United States
Citing concerns for cultural appropriation, Kickapoo Coffee will be changing its name before January 2020. No new name has been disclosed.
Founders and co-owners TJ Semanchin and Caleb Nicholes write in a public letter dated April 17 that they chose the company name in 2005 with the intention of honoring their business home in Wisconsin’s Kickapoo River Valley. Over time, however, they learned the Kickapoo Nation extended across the United States and into Mexico.
“The decision to use their name, and to continue to roast under it, was an act of appropriation,” the owners said in the letter. “In an effort to right that wrong, we have decided to change our name. We have apologized directly to the Kickapoo Nation and have shared our decision to change our name with their leadership.
“This name change reflects a desire to hold ourselves accountable. It is not the result of a change in ownership or management. We are still the same people, roasting the same coffee, committed to the same values,” the letter continues. “Our new name will better reflect this in an honest, authentic, and respectful manner.”