Profuels of Fruita renovated front of the building and opened a convenience store where it sells premium diesel and ethanol-free fuels 

Tim Harty, The Business Times

When Kriss Bergethon and Alex Moore bought the property at 221 U.S. Highway 6&50 in Fruita in April, they knew what they were getting.

First and foremost, in the name of their limited liability company, 221 Hwy 6 LLC dba Profuels of Fruita, they took over a gas station that is known for its specialty fuels, such as premium diesel and ethanol-free premium.

They also took over a bit of a mess – they chose “run-down” for their least-harsh description – in terms of the property, which once was occupied by a tire service center. But they saw potential in the 7,200-square-foot building, beginning with the front section, which they decided to make a convenience store.

A whole lot of tender loving care later – painting, replacing, modernizing – the presentation to the public is much more pleasant, and the Profuels of Fruita convenience store opened Nov. 17, with a grand opening likely in early December.

The warehouse also is home to another business, Moore Adventures LLC, a motorcycle-rental business and outfitter that is owned solely by Moore and does business as Rogue Moto.

Fuels Found Only in Fruita

Profuels of Fruita sells some fuel, such as premium diesel, that Bergethon and Moore say isn’t found anywhere else in the Grand Valley. For that matter, they said it’s nowhere else on the Western Slope.

They also have ethanol-free 91-octane premium, which Bergethon said “doesn’t have any of the corn juice in it,” and people prefer the ethanol-free premium “for motorbikes and side-by-sides, boats, all your farm equipment, like chainsaws, weed whackers. Anything with a two-stroke engine, it runs a lot better. … Well, any vehicle with a carburetor does better with ethanol-free.”

Moore said Profuels has customers putting the 91-octane ethanol-free in brand new vehicles, too.

“That’s all they want,” he said. “They just don’t want the – well, it’s corn alcohol, right? – they don’t want the corn alcohol in their vehicle.”

Moore also said Profuels of Fruita puts additives in its diesel, the same additives people buy from auto-parts stores to help with power and fuel economy and cleaning the engine.

“This additive,” he said, “will have the same effect as like a winter diesel, anti-gelling, so in cold, cold temperatures, your diesel truck will still start up quickly.”

Because Profuels inherited a lot of loyal customers, Moore said he and Bergethon focused on fuel first after buying the property. Get that ramped up, then work on the other stuff, because “it’s not your run-of-the-mill gas station,” Moore said.

Bergethon added “fuel first” had to be the approach.

“This place has been frequented by locals for decades, and there’s sort of a local vibe there. These farmers, power-sports people, anybody with a lawnmower, a weed whacker, they know to put ethanol-free in all those things,” Bergethon said. “So, there’s this base level of customers that are just, even when the place looked like crap and it was all run down, people still frequented it for that gas.

“In fact, the first thing they asked when they would show up, they see the new pumps and they’re like, ‘You’re not getting rid of the ethanol-free, right?’ We’re like, ‘No way!’”

Beyond that base of farmers and local residents from Fruita, Mack and Loma, Bergethon said some people drive from Grand Junction “just to come get this fuel, because it doesn’t have the ethanol in it.”

Convenience Store with Outdoors Gear

When it came to renovating the area that is now the convenience store, Bergethon and Moore determined they wanted to do something different. Yes, it would have tobacco products and Lotto and soda machines and an assortment of the most popular snack foods, but they could set that up and have room for more.

To fill that remaining area of the store, they decided to deviate from the norm.

“The convenience store is also going to be more of a specialty store, catering to outdoorsmen, to the mountain bikers and climbers and people that are coming into town,” Moore said. “We’re making it a little more, you know, adapting to that Fruita culture, to that outdoor culture. One of the biggest drivers of growth and interest in this valley is the outdoor tourism, things like that, so that’s what we’re going for.”

To that end, Moore and Bergethon have some items displayed now, but more are coming soon.

“Right now we’re selling off 10 years worth of used gear,” Moore said, then pointed to the door that goes to the warehouse and added, “We have a lot more back there, too.”

Moore said there will be some new retail items and listed a few, such as tire tubes, tool kits, fuel additives and five-gallon fuel containers. Profuels also has an association with VP Fuels and will carry some of its specialty products.

“We’re kind of experimenting with a few products,” Moore said, then summed up the vision for the store with: “It’s a place people can come get a deal on some good gear, high-quality gear.”

Motorcycles for sale or rent

Moore mentioned used motorcycles get sold all throughout the year, and Rogue Moto, which he started several years ago, stands to benefit from its new home in the building’s warehouse.

With its store right off U.S. 6&50 and near Interstate 70, Rogue Moto is a convenient stop for a person looking to rent a dirt bike and ride for a day or weekend.

Moore said Rogue Moto usually gets about two seasons out of a bike before selling it.

“Customers will come back and buy our rental bikes, because they know we take care of them,” he said.

Rogue Moto also provides storage for bikes.

“We store people’s bikes from the East Coast, West Coast, people ship them out to us,” he said. “We do the maintenance, they fly in, their bike’s ready, so we offer kind of concierge moto-storage service.”

For example, Moore said, “People in Florida that have five bikes in their garage, they ship one to the southwest, so they could fly in and ride here a couple times a year, and then their bike’s ready and charged up.

“Now that we have a lot more space, we’re doubling down on that.”

Space to lease

The large warehouse in the back of the Profuels of Fruita building, 221 U.S. Highway 6&50, gets some use by owners Alex Moore and Kriss Bergethon, but there are several bays, including two with lifts, that are not getting used.

So, Profuels is looking for tenants to lease the space.

Moore said the spaces can be utilized for storage, a retail business or a service business.

“It’s got the bays, it’s got the lifts, it’s really best for somebody who is either light manufacturing, automotive, something that fits,” he said. “It could be a service kind of business like a a plumber that needs to store their vehicles inside at night.”

To find out more about leasing space, contact Profuels at 970-549-0787.

E-bike rentals in the works

Moore said Profuels is working with the city of Fruita on an e-bike program.

“We’re waiting for the final say on that,” he said. “We’re going to be doing e-motos regardless, but hopefully we’ll be in partnership with the city of Fruita here soon.”

Moore said if it comes to fruition, the rental program will allow Fruita residents to go to Profuels and “for a very discounted rate, take a bike for the day.”

“That’s something we want to highlight as well, because that’s the direction things are going,” he said. “The city of Fruita really wants some kind of an e-bike program.”