81301 Coffee House and Roasters

81301 Coffee House and Roasters was established in 2014 in Durango, Colorado, by a group of coffee professionals. The company takes its name from the local zip code, reflecting its identity as a community-focused establishment located on North Main Avenue. Since its inception, the business has operated as both a retail coffee house and an on-site roasting facility, allowing customers to observe the production process directly within the shop.

In July 2022, the business underwent a change in ownership when long-time employees Matt Steffens and Brice Ward purchased the company from previous owners Taylor and Sage Anderson. Steffens and Ward had worked together at the shop for approximately six years prior to the acquisition, with Steffens serving as the head roaster and Ward managing operations. Their transition into ownership maintained the continuity of the brand's established presence in the Durango coffee scene.

The company’s roasting philosophy centers on the technical control of time, temperature, and airflow to highlight the specific characteristics of their green coffee inventory. Their sourcing strategy involves procuring beans from various countries across Central America, as well as from African origins such as Kenya and Ethiopia. The owners have documented their efforts to deepen their supply chain knowledge, including travel to Costa Rica to engage directly with importers and exporters to better understand the cultivation and harvesting stages.

Beyond the local retail operations at 81301 Coffee House, the owners launched a separate entity, Easy Coffee Roasters, to facilitate a broader distribution of their coffee to customers outside of Southwest Colorado. While 81301 Coffee House remains the primary location for local service and on-site roasting, the expansion into the Easy Coffee Roasters brand represents a strategic effort to reach a wider audience while maintaining the roasting standards developed during their tenure at the Durango shop.

Operationally, the business emphasizes the role of the coffee house as a gathering place for both residents and visitors. The shop is known for offering a variety of drip coffees, cold brews, and single-origin selections. By roasting in-house, the owners have noted that they are able to maintain greater control over their product quality and business economics, which they view as essential to their operational model.

Looking toward the future, the owners have expressed an interest in further integrating their staff into the supply chain process. This includes plans to facilitate visits to coffee farms for their employees, aiming to provide a comprehensive education on the 'seed-to-cup' journey. This approach reflects a broader commitment to transparency and professional development within their team, ensuring that the staff is as informed about the origin and processing of the beans as they are about the final preparation in the cup.