Itโs official: Commonwealth Coffee has put the finishing touches on its shared workspaceโemphasis on the shared. The Denver brand’s new retail space, cafe, production area, and roaster are all in one big room.
After three years in business selling to cafes in Denver and beyond, this marks Commonwealth owners Jason Farrar and Ryan Fisher’s first foray into a public-facing space, built to serve wholesale and individual customers under one roof. Though the cafe/roastery combo isnโt a new ideaโshout-out to Farrarโs old homeย Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters,ย among othersโitโs a new experience for Commonwealth as a company and for the customers purchasing their coffee.
โ[Jason and I] had a vision from the beginning and we both put a value on people,โ says Fisher. โFor me, having people finally walk in and have coffee from us in a place that took a lot of work to buildโฆ I feel like we finally get to present who we are to the public.โ
The communal wooden table peppered with knots, glossy coffee bar with delicate white and blue tiles, and light blonde benches running along the windows were all handcrafted by Fisher. In fact, nearly all of the build-out was completed by Fisher and Farrar while they pulled shifts roasting and working production.
โItโs surreal because of all the work and craziness,โ says Farrar. โBut then itโs also like โletโs keep going.โ Itโs not really a stop-and-pause moment where you chill and go to Hawaii for a weekโyou keep going and keep serving.โ
Behind the U-shaped bar sits a La Marzocco Linea PB with royal blue paneling, a Mahlkรถnig PEAK espresso grinder, a couple of EK 43 grinders, and a collection of gorgeous ceramic wares custom-made by local ceramic artist Matthew Jorgensen. The open style of the bar area and roastery allows for customers to not only engage with the staff but also to emphasize an accessibility and transparency that is becoming the expectation of the industry.
Upon entering, customers will be greeted and encouraged to find a comfortable seatโno queues for drink ordering and no register. Customers will be offered the standard espresso beverage options and daily-rotating single-origin coffees available as batch brew or pour-overs. โIn terms of space, we wanted it to be really inviting,โ says Fisher. โBut also itโs a workspace: we roast and thereโs no wall between it. There are noises and the stuff happening [in the production area] is part of what we do, but everything about what we do on the retail side is around giving people a super experience.โ
It’s hard to build a multi-purpose space with a single philosophy, but for Fisher and Farrar the conversation keeps coming back to community and relationships. In this way they’re no different than a thousand other small business owners; this very much counts as industry talk. But for Commonwealth Coffeeโan established quality coffee roaster opening its first cafeโthe joy and pride its owners take in serving their own coffee to the public for the first time is undeniable. The enthusiasm around this place is catching.
Ben Wiese is a freelance journalist based in Denver. Read more Ben Wiese on Sprudge.
Photos courtesy of Macy McArthur.
