A coffee company that started in Hawaii is opening its first Denver franchise after moving its headquarters to Colorado in 2019.
According to Chris Ruszkowski, vice president of marketing, Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii will open its first Denver coffeeshop at 2990 Speer Blvd. in September. open.
The 1,500-square-foot unit on the corner of Speer and Federal was previously the home of Starbucks, which closed during the pandemic.
Bad Ass began selling Hawaiian coffee grown on volcanic soil in 1989. In 1995, a couple from Salt Lake City bought the company and started franchising. Denver-based Royal Aloha Coffee Co. then bought the company in 2019 and relocated the company’s headquarters to Colorado.
“We’ve had a lot of success opening franchises in coastal cities like Virginia Beach; Naples, Florida; San Diego, where people live a bit from this beach life, ”said Ruszkowski. “But we really have a feeling that it will work outside of the coastal cities as well. Knowing that this was our home market, we definitely saw the opportunity and desire to open some coffee shops (in Colorado). “
Bad Ass imports and roasts coffee beans from Hawaii and distributes them from its Denver warehouse at 7347 S. Revere Parkway, which is also where the company’s offices are located. Under the new owner, Bad Ass Coffee started selling branded items and coffee bags.
In addition to Denver, Bad Ass plans to open a second Colorado location in Falcon near Colorado Springs later this year.
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii takes its name from the donkeys that carried coffee beans to the mountains of Kona, Hawaii. The natives of Kona referred to the donkey as the “Badass Ones”. Since changing ownership in 2019, Bad Ass has renamed its logo, packaging and store design.
Bad Ass has 18 locations in the US and one in the British Virgin Islands. The company plans to open six new stores in addition to the two in Colorado in 2021: two in New Jersey and one each in Kentucky, Arizona, Dallas and San Diego.
Bad Ass hopes to open 150 stores in the next five years, said Ruszkowski.
[ad_1]
