this week, for the small business series, let’s have a chat with koan of huckleberry roasters, a denver coffee roaster. i love coffee. i love denver. and huckleberry is doing it just right. they had me at one shot of their blue orchid, an exquisite espresso i first tasted two years ago. it remains my favorite espresso to date.
1. what is huckleberry roasters?
Huckleberry Roasters is a two year old coffee roasting company from Denver, owned and operated by Koan Goedman and Mark Mann. We use our well-sourced, carefully roasted coffee as a vessel to encourage people to enjoy slowly (rather than hurry up) and to create community through discussion and interaction. We think sharing a cup of coffee can lead to meaningful shared experiences and want to offer that to as many people as possible.
2. how did you get into this? what was your inspiration?
Huckleberry’s formation is rooted in coffee. We worked at shops together, became close friends, and decided that starting Huckleberry Roasters was a great way to bridge the gap between our own entrepreneurial spirits, our love of coffee, and our desire to create community. Although Denver is still trying to figure itself out in a lot of ways, it’s filled with such immense talent! We’re surrounded by people seeking perfection in their fields (food, bicycles, beer, art, photography, etc.) that it’s not hard for us to seek perfection in our own.
3. what had the process been from conception to execution?
To borrow a phrase from a friend, “It’s a slow burn.” To be totally honest, getting our own brick and mortar location has taken a lot longer than we anticipated. The longer wait had its benefits too. It has allowed us to build strong wholesale relationships and we’ve had more time to improve our roasting. About seven months ago we found a space for our flagship location; a long-term home for both our roasting operations and a cafe. To our surprise, we were also offered a small cafe space within an innovative new development that was too good to pass up. It took a little longer than we would have liked, but it’s getting really exciting now!
4. has creating/developing/launching/sustaining this been what you expected? easier or harder? what have the challenges been?
It’s a slow burn. Ha ha…it’s a versatile phrase, right? In terms of building and growing this business into something successful, maybe we were a little naive in the beginning. We’ve had our share of heavy and humbling moments, but we’re proud of what we’ve created and look forward to what’s to come. For me (Koan) it’s been a fascinating journey of managing expectations, building some self confidence, and finding the balance of when to sit back patiently and when to push beyond a comfort zone.
5. are you doing this solo or you have other partners/collaborators/helpers in the brand?
While the day-to-day operations of Huckleberry are handled by Mark and Koan, much of our growth has come from the support, constant encouragement ,and constructive criticism of the Denver coffee scene. For example, Crema Coffee House took a bit of a gamble by featuring us prominently while we were still trying to dial in our own product, but I’d like to think we’ve both benefited from the relationship.
6. who, if anyone, has helped w branding/website development/maintenance?
So far we’ve done branding, designing, and packaging ourselves. Mark has a background in design, so he took the lead and developed a brand that’s resonated really well with Denver. Now that our business is growing up, we’ve turned to one of the best designers in the business, Mackey Saturday, to help us through a rebrand and take us to another level; one that will hopefully play well on a national level…someday. We’ve just started the process, but the initial concepts Mackey has presented to us have been exhilarating and inspiring. We can’t wait to share them!
7. what is launch date for your two new shops?
Since we’re still early in the process, the launch dates for the two shops are still a little hard to pin down. The flagship location on 4301 Pecos Street, where we will house our new 15k Giesen Coffee Roaster and have a cafe, is tentatively scheduled for early Fall. The 2500 Larimer Street location, which we’re excitedly sharing with some incredible neighbors including Topo Designs, Work & Class Pizzeria Basta, Cirro and more, will open later in the Fall. Until then, people can consistently find Huckleberry Roasters at these wonderful cafes: Crema Coffee House, Denver Bicycle Cafe and Two Rivers. Check our Facebook for other places.
8. where can you be found, IRL and interwebs?
huckleberryroasters.com. Also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,
9. what new/other businesses are you excited about in denver? or would you like to see in denver?
Seems like 2013 has been and will continue to be a defining year for Denver. So many cool spots opening and so many great people doing great things. We are having lots of quick breakfasts at Crema Coffee House (pastry program keeps improving and now all bread made in house!). We’re eating lots of lunches at Curtis Park Delicatessen and Masterpiece Delicatessen. To close out the day, I would say that we’re at TRVE Brewing more often than we’d like to admit. All of those places provide constant inspiration.
10. what’s your favorite shop in denver? favorite place for food? neighborhood?
My favorite shop in Denver, at the moment, is Steadbrook. It’s seems to be the perfect example of the direction that Denver is headed. A place that would be at home in San Francisco or New York, but still fits perfectly in Denver. A place that blends beautifully curated, responsibly made goods and excellent coffee service with creative, thoughtful design….all with the intention of giving the people of Denver a special experience.
