Meet Arrowroot Coffee
Arrowroot Café
The Big Dream
Jacob Dinardo
When you first walk in the doors of Arrowroot Coffee, you are met with a thoughtfully considered experience, guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind and you will leave, eager to come back. Jacob Dinardo has the ability to take that same goodness beyond just the doors of his café, each packaged product carries the same sense of passion and careful attention to detail. This also includes other beverages, such as teas and treats beyond coffee. In an interview Jacob took the time to start with the basics; grinded coffee vs whole bean - “to hold flavor longer, flexible for different needs and preferences”. Jacob strives to make his café a place for everyone and create his journey with coffee to be open for others to learn too, “my team learns alongside me; there is always something new to discover”.
Where it all Began
Jacob Dinardo's first coffee memories started in early childhood, beginning when his grandmother introduced him to the drink, and his interest was sparked from there. But it wasn’t until several years later when his brother-in-law got tickets to the Kansas City National Roastery, where he was able to experience the roasting process firsthand. Before leaving, he was given a few samples of unroasted coffee beans to experiment with at home. And from that Jacob took a deep-dive into specialty roasting.
There wasn’t necessarily a single defining moment where everything changed. It started, instead, with curiosity—that curiosity eventually turned into experimentation. It was the repetition of doing the work—roasting, tasting, adjusting, repeating. Arrowroot Coffee that stands in downtown Springfield has taken a lot of long hours, thorough planning, hard work and dedication. Before the café came to be, there was home roasting and small markets, then that launched into his coffee truck in 2019. Jacob opened a mobile coffee truck that served downtown Springfield, slowly building a following while continuing to learn more about specialty coffee and roasting. That growth contributed to develop Arrowroot Coffee, all to formulate a promising future with still more to come. But even as the business has expanded, the focus has remained intentional: quality coffee, sustainability source, open education, and community. That intentionality shows up in every part of the business.
Roaster
From Guitar Strings to Coffee Beans: The Story Behind Arrowroot Coffee
Before Jacob’s idea of Arrowroot Coffee ever took-off; and even long before he was dialing in espresso shots or experimenting with roast profiles his focus was somewhere else entirely—music. Dinardo was a guitar major studying studio recording, he spent his time learning songs, recording covers, and collaborating with others. He still enjoys music greatly, but now as a pastime. Today coffee is the main focus, it’s entirely at the center of his life. Like music, roasting requires patience, precision, and attention to small details — tiny adjustments that could completely change the final result. Jacob absolutely fell in love with the process.
Jacob Dinardo is the founder and owner of Arrowroot Coffee. He is supported by family, his wife, Rae, and their Yorkie-poo, Able. Outside of the shop, that same mindset shows up in everything he does. Whether it’s working through a new song or playing trading card games like One Piece, he gravitates toward things that take time to learn and reward attention to detail.
Jacob describes his role at Arrowroot to include multiple parts
The most evident—running the café. It’s where conversations happen across the counter and regulars become familiar faces. It’s also the part he clearly enjoys most…. “I nerd out over coffee,” he says, talking about the way different beans, brewing methods, and small adjustments can completely change a cup. But behind that daily interaction is a quieter, more precise process.
Roasting is where that attention to detail really takes over. Each batch has to be dialed-in—adjusted, tasted, and refined until it meets a specific standard. The margin between good and great is small, and Dinardo treats it that way.
The third role is the one that ties everything together: building and leading a team. “I stand behind my team and work alongside them,” he says. “We get to grow and learn about coffee together.” Jacob has worked to create a space where everyone involved is learning the craft at the same time, not just carrying out tasks. That sense of community shapes the experience as much as the coffee itself.
Planting Roots
Where he built Arrowroot Coffee mattered just as much as how he built it. He chose a spot in downtown Springfield deliberately—not just for foot traffic, but for what already existed there. “I picked this location because it puts me right in the middle of everything,” he says. “It’s kind of a hodgepodge—a melting pot.”
