewa Falls) on Feb. 1 and is open seven days a week (Monday-Thursday, 6:30am-3pm; Friday-Saturday, 6:30am-6pm; Sunday, 8am-1pm) • Learn more about Hiker Coffee online