[photos c/o luca venter, jake belvin, and huckleberry]
you bet your bottom dollar we’re going to lakeside amusement park again this weekend (the last weekend of the season!) to ride some more kiddie rides. we took ramona there last weekend with our dear friends, lashley and koan. whenever we drive by another amusement park in town right off the highway, ramona screams “rollercoaster!!” and every time i ask her if she wants to ride one and she says “yes!” so we thought we’d test it out at the kiddie land at lakeside, a denver institution. i had no idea how she would respond when we put her on the first ride. she’s brave, but she’s also two. so we started with the jolly choo-choo (which she, of course, kept calling thomas). parents aren’t allowed on the rides with the little ones so i just prayed she wouldn’t try and jump out while it was moving. it started and this girl could only smile. we started cheering her on with “hands up!” and the girl just gobbled it up and the kids around her followed suit. soon enough, you had a line of little kids with their hands up on a kiddie choo choo ride that is going faster than any kiddie ride i’d seen before (they sure don’t make ’em like they used to).
then it was on to the airplanes. then the horses. then the go-carts. that’s the first photo: ramona whipping around the corners alternating between holding on for dear life and letting it loose with her hands up. i could not stop laughing every time i watched her. i was so proud and so surprised and so happy for her delight. the girl loves excitement! every ride we walked by, big or small, she’d point to and say very matter-of-factly “ride next.” needless to say, she was devastated when we were told at the ferris wheel that she was just a couple inches too short to ride it. next summer, my little daredevil.
this would also make a great date night: it’s perfect for people watching (what amusement park isn’t), it has charm and cheekiness and is quaint and you feel like you’ve stepped back into time. it was built in 1908 and updated in the 30s. i can’t say it seems like much has been updated since.
lakeside is affordable. $2.50 per person over two. and 50 cents of that goes toward ride tickets (which on the weekend we went were only ten cents each! usually they are 50 cents). each ride costs 1-6 tickets. kids rides are all 1 ticket. certainly worth a trip to see if your kid is ready for some amusement park action! we spent $15 for four people. bringing your own food is advised as the options are underwhelming.
has your child ridden rides yet? how’d they do?
i’m super pumped to announce the launch of my friends’ new company: R.L Linden & Co. they let me in on their project a little bit ago with testers of their goods. they had me swooning with every spray, swipe, cleanse, sip, sniff of their expertly concocted ecobeauty skin care products. i swear by their toner and am having fun doing further beta testing with them on a deodorant and facial serum. read my interview with robin and lynn below.
1. in your words, what is R.L. Linden & Co?
R.L. Linden & Co is Robin & Lynn. We are a small, local, women-owned company dedicated to crafting lovely plant-based skincare and healing teas.
2. how did you get into this? what was your inspiration?
Combined we have backgrounds in herbalism, nutrition, women’s health and natural skin care; have always made products for ourselves and friends; and are total beauty product junkies. We are inspired to create products that help people feel gorgeous in their own skin, as well as getting to work with our favorite plants.
3. what has the process been like from conception to execution?
We have known each other for about six years now, but started creating and blending together in August of 2012. Around the holidays we decided to do this for real and started our LLC in January. While formulating and deciding on what products to offer first, we took business classes together and sent out beta tester product samples to gather feedback. The official launch of our first three products is on August 2nd; we can’t believe it’s already been a year!
4. has creating/developing/launching this been what you expected? easier or harder? what have the challenges been?
We both had experience with start-ups in the past, so had a good idea of what to expect. Because we are committed to bringing our vision to fruition, and are so passionate about what we do, it makes the hard work totally worth it.
Of course we’ve had fairly minor challenges that are common to new businesses: nailing down our aesthetic, sourcing beautiful eco-friendly packaging, and definitely funding. Our biggest challenge, honestly, is more personal. With five kiddos between us, scheduling our work time with family time has proven to be a difficult transition.
5. tell us about other collaborators/helpers in the shop/brand?
Right now it’s just the two of us in the business, but we’ve been super lucky and really grateful for all the support that we’ve gotten. Blogs/Social Media/Product Lines like A Denver Home Companion, Seed to Serum, Rebecca Casciano, Green Beauty Bunny, One Love Organics and Beauty Bets have really helped to get the word out before our products were even available. It’s really humbling to be embraced this way.
6. who is helping you w branding/website development?
A huge thank you to Lynn’s husband, Jonathan Till, who did a beautiful job designing our logo and labels. Right now we have our website on VIRB and Lynn has set everything up so far, but we will likely enlist his creative services more as we grow.
7. where can you be found?
As of August 2nd, we will be available locally at Brick & Mortar General Store, whom we adore, and through our online store at www.lindenbeauty.com. also twitter || facebook || pinterest
8. what new/other/different businesses would you like to see in denver?
That’s pretty hard. Denver is totally rocking it right now.
9. what are your favorite shops in denver? food/restaurants? neighborhoods?
