Fire Dept. Coffee, a veteran-owned coffee roaster in Rockford, Ill., began as a hobby and a dream. But the venture quickly took off and after three years of impressive growth with its Shopify site, Fire Dept. Coffee upgraded to Shopify Plus to enable greater transaction volumes, manage multiple product lines, and scale its business further.
In 2020, the company earned $2.5 million in revenue. Today, Fire Dept. Coffee’s small but mighty team of 25 employees—made up of active and retired firefighters, veterans, and coffee enthusiasts—is responsible for almost $10 million in revenue thanks to its SEO-optimized site, a booming subscription business, and an enhanced customer experience.
Shopify fit us when we had just one product. Shopify Plus fits us now as a $10 million business with multiple product lines. And it will fit us as a $100 or $200 million business. That’s the beauty of it—there’s nothing we can’t do with Shopify.
Fire Dept. Coffee has also fueled its growth through Recharge, transforming subscriptions into a powerful revenue driver. Nearly half of its sales now come from recurring customers, with subscribers placing over seven orders in their first year and spending more than four times as much as one-time buyers.
Over the past year, the brand has grown its share of subscription checkouts by more than 70%, leveraging Recharge’s retention and upsell tools to increase average order value and strengthen customer loyalty.
