BACK OF THE YARDS — A coffee shop reopened this weekend in Back of the Yards, the first of several businesses opening this spring as part of the United Yards development at 47th Street and Ashland Avenue.
Back of the Yards Coffee reopened Saturday on the first floor of the Goldblatt’s building. The Latino-owned shop closed its first location at 2059 W. 47th St. in 2023 with plans of reopening at United Yards and other parts of the city, the owners previously said.
Reopening in a bigger space in the Goldblatt’s building is a full-circle moment for owner Jesse Iñiguez, who visited the business while growing up in the neighborhood, he said.
“We’ve been able to put the name Back of the Yards around the country and even in Mexico, so now people are associating Back of the Yards with coffee,” Iñiguez said.
In the cafe’s new location, customers can enjoy drinks made with all-natural syrups and coffee blends roasted in-house, Iñiguez said.
In partnership with 47th St. Bistro, the coffee shop will offer a selection of food that blends Latin American and local flavors, like breakfast tacos and cochinita pibil empanadas served with South Side mild sauce, Iñiguez said. New additions to the menu include smoothies and frappes made with natural ingredients.
Back of the Yards will also offer baked goods from Aracely’s Bakery — a local bakery expected to open in the same space next month — and gourmet popsicles from another local maker, Iñiguez said.
“When you come here, you’re gonna have excellent food and excellent drinks,” Iñiguez said.
With about 2,500 square feet, the shop was designed to be a community hub where people from all backgrounds can sit together or work. There are plans to host events and performances, and the shop will be available for community events after business hours, Iñiguez said.
The shop’s reopening represents a milestone for the company, which is also working to open its first international location in Guadalajara, Mexico, this summer.
Back of the Yards Coffee will open in the local market Mercado San Juan de Dios, where Iñiguez’s parents met, he said. It will follow the company’s social impact model, bringing a space that the community can be proud of while providing jobs and job training opportunities to neighbors, he said.
“Lift as you climb,” Iñiguez said. “That’s part of what we’re trying to do. … We’re trying to show there’s a different way; we can be mission-driven and still be profitable.”
Iñiguez said his Back of the Yards location will create 10-12 jobs, pay fair wages and follow environmental practices to reduce waste — including composting and using fully compostable packaging and cups.
La Selva Apparel Company and Back of the Yards Barbershop, two other businesses at the Goldblatt’s building, are expected to open next month under the United Yards development, Iñiguez said.
“Nobody really believed in Back of the Yards before us. I always thought, ‘Why don’t they open up shop in my neighborhood?’ And it took us doing it to prove that it can be done,” he said.
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