Social-cause coffee shops not just out to make a dollar but to make a difference
Jan. 1—Paul Longhals sits at his regular table at Righteous Grounds Coffee Roasters in Woodland Park, where he savors the in-house roasted coffee and fresh-baked oatmeal cookies.
"It's down-home, it's just like being in my mom's and dad's kitchen," he says on a crisp winter morning.
The Woodland Park coffee shop's Christian-themed atmosphere is a happenstance for Longhals, who said he didn't seek out the business because of that.
His reason for being there is simple: "I like having a cuppa Joe with some happiness in the mornings."
The shop's upbeat sayings on the walls of the century-old, log cabin-style building, coupled with comfortable seating, a neighborly mug rack and stellar views of Pikes Peak, deliver for Longhals.
That's what the family-owned business is aiming for.
"We feel like not everyone wants to walk into a church, but people feel welcome walking into a coffee shop, and hopefully, they'll experience the positivity and love they don't get in the world," said co-owner Jessie Huthmaker.
She and her husband, Jim Huthmaker, didn't set out to start a Christian coffee shop.
"It's just an extension of who we are," Jessie said, while taking a break from working the counter.
Jim began roasting beans in 2010, after being trained in Guatemala in the artisan trade of small batch, hand-crafted coffee roasting.
His mammoth machine imported from Mexico roasts 22 pounds of custom blended beans at a time, compared with the typical 5 pounds.
The couple ran a coffee shop as a ministry of a church before opening Righteous Grounds nearly two years ago as a private, for-profit company.
In serving "coffee with a purpose" — their tagline — the Huthmakers donate a portion of proceeds to local programs such as Second Chance Through Faith, which helps prevent youths from getting involved in gang activity, drugs, crime and underage sex.
"It's not just 'make a dollar' but 'make a difference,'" Jessie said.
A Thailand mission that produces coffee beans also benefits from their sales.
"Our vision has been to create a gathering place for the community and help change lives and the world," Jessie said. "Most people say there's something special here."
It's one of several Christian coffee shops in the Pikes Peak region.
But owners often don't overtly advertise their enterprises as having a Christian vibe because doing so can be a caffeine buzzkill.
"We're not trying to shove anything down anybody's throat," Jessie Huthmaker said. "Christians are supposed to be in the marketplace, and we see no reason to hide.
"We try not to exclude anyone; we welcome everyone in."
Making anyone feel like an establishment is theirs to enjoy, no matter who owns it, is a goal for Christians who interweave their business plans with social action.
"I don't want someone to feel unwelcome because of my own beliefs; even my staff all have different beliefs," said Tanya Mitchell, owner of Third Space Coffee, a spacious coffee cafe at 5670 N. Academy Blvd.
"As a Christian, I feel like it's my job to love everybody."
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The coffee culture historically has had a progressive bend, Mitchell said.
"If you're more conservative, you probably keep your mouth shut," she said. "You don't want it to get in the way of your relationships with people."
A pastor at Pulpit Rock Church started Third Space Coffee and was going to close it. Instead, Mitchell bought the business in July 2020 and kept it in the same location.
Along with traditional specialty coffees, alcoholic beverages and various foods, the shop sells items to help human trafficking victims and offers a tree decorated with Ornaments for Orphans. There are also books for sale by Colorado artists, live music weekly and an entrepreneurs' group for women.
"In the last few years, there's been such a divisive nature, and I don't want to be part of whatever that is," Mitchell said.
"I want people to know that there are Christians that will welcome you," she said. "We want to be a safe place for everybody."
Mission Coffee Roasters at 11641 Ridgeline Drive in northeast Colorado Springs has been supporting faith-based and secular nonprofits for nearly 20 years, owner Brett Bixler said.
Bible-study groups often meet at the inviting shop, which also features food, a variety of beverages and purposeful gifts.
There's a community table or individual seating, and the upstairs holds a co-working and community meeting space.
It's the place to be, says artist John McGuire, who hangs out daily and paints watercolors while he relaxes.
"It's the modern salon," he said of the environment. "People want to be alone in public, and this is my workspace. It's the essential community that represents north Colorado Springs."
Bixler, who grew up as a pastor's kid and a missionary child, was trained in the art of coffee roasting in Southern California by the Diedrich family, creators of the coffee roaster he uses.
Bixler's specialty coffee has been available in Whole Foods stores for 17 years, and he also supplies blends for church ministries and trains representatives how to properly make the perfect cup.
He modeled his shop in the tradition of historic European coffee houses, which are known for attracting artists, educators, versed conversationalists as well as the average Joe.
"I want people to know it's a real coffee house — the center of a community and an arts and culture space where people can interact at all levels," Bixler said.
Clientele at Mission Coffee Roasters ranges from college students to military generals, politicians, nursing school students and ordinary folks, said Bixler's father, Otto Bixler, an author and ordained minister.
"It's an exciting place," he said. "But it's not yucky religious, it's people being stimulated."
"Really Good Coffee with a Mission" has been the company's slogan since Bixler formed Mission Coffee Roasters in 2003.
He's helped Haitian coffee bean farmers earn fair wages and has donated some of his revenue to causes that fight human trafficking, help Afghan refugees in America, provide cancer screenings, a home for single mothers exiting homelessness, poverty or abuse and other organizations.
While his faith is part of his DNA, Bixler said the fact that he is a Christian shouldn't matter as to whether people support his business.
"It should be enough that we're treating people correctly and kindly and with humility," Bixler said. "What matters is what we're doing. That people feel welcome here. The mission is the add-on part."
Contact the writer: 719-476-1656.