The building itself carries its own history, something Jacob values as part of the experience. Dinardo grew up frequently visiting the building he now owns, when it was Recycled Records. As a kid, he would come in to buy records from Mr. Kessler, and he never imagined he would one day build his own business in the same space. That sense of connection shows up in how he talks about supporting local, too. To him, it’s not just a preference—it’s what gives a place its identity. “Supporting local gives back,” he says. “It gives your city character.” It’s a simple idea, but one that shapes the way Arrowroot fits into the community around it—not just as a coffee shop, but as part of a larger network of small businesses, each adding something distinct in their community.
Efforts Towards Sustainability
One of the more purposely intentional decisions in Arrowroot Coffee’s setup is the use of electric roasting systems. Electric roasting reduces direct emissions compared to traditional gas systems. It’s part of a larger approach that includes sourcing relationships and long-term consideration on environmental impact and about quality of product. Jacob’s talents are shown through his high level of skill involving roasting, to perfect flavor without relying on the inherited taste of gas-roasting. Sustainability is embedded into how the business operates day to day. Alongside using electric roasting technology and compostable products, Jacob hopes to eventually incorporate solar panels into the business as another step toward reducing environmental impact.
How Origin Shapes Every Cup
Coffee is not local in the way produce is local. It doesn’t grow nearby, and it doesn’t even come from the same region.But the decisions around coffee still happen locally—how it’s selected, how it’s roasted, and how it’s served. Much like produce there are still seasons, Arrowroot carries a mix of year-round blends and seasonal single-origin coffees, allowing customers to experience how harvest timing and geography influence flavor. That seasonality is part of what makes specialty coffee unique — each crop reflects a specific time, place, and growing cycle.
This is also where Jacob sees his responsibility to the farmer, for them to receive a fair profitability. Dinardo prioritizes direct trade relationships with coffee producers who pay living wages, while also working with local businesses whenever possible. Dinardo partners with The Farms of IL, this farmer alliance provides; milk from Buckhorn Dairy and eggs from Bland Family Farms. Pastries are sourced locally from Janie’s Flour Varieties, while tea and matcha offerings come from other local partnerships.
The Important “Numbers” for Success
One other thing Dinardo pays close attention to is the business side of coffee sourcing — especially with tariffs, and futures markets; the constantly shifting costs tied to coffee as a global commodity.
While customers may only see the finished cup, sourcing coffee requires ongoing communication with producers, importers, and suppliers across multiple countries and time zones. Market prices can shift quickly, and factors like weather, trade policies, and global demand all influence availability and cost. Communication itself can sometimes be one of the biggest challenges. Working internationally means navigating different schedules, business practices, and expectations around timing and urgency.
Brewing a Better Future
Jacob also looks closely at how coffee is grown. Many of Arrowroot’s coffees come from farms that prioritize shade-grown and organic growing methods. Shade-grown coffee farms preserve tree cover and create habitats for migratory birds and other wildlife, helping support biodiversity alongside coffee production. Some of these farms Arrowroot works with also participate in bird-friendly certification efforts connected to research and conservation programs supported by the Smithsonian Institution. For Jacob, those sourcing decisions reflect a larger philosophy behind Arrowroot Coffee: good coffee should support not only the customer experience, but also the farmers, ecosystems, and communities connected to every cup.
Jacob said, creating Arrowroot was never only about the coffee itself.
When he began searching for a permanent location, he wanted to create something different from the fast-paced drive-through model that dominates much of the coffee industry. “There are plenty of places to grab coffee and go,” he explains. What he envisioned instead was a space where people could slow down, stay awhile, and genuinely enjoy the experience. Creating Arrowroot in its permanent location has been so meaningful to Dinardo.
Inside the café, that sense of personality and craftsmanship continues through the menu itself. Jacob’s favorite drink — the raspberry cream cold brew — reflects the same creativity that shapes many of Arrowroot’s offerings.
