Salto Coffee Reaches New Elevations Outside Boulder, Colorado

Inside the new Salto Coffee location within the Howling Wind Brewery. All images courtesy of Salto Coffee.

While Colorado’s Salto Coffee continues to draw inspiration from the surrounding aspen trees, alpine lakes and granite facades, its more immediate surroundings have undergone some changes.

The 13-year-old company owned by Karina and Marcus Luscher recently sold its long-running cafe location in Nederland to the owners of Boulder’s Gold Hill General Store & Pub, who are maintaining the Nederland space as a cafe while continuing to use Salto coffees.

Meanwhile, Salto has opened a new retail bar in nearby Rollinsville, inside the Howling Wind Brewery.

“We have always held community close to our hearts,” Salto founder and co-owner Karina Luscher recently told DCN. “When the brewery location became available, we didn’t have to think hard about it. We have had a relationship with them for a long time through collaborations and simply supporting the area as it has grown. There is the brewery, a distillery and fantastic pizza all right out the door. We are thrilled to be a part of this extension of our larger community.”

At the newly opened bar, Salto is leaning on a Sanremo F18 2-group espresso machine (with a La Marzocco machine coming soon) and a Wilbur Curtis Gold Cup batch brewer supported by Mahlkönig E65 GBW and Ditting 804 grinders. Clever and Ceado Hoop brewers are on hand for pourovers.

The tight but lively menu features cortado, cappuccino and seasonal drinks such as the Alpine Toddy in winter and an espresso tonic in summer. House pastries, pot pie, fruit pies and Gold Hill’s famous cookies are also available.

As Salto continues to lease space for roasting in its former home in Nederland, where head roaster and green coffee buyer Rob Langone oversees a Diedrich IR-12 machine paired with Cropster software, the company said it is currently looking at options for a larger, dedicated production space closer to the Rollinsville bar.

“Like most small roasters these days, we have had to be nimble and flexible as the cost of goods seems to rise as each week passes,” Luscher said. “We have been able to secure the majority of our coffees for the rest of the year, while looking to seasonally source interesting single-origins as they become available.”

Luscher and Langone credited numerous other roasters in the Boulder area — including Boxcar, OZO and Prodigal — with helping to create a relatively rich specialty coffee scene. Moving forward this year, Luscher said the company is focusing on wholesale growth, as well as direct-to-consumer channels.

“The specialty coffee scene is pretty robust along the entire Front Range,” Luscher said. “While the scene is very competitive, it’s also quite supportive. We are proud to be among the mix of all the fantastic roasters nearby.”

Salto Coffee at Howling Wind Brewery is now open at 51 Main Street in Rollinsville, Colorado. 

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