Fourteener Coffee Club
At a glance
- Roasts inColorado Springs, CO
- Founded2010
- Founded byBrandon DelGrosso
- CafesColorado Springs
- VisitorsOpen to the public
Switchback Coffee Roasters is one of the beloved local roasters we follow in Colorado: an independent roaster based in Colorado Springs, founded in 2010. Here is what their own pages and public sources say about them, in our words.
Their story
Brandon DelGrosso and a friend started Switchback in 2010, roasting in a garage on an eight pound roaster. Over its first three years the roaster won bronze, then silver, then gold from the Colorado Springs Independent. In October 2011 it moved from the garage into warehouse space in Old Colorado City, then into a storefront in July 2012, and in December 2013 to 330 North Institute Street next to the Fifty Fifty Cafe.
Switchback took over the Fifty Fifty Cafe in February 2015 and installed a 12 kilo Probat drum roaster the next month. It formed its first direct farm relationship, with the Menendez family farm, in 2016 and visited the farm that year. At the 2018 US Coffee Championships, head roaster Evan placed second in the country, with two baristas also placing.
A second location opened in the Hillside neighborhood in July 2020, and in July 2021 roasting moved to its own warehouse with a training space while the Shooks Run cafe was remodeled. Switchback's motto is excellent coffee for everyone. It offers pay what you can drip coffee and prices some coffee and food to stay affordable.
What they roast
House blends include Institute Street House Blend (two Guatemalas), Golden Age Espresso and Cream and Sugar Blend (Peru Cusco). Single origins on the list when we checked: Peru Santuario, Guatemala Alma, Colombia Yinyini Avilez Panela Process and Colombia Pink Bourbon, Finca Bruselas (Endless Summer). Golden Age Espresso, designed to be sweet and syrupy as a shot. Decaf Colombia Excelso from Caldas, sugarcane (ethyl acetate) process. Offerings change with the seasons, so this is what their own pages listed on 2026-09-27.
Where to drink it
The Hillside roastery has a brew bar open weekday mornings; the Shooks Run cafe on North Institute Street is open daily.
- Shooks Run Cafe: 330 N Institute St, Colorado Springs
- Roastery and Brew Bar (Hillside): 909 E Moreno Ave, Colorado Springs
Address
909 E Moreno Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Roastery and brew bar in the Hillside neighborhood.
Why buying from Switchback Coffee Roasters matters here
Switchback started in Old Colorado City and now runs cafes in the Shooks Run and Hillside neighborhoods of Colorado Springs. The cafes cook with ingredients from local Colorado farms, including pastured pork and vegetables, a practice that began with local food truck visits in 2015. The company's stated mission is to create a sense of belonging and conversation across diverse communities in its neighborhood and city.
Every bag bought from a Colorado Springs 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 Switchback Coffee Roasters is part of the club.
Are you Switchback Coffee Roasters? Email roasters@fourteenercoffeeclub.com to correct or remove this page.
More Colorado roasters
- Loyal Coffee, Colorado Springs
- Dark Heart Coffee, Loveland
- Peregrine Coffee Roasters, Westcliffe