Each year usually brings a new player to the Denver coffee game, but this year it seems as if new locations for recognizable names is the way to go. In 2017, Copper Door Coffee, Lost Coffee, and Novo Coffee all found new spaces around town to showcase their products for different types of customers.
Copper Doorโs trendy second cafe location doubles as a much-needed new roasting space. Located next to Renegade Brewing and a couple of gyms in the industrial warehouse campus known as The Yard, the only 100 percent female-owned roaster in Denver is ready to roll.
Behind the new cafรฉ bar, Copper Door baristas use a Synesso Hydra MVP espresso machine, a Mahlkรถnig EK43 grinder, a Chemex station, and a couple of Mazzer grinders. Behind the cafe sits a beautiful copper Diedrich IR-12 named Cecilia.
Other than the location being a nice pit stop between downtown Denver and Englewood, itโs also a practical place for Copper Door to expand business. Before the upgrade, Copper Door had reached absolute wholesale max capacity, according to owner Hannah Ulbrich.
โWe had been approached by wholesale accounts and our little roaster couldnโt handle more, so I had to start saying no, and then I realized that was probably a stupid business decision,โ Ulbrich says, laughing. โWe needed a bigger roaster and our space just couldnโt provide it. It just physically wouldnโt fit so we needed a bigger space.โ
What started out as a self-described โlitmus testโ for a cityโs appeal, Ulbrichโs coffee path is not unlike many other people who have come before her. Her interest was piqued, she had experience working in cafes through college, and she had a neighbor roasting and selling coffee out of their garage.
โI didnโt know anything about roasting coffee, and I thought it was interesting,โ says Ulbrich. โI thought, I know nothing about roasting. I know all sorts of stuff about being a barista and coffee, but nothing about roasting. [The opportunity] was intriguing.โ
In a progressive industry in a progressive city, the women running Copper Door are outliers. However, get to a cupping table with Ulbrich and her staff, and youโll realize that their love of coffee fits right in.
Lost Coffeeโs first Denver proper location is not only a big step for the Castle Rock coffee company, but itโs also a chance to serve the University of Denver (DU) student populationโand what kind of college kid doesnโt drink a cortado or three throughout the day?
Perhaps one of the most telling details of owner Scott Gaerteโs ambitious vision for Lost Coffee is his belief that the city is still filled with coffee potential, particularly in their area.
โIโm always looking for greatย opportunities and thereโs lots of room in the Denver market for specialty coffee,โ he says. โItโs exciting to see communities embrace local business more and more over the years and make informed decisions about theirย purchases.โ
After five years, Lost Coffee has three locations, a roastery, and a mobile coffee truck in the front range. Quietly, Gaerte has a bit of a coffee juggernaut on his hands and has now caught the metro areaโs attention.
Lost Coffeeโs high ceilings, white walls, and large windows are a simple but elegant sight near the bustling east side campus of DU. A La Marzocco Linea Classic, Mahlkรถnig EK43 grinder, and v60 setup sit on the bar, along with various grab-and-go items. Itโs a conducive spot for coffee in the area, and itโs a part of town that Lost Coffee can make a name for itself in.
โWe saw an opportunity to provide great service and coffee to the local community on the east side of the DU campus,โ says Gaerte.ย โThere were a few shops that fell into the more traditional coffee concept, and we thought a simple menu with an emphasis onย locally sourced products and brighter roast profiles would bring aย unique concept to the marketplace.โ
For Novo Coffee, adding a fourth location in 15 years means living up to lofty expectations. For the most part, a veteran customer will know what theyโre getting upon walking into owner Jake Brodskyโs shops: tasty coffee, an attractive and clean space, maybe a locally baked pastryโwhich is why Novoโs fourth location should be considered an interesting change of pace.
The new Hilltop neighborhood location not only has a full kitchen space soon to be in working order, and itโs also adjacent to hot spots High Point Creamery and Park Burger. The shops next door offer a new experience for loyal Novo customers and have the potential to draw in High Point and Park Burger traffic that may have never walked into a Novo shop.
โ[The new Novo shop] is in a market where we donโt have much of a presence. The building is only three years old and solves some of the challenges we have in our other locations,โ says Brodsky. โ[The new space] has a full kitchen that weโll be taking advantage of soon, and we couldnโt ask for better neighbors than High Point and Park Burger and Peteโs Fruits & Veggies across the street!โ
Novoโs Hilltop location includes a Synesso Hydra MVP espresso machine, a Mazzer grinder, a Mahlkรถnig EK43 grinder, and a setup for stainless steel Kalita Wave pour-over brewers. In other words: itโs the standard Novo setup.
Other than the obvious move to serve a new part of town, Novo is now poised to be a part of the date night crowdโs itinerary. The modern Denverite can grab a quick bite and beer on one side of the building and end with an affogato on the other side.
Despite new locations from recognizable names being the trend at the moment, not every roaster gets around to opening a second, third, or even fourth cafรฉ. Itโs a milestone worth celebrating. Cheers to the folks that have found their path to expansion in the Queen City of the Plains!
Ben Wiese is a freelance journalist based in Denver. Read moreย Ben Wiese on Sprudge.