Lynn- A Small Print Shop, Beet & Yarrow, Ironwood, Fancy Tiger (both stores). Udi’s off of Colfax is yummy and walking distance from us and True Food Kitchen is great despite it’s location. City Park, Baker, RiNo
Robin- Tallulah Jones, Kismet. I always get a great meal at The Kitchen and my favorite salad is the Macho Salad at Cherry Creek Grill. I love spending time in LoHi and City Park.
they launch friday, august 2, and are going to celebrating by participating in a wonderful gathering at our mutual friend that evening along with brick & mortar, ollie’s vintage, and other awesome small denver business companies). look at the flier below and keep scrolling for a giveaway!
robin and lynn are generously giving a bundle of one of each of their products to one lucky reader of A Denver Home Companion! just leave a comment below saying what daily beauty product you cannot live without. you can gain extra entries by sharing this giveaway on twitter and/or facebook, and also by following R.L. Linden & CO on facebook, pinterest, and/or twitter. one extra entry per share or follow! that’s a lot of chances! just make sure you comment back here for everything you do so it’s sure to be counted. the giveaway winner will be announced in a blog post on august 16.
this girl loves her some dessert. if you have a sweet tooth yourself, head to the populist to check out what desserts she’s been gobbling up.
shawn reagan, the designer and craftsman behind the beautiful neckware at primary ties, chatted with me about the recent opening of his new company. i’m swooning over these unique and beautiful and thoughtfully made ties (jp received one for christmas last year and it’s his go-to tie). read on!
1. what is primary ties? Currently Primary is only neckwear, but my vision down the road is to expand to other fashion accessories.
2. how did you get the idea to make ties? what was your inspiration? I have always had a strong interest in design and I have a background in art, however I’ve found myself in a day job that doesn’t exactly satisfy my creative passions. so for the past few years I have been exploring several personal creative projects. About a year and a half ago I stumbled upon ties. I can’t remember exactly when the idea to make a tie came to me, but I have fallen in love with the process, because it touches on so many of my passions.
A lot of my fashion inspiration comes from childhood memories. My family spent summers in Connecticut and although the New England culture played a part the biggest influences were my two uncles Joey, and Clay. Joey worked in a ship yard, so his attire consisted of solid heavy workwear. He was always in a knit cap with a bulky button down shirt, jeans and boots. It was great. This never changed unless we were going out to Italian, and he would wear a tie. A solid navy blue, or forest green is usually what he went for. Clay on the other hand worked in Manhattan, and had some dough. His style was completely prep, and completely different from Joey, but even as a child I appreciated and aimed to emulate both.
Another one of my biggest influences is Japanese designer Hiroshi Awai. I think the reason I identify with his design is because he melds workwear and classic american dress wear really beautifully, and every now again you see a funky Japanese twist.
3. where are they made and what are they made out of? All ties are made in Denver, CO. Currently I’m using some linen fabrics as well as a few chambrays. I was also lucky enough to stumble upon some unique Japanese double gauze on a recent trip to LA which has been a challenge to work with, but the final result is amazing.
4. what has the process of developing this company looked like — from idea to conception? When I first began making ties I would walk into a fabric supplier, and my eyes would light up. I would end up buying any and every fabric that caught my eye, but this left me with a collection that didn’t seem harmonious. Since then I have developed a more clear vision of what I want the aesthetic of Primary to be, and my restraint has improved.
5. has creating, developing, launching this brand been what you expected? easier or harder? what have the challenges been? Overall it has been easier than expected. This is because I am fortunate to be surrounded by the most supportive friends and family a man could have. It seems that whatever problem, or question I come upon there is always a person in my life to give me a really intelligent helpful solution. It’s really a great blessing. My biggest challenge has been finding the time to develop the entire brand aesthetic from top to bottom.
6. are you doing this alone, or do you have partners/collaborators/helpers in the brand? I am designing and constructing the ties alone, but I am inspired daily by my creative friends, which is priceless help.
7. who is helping you w branding/website development? I have a degree in graphic design, so I decided to tackle most of the branding myself, but I’ve received a lot of web development help from my good friend and roommate, Dan Garza. He is a gifted web/graphic designer and his guidance and expertise has been a huge aid. I have also been lucky enough to lock down photographer Luca Venter to work on some look books with me which has been a treat. Both very very talented guys.
8. where can you buy these handsome ties? Online. I’ve also been in talks with several Denver boutiques — but that’s still in the works.
9. what new businesses (besides ties!) would you like to see happen in denver? Honestly just more of the same good stuff. Denver had been blossoming before our eyes in my opinion. The restaurant and bar scene is better by the day, and it seems that I’m hearing about more and more well curated men’s and women’s apparel stores that are ready to pop up soon. Tikwid, and Steadbrook to name a few. There is a a great creative energy in Denver right now, and as long as it keeps up I’ll be a happy camper.
10. what’s your favorite shop in denver? favorite place to eat? My favorite shop is Ironwood. It is beautiful, and interesting space, and I would buy every plant, stone, and antique if I could! With the rapidly growing Denver food scene it’s tough to pin down a favorite, but a few months ago I tried Oak at Fourteenth in Boulder, and enjoyed every bite. It was my favorite meal of the year for sure, and the good news is that they are opening a sister restaurant at The Source in Denver called Acorn which I cannot wait for.
thanks, shawn! shawn is generously offering readers of A Denver Home Companion 10% off purchases made in his shop now through july 30th! just pop on over to shop primary and enter promocode GOLDENLIGHT.
welcome
