Fourteener Coffee Club
At a glance
- Roasts inDurango, CO
- Founded1984
- Founded byCarl Rand
- CafesDurango
- VisitorsOpen to the public
Durango Coffee Company is one of the beloved local roasters we follow in Colorado: an independent roaster based in Durango, founded in 1984. Here is what their own pages and public sources say about them, in our words.
Their story
Carl Rand was working as a seasonal chef in the Durango area in 1982 when he came up with the idea of roasting coffee and selling it to local restaurants. On May 1, 1984, he began wholesaling roasted beans from his home in Hermosa, and his first customer was Maria's Bookshop. Three years later he moved into town, roasting in the back of the Upper Crust Bakery, where he was also the pastry chef, before buying the building at 730 Main Avenue and opening a full coffee shop and kitchen store.
In 1990 Rand split the company into retail and wholesale sides and moved roasting to the Durango Tech Center. He sold the retail shop in 2004 to Tim Wheeler, and it was later remodeled and reopened on Main Avenue by Katherine Walker. Rand has bought coffee directly from farms in Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Brazil for more than three decades and says paying farmers sustainable prices is what keeps quality high. The company roasts small batches and says it has kept refining its roasting as the farms it buys from have improved, with farmer and importer relationships going back many years.
One direct trade partner is Las Lajas in Costa Rica, a family farm near Poas Volcano known for honey and natural processing, including the fully natural Perla Negra. The company celebrated 40 years in business in May 2024 and still sells wholesale across the Four Corners.
What they roast
Roast levels run light, medium and dark. House blends include Durango Naturally Grown Mesa Blend. Single origins on the list when we checked: Costa Rica Las Lajas SL-28 Natural, Costa Rica Las Lajas Red Honey, Costa Rica Las Lajas Perla Negra, Colombia El Jardin Natural, Guatemala Retiro del Quisaya Washed, Kenya Gaturiri and Colombian Black Condor. Durango Naturally Grown Espresso and Durango Espresso are listed. A decaf category is listed in the shop; the site has an article explaining decaffeination methods. Offerings change with the seasons, so this is what their own pages listed on 2026-09-27.
Where to drink it
The Main Avenue shop is open to the public and offers free local pickup; the roastery at the Durango Tech Center is a production site.
- 730 Main Ave, Durango
Address
730 Main Ave, Durango, CO 81301
Coffee shop and gourmet kitchen store on Main Avenue; roasting happens at the Durango Tech Center.
Why buying from Durango Coffee Company matters here
The first account was Maria's Bookshop in Durango, and the business started out of Rand's home in nearby Hermosa. The shop has been on Main Avenue in downtown Durango for decades, and roasting is done at the Durango Tech Center. Customers in the Durango area can pick up orders free.
Every bag bought from a Durango roaster pays roasting and cafe wages in Colorado, and the coffee reaches you days after roasting instead of months. That is the reason the club exists. Why local roasters matter.
About this listing
Listed as a local favorite. A listing does not mean Durango Coffee Company is part of the club.
Are you Durango Coffee Company? Email roasters@fourteenercoffeeclub.com to correct or remove this page.
More Colorado roasters
- Ampersand Coffee Roasters, Boulder
- Pablo's Coffee, Denver
- Boxcar Coffee Roasters, Boulder