Fourteener Coffee Club
The short version
We keep profiles on 22 independent Colorado roasters. Of those 22, 20 run at least one cafe, 18 sell a decaf, 19 sell subscriptions and 14 name an espresso or house espresso. Only 8 label a coffee as a light roast, while 14 sell something labeled or named as dark. Five turn their own roasts into instant coffee. Ten of the 22 are in Denver, Lakewood or Englewood.
These 22 are a slice of a bigger scene. The Roast Local directory lists 181 independent roasters in Colorado. The roasters here are local favorites we list, and a listing does not mean a roaster is part of the club.
How we counted
Every number on this page comes from our roaster profiles, which summarize each roaster's own shop and about pages, plus press coverage, as checked on September 27, 2026. A roaster counts toward a line when its own pages say so: a coffee labeled light, a decaf on the shelf, a cafe with an address. When a roaster does not state something, it does not count, which is not the same as saying it does not do it. Shelves change with the seasons, so treat these as a snapshot.
Where they roast
| Town | Roasters we list |
|---|---|
| Denver | 8 |
| Boulder | 4 |
| Colorado Springs | 2 |
| Lakewood, Englewood, Fort Collins, Loveland | 1 each |
| Eagle, Crested Butte, Westcliffe, Durango | 1 each |
That puts 18 of the 22 along the Front Range, from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, and 4 in the mountains and the southwest. Two of the mountain four are the oldest on our list: Durango Coffee Company dates to 1984 and Camp 4's owner has served coffee in Crested Butte since 1993. Our Colorado coffee guide has every founding year in one table.
Most of them pour their own coffee
Twenty of the 22 run cafes, 56 in all by our count of the addresses on their own location pages. Four account for almost half: Huckleberry lists 8, Queen City 7, Corvus 6 and OZO 5. Most of the rest run one to three.
The two without a cafe of their own reach people another way. Conscious Coffees is poured and sold in Front Range cafes and stores and supplies local farm share programs. Wagon sells to Denver businesses, nonprofits and hospitality buyers. If you want to taste before you buy, our list of where to drink Denver roasters' coffee gives the cafe addresses.
What is on the shelf
| What the roaster sells | Roasters, of 22 |
|---|---|
| Subscriptions of their own | 19 |
| A decaf | 18 |
| An espresso blend or a named house espresso | 14 |
| A coffee labeled or named as dark roast, French roast included | 14 |
| A single origin processed natural | 10 |
| A coffee labeled as light roast | 8 |
| A coffee described as organic or organically grown | 7 |
| Instant coffee made from their own roasts | 5 |
| A half caff blend | 4 |
| A Geisha or Gesha lot | 3 |
Decaf is close to standard: 18 of 22 sell one. Only 8 of those name the method on the listing, and our decaf subscription page lists which method each one uses.
Dark beats light on the labels. By what they print, more of these roasters sell a named dark roast than a labeled light one. Part of this is how roasters write: many single origins carry tasting notes and no roast level at all, which our count cannot see. Our light roast vs dark roast guide lists who sells both ends.
Instant is a Colorado roaster product too. Huckleberry, Loyal, Middle State, OZO and Dark Heart all make instant coffee from their own roasts. OZO's is freeze-dried. Our camping coffee guide covers how to use them on a trail.
Half caff has four takers: Queen City's Day Drinker, Pablo's Slow Roller, a Camp 4 blend of French roast and Luna Vista, and Conscious Coffees' False Summit.
Natural process lots show up at 10 roasters, and Geisha or Gesha lots at 3: Huckleberry, Peregrine and Wagon. The glossary has pages on natural process coffee and Geisha coffee.
How they buy green coffee
Eight of the 22 say on their own pages that they buy through direct relationships with farmers or cooperatives: Corvus, Queen City, Novo, Middle State, Durango Coffee Company, Switchback, Peregrine and Conscious Coffees. Corvus says that for nearly all of its core coffees, those relationships go back more than ten years. Two roasters sell an all-organic lineup, Conscious Coffees and Ampersand, and Ampersand's is also all Fair Trade. The certifications are a topic of their own, covered in our guide to organic and Fair Trade coffee from Colorado roasters.
What this means for a coffee drinker
You can find nearly any style of coffee without leaving the state: decaf, espresso, dark, light, natural process, organic, even instant. The harder part is trying enough of them. That is what the Fourteener Coffee Club is for. Each box brings a 12 oz bag from a different independent Colorado roaster, every 2 or 4 weeks, at $16.99 a bag, and you choose the roast, the style and whether it arrives whole bean or ground. First bag free, you pay $7.99 shipping on that first box, and you can skip or cancel anytime. Build your plan.
Questions about Colorado roasters
How many coffee roasters are in Colorado?
The Roast Local directory lists 181 independent roasters in Colorado as of September 2026. We keep detailed profiles on 22 of them.
Which Colorado roasters have the most cafes?
By the addresses on their own location pages, Huckleberry Roasters lists 8, Queen City Collective Coffee 7, Corvus Coffee Roasters 6 and OZO Coffee 5.
Do Colorado roasters sell decaf?
Most do. Of the 22 roasters we list, 18 sell a decaf, and 8 of them name the decaf method on the listing.
Which Colorado roasters make instant coffee?
Huckleberry, Loyal (Ridgeline), Middle State (Finca Rosita), OZO (freeze-dried) and Dark Heart (Dawn 2 Dusk) all sell instant coffee made from their own roasts.
Sources
- Roast Local, roasters by state (181 independent roasters in Colorado, pulled 2026-09-27)
- Everything else: our 22 roaster profiles, each of which cites the roaster's own shop, about and location pages and any press used, all checked 2026-09-27. The counts are ours, made from those profiles as described under "How we counted".
By Joe McRose, Fourteener Coffee Club. Updated . Counts computed from our roaster profiles, which summarize each roaster's own pages and press coverage, checked 2026-09-27; the statewide roaster count from Roast Local.