The first time Jesse Íñiguez stepped into a coffee shop was during his freshman year of college. Before that, they were only places he saw on TV.
In March of 2025, Íñiguez opened Back of the Yards Coffeehouse at 1621 W. 47th St. It’s the newest location for the coffee roasting company he founded, Back of the Yards Coffee Co.
He has worked to make it a fixture in the neighborhood through community partnerships and by hosting community events. Recently he has sought to make it a safe space for residents who are anxious about the increased presence of federal immigration officers in the city.
“One of the reasons I wanted to open it in the first place was because growing up, we didn’t have places like this,” Íñiguez said.
He was born and raised in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, which has a large number of Latine residents.
“I think it’s important for the community to see one of their own doing this,” he said.
Among other things, he said Back of the Yards Coffee Co. donates frequently to Increase the Peace, an organization that gives scholarships to low-income youth. He also works with the Peace and Education Coalition, a group of stakeholders in the southwest neighborhood that develops leaders and creates networks that promote peace.
After graduating from University of Illinois Chicago in 2003, Íñiguez started his first barista job. His passion for coffee grew, and he opened his first cafe, Cafe Cedahlia, in 2008. But in the midst of the Great Recession, Íñiguez struggled to stay afloat.
“I didn’t have a good business plan,” Íñiguez said. “I had this false pretense that if you build it, they will come. It doesn’t quite work that way.”
In 2016, Íñiguez decided to try again by selling small-batch roasts of coffee beans and cold brew at farmers markets around the city. He raised over $17,000 for a new location through crowdfunding.
“The majority of donors were $5, $10, $15 kind of donations,” he said. “But there were hundreds of them. Those are all folks that wanted to just contribute something.”
When he opened the 47th Street location last spring, he said the cafe sold out on the first day by 3 p.m.
Rheanna Ioli is a regular customer and a senior at DePaul.
“I love coming into the shop to do homework,” Ioli said. “The vibes are always warm and welcoming.”
Íñiguez and his staff said they will continue to uphold the values the company was built on, sticking with their community first approach.
Emiliano Hernández, a 24-year-old barista at the shop, first came to the cafe as a customer. Working an office internship, he grew tired of that type of work and wanted to try something else.
“During Covid, I really picked up on coffee as a hobby,” Hernández said. “I thought, ‘What if I take this turn and see if I can turn my hobby into an active profession?’”
With no professional experience, Hernández was hired and has been at the cafe since November of 2024. He is one of several Back of the Yards neighborhood residents who works at the cafe.
“Our employees working at the shop, they’re from the community as well. … They’re not strangers,” Íñiguez said.
With the increased presence of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Chicago, Íñiguez and his staff have noticed increased fear and uncertainty in the neighborhood.
On Wednesday, Sept. 24, a community member on their way to the cafe was followed, chased and cornered by masked individuals she believed to be ICE, Increase the Peace told Íñiguez. The woman made her way into the shop and was not followed by the individuals.
“They’re out there in the morning when folks are going out to work. They’re not targeting criminals. They’re targeting working folks,” Íñiguez said. “The neighborhood is scary, and we’ve seen a decrease in customers and or even just people walking down 47th because they know there’s ICE presence.”
The community’s anxiety means businesses like his are increasingly vital, he added.
“I think the most important thing that we do is just being visible, providing a space, a safe space for the community to gather,” Íñiguez said.
