Tim Harty, The Business Times 

Dutch Bros Coffee uses its own blend of Brazil, El Salvador and Colombia coffee beans to create its signature flavor of coffee, which you can now get in Grand Junction.

As of Jan. 24 the Dutch Bros drive-through location near the 29 Road and North Ave. intersection, specifically 498 Sparn St., has been open for business.

Its coffee beans, Dutch Bros Regional Operator Maria Haase said, “are 100 percent rainforest-certified. We roast our own beans in Texas and Oregon. They’re picked for us, we roast them ourselves, and then we distribute them.

“All of our products are high-quality. … Everything is handcrafted. We put a lot of love in what we do.”

Ah, love. That’s an important word at Dutch Bros. To say the national drive-through-coffee chain makes and serves coffee is to sell it short, according Haase, who also runs the Dutch Bros location that opened recently in Montrose. Both locations are owned by Dutch Bros, which is headquartered in Grants Pass, OR, and operated by Haase.

“There’s coffee,” she said. “It looks like coffee, it smells like coffee, but don’t get it twisted: The product is love.”

That’s right. Dutch Bros wants its customers to know there is more to what’s in your cup than the deliciousness that results when a blend of ground coffee beans and hot water unite.

The employees of Dutch Bros cultivate a caring community, as the company lists as its core values:

• Speed: “We aim to make every interaction quick and efficient with a personal touch.”
• Quality: “Quality drinks made from the best ingredients and served by awesome people.”
• Service: “We aim to make every interaction quick and efficient with a personal touch.”

And when Dutch Bros hires someone it claims it “isn’t just a job – it’s an opportunity to learn together, grow together and have a ton of fun doing it!”

Haase said the Grand Junction location will employ about 30 people.

In addition to coffee, the Dutch Bros menu includes smoothies, teas, lemonades, sodas, hot chocolate, steamers, energy drinks and more.

What you buy also tends to make a difference in other people’s lives.

“I think the biggest thing that sets us apart is we give back to the community,” Haase said.

On Jan. 25, Dutch Bros in Montrose gave $1 to the Make A Wish Foundation from every drink sold.

Feb. 14 will be more than Valentine’s Day. It’s also Dutch Love Day, when Dutch Bros will donate to the Western Slope branch of Food Bank of the Rockies.

“It’s not like, ‘Hey, come in and donate,’” Haase said “Buying your regular coffee donates to the community. So, it’s not rounded up, it’s not, ‘Hey, give us more money to do this.’ We’re giving it to everybody just because we like giving back. That’s important to us.”

HOW TO FIND DUTCH BROS

Dutch Bros Coffee is a drive-through coffee store at 498 Sparn St. in Grand Junction, near the intersection of 29 Road and North Ave.

Order online at dutchbros.com or via the Dutch Bros app.