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Where Boulder's coffee is roasted

Organic lineups, a brewer built for altitude, and a coffee shop that started roasting in 1980.

Coffee in Boulder

Boulder coffee roasters lean organic and lean small. The Brewing Market began roasting its own beans in 1980, which brought freshly roasted specialty coffee to Boulder for the first time, and Allegro Coffee was started here in 1985. Today Boxcar, OZO, Ampersand and Conscious Coffees all roast in town. Our club adds the rest of the state: each box holds a bag from another independent Colorado roaster.

Boulder's coffee story

The first chapter belongs to a coffee shop. The Brewing Market opened in Boulder in 1977. When it opened a second shop in 1980 it started roasting its own beans, and that was the first time Boulder drinkers could buy specialty coffee roasted fresh in town.

Five years later, in 1985, Allegro Coffee Company was started in Boulder as an import, roasting and wholesale business. Allegro is no longer independent, so it is not a roaster we list.

The awards came later. Dragonfly Coffee Roasters was Roast Magazine's Micro-Roaster of the Year for 2019.

Boulder's roasters keep making choices that cost them money up front. Ampersand started as a 100 percent Fair Trade and organic roaster. Conscious Coffees buys only organic coffee, directly from farmer cooperatives. Boxcar has bought most of its coffee from the same farm in El Salvador every year it has been in business. Those choices last only while people in town keep buying the bags, which is the plain reason to buy from them. We spell out the rest on why local roasters matter.

The US Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate puts Boulder at 105,689 people.

Roasters in and near Boulder

  • Boxcar Coffee Roasters, Pearl Street. Vajra and Cara Rich started Boxcar in their hometown in 2010, first as a roastery only for local restaurants and cafes. Learning to brew at altitude led Vajra to build the company's own brewing method, the Boilermakr.
  • OZO Coffee, Flatiron Court. Justin Hartman founded OZO in 2007, and it both roasts and runs its own cafes on Pearl Street and Arapahoe Avenue. Bring your own cup and every drink is 25 cents off.
  • Ampersand Coffee Roasters, Odell Place. It buys a large share of its coffee through Cafe Femenino, a network that supports women farmers in Peru, Guatemala, Colombia and other countries.
  • Conscious Coffees, Western Avenue. Its co-creators started as baristas in Colorado's mountains and owned a roaster by 1996. It is a Certified B Corporation, and staff deliver orders to local Boulder customers themselves.

Roast Local also lists Bona Coffee Roasters, Brewing Market Coffee, Carabiner Coffee Co, Deep Canyon Coffee and Dragonfly Coffee Roasters in Boulder. Longmont, Louisville, Lafayette and Gunbarrel roasters are on the Boulder County page.

Getting Colorado coffee delivered in Boulder

Boulder already drinks well. The club adds roasters from the rest of the state: a 12 oz bag from a different independent Colorado roaster in every box, every 2 or 4 weeks. Pick light, medium, dark or a mix, and single origin, blend, espresso or decaf. Bags cost $16.99, any roast. Your first bag is free and you pay $7.99 shipping for that box. Skip, pause or cancel online, and each roaster ships in its own bag.

  • Roasted and shipped within 3 days.
  • Free replacement if a bag disappoints.
  • A reminder email 3 days before each box.
  • Your ratings steer the next bag.

Start in the plan builder.

Boulder coffee questions

When did Boulder get its first fresh-roasted specialty coffee?

In 1980, when The Brewing Market opened its second shop and began roasting its own beans. It had opened in Boulder in 1977.

Which Boulder roasters are fully organic?

Conscious Coffees sells only organic coffee, and Ampersand started as a 100 percent Fair Trade and organic roaster. Many of OZO's lots carry Organic, Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance certification.

Which Boulder roaster was Roast Magazine's Micro-Roaster of the Year?

Dragonfly Coffee Roasters, for 2019.

Where can I buy Swiss Water decaf in Boulder?

OZO sells an Organic Decaf Blend decaffeinated by Swiss Water. Ampersand's decaf uses the Mountain Water Process instead, and it is organic and Fair Trade (both checked 2026-09-27).

What is the Boilermakr?

It is Boxcar's own brewing method. Vajra Rich developed it after learning to brew at Boulder's altitude pushed him to study the science of extraction.

Nearby

Sources

By Joe McRose, Fourteener Coffee Club. Updated September 2026.