Salto Coffee

Founded in 2012 by Karina and Marcus Luscher, Salto Coffee operates as a specialty roastery situated in the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 8,200 feet in Nederland, Colorado. Karina Luscher serves as the owner and head visionary, leading the company as a woman-run enterprise that emphasizes a high-altitude perspective on the craft of roasting. The company maintains a small-batch production model, utilizing a Diedrich IR 12 roaster integrated with Cropster software to ensure consistency and precision in their roast profiles.

The company’s sourcing philosophy is centered on ethical partnerships and sustainability. Salto Coffee actively seeks out beans from women-led coffee cooperatives and farmers who implement environmentally friendly agricultural practices. This commitment is intended to support both the producers and the ecological health of the regions from which they source. To maintain transparency and quality control, the company’s head roaster, Rob Langone, conducts origin trips to engage directly with farming practices and inform their procurement decisions.

Salto Coffee’s product lineup includes a variety of signature blends, seasonal single-origin offerings, and limited reserve lots. Their branding and packaging often reflect the alpine landscape of their home in the Colorado foothills, a design approach that earned the company recognition as a finalist for the 2024 MTPak Coffee Packaging Design Awards. The roastery’s output is designed to highlight the unique characteristics of their selected green coffees while maintaining a connection to the mountain environment.

For over a decade, the company operated a prominent cafe in Nederland, which served as a central hub for the local community. In 2025, the Luschers sold this original cafe location to the owners of the Gold Hill General Store & Pub, who continue to serve Salto coffee. This transition allowed the company to shift its retail focus, leading to the opening of a new retail bar located within the Howling Wind Brewery in nearby Rollinsville, Colorado.

Beyond its own retail presence, Salto Coffee maintains a broader distribution network, with its beans being brewed and sold at various partner locations. The company’s operational model emphasizes community integration, viewing their coffee as a medium to foster connections between customers and the surrounding landscape. This focus on local engagement remains a core tenet of their business identity, even as their physical retail footprint has evolved.

Today, Salto Coffee continues to operate its roasting headquarters in Nederland, maintaining its commitment to small-batch roasting and ethical sourcing. By balancing its high-altitude production environment with a focus on sustainable supply chains, the company positions itself as a representative of the Colorado specialty coffee scene, prioritizing both the quality of the final cup and the social impact of their business practices.