meet the owners

Mountain Dweller Coffee Roasters LLC was founded by Josh and Beth Johnson in 2017 and is an independently owned and operated small business located in Summit County, Colorado.

At Mountain Dweller, we invite you to become part of our story.

Nestled at 9,100 feet in the heart of the iconic Colorado Rockies lies Mountain Dweller Coffee Roasters, a family-owned and operated artisan roastery. Mountain Dweller Coffee Roasters is excited to offer you carefully crafted, seasonal specialty coffee that’s thoughtfully sourced from the world’s most sought-after producing regions.

Our love for coffee started when we were in college studying in Milwaukee. We found that the café scene provided a beautifully crafted beverage and a passageway to another place, culture, and time. There’s something about the smell of freshly roasted coffee that will always spark those memories for us and will encompass a feeling of coziness and well-being.

Fast forward 15 years, and our home base is now Summit County, Colorado, along with our two daughters. The craggy and gentle mountains, ever-changing wilderness, and free-spirited people have happily kept us here for all these years.

Coffee continues to be an integral part of our lives, to the point that Josh started home-roasting coffee on a hot air roaster in our garage. We were impressed by the amazing, naturally sweet flavors that a coffee seed presents once roasted! We followed our instincts and passion and eventually bought a drum roaster and learned to roast and produce high-quality coffee for Summit County.

The best part of this journey is discovering the world of coffee! We quickly realized that our focus is to always choose seasonal, high-quality green beans that are thoughtfully sourced and traded to promote sustainable and ethical practices.

Whether you’re a passionate coffee drinker or just beginning to explore the world of specialty coffee, our small-batch roasted coffee provides an easy-going and approachable way for our customers to discover unique regional flavors with a fresh perspective.

MEET THE STAFF

COLLABORATIONS

Background

Josh has been formally trained as a Barista and has experience working at high-volume cafes while attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, most notably at Altera Coffee Roasters, now known as Colectivo Coffee. Josh’s passion for the outdoors, from skiing to backpacking and all activities in between, inspired him to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Conservation and Biology, which has been the catalyst for his career as a Clean Water Professional. In 2017 Josh reignited his passion for coffee and re-entered the coffee arena as an artisanal roaster.

Beth graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Master of Arts degree in Art History. Throughout college and after, Beth has worked in & out of the service industry, building customer service skills and a palette for specialty food & beverage. The mountains were calling, and Beth’s passion for travel, skiing, and mountain living brought her to Summit County in 2005. Beth’s Art History background positioned her to become the Operations Director for the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance in 2006. During her tenure, she learned what it takes to operate a busy, small non-profit organization. In 2010, Beth took a hiatus from her career to take care of their growing family. In 2014 she re-entered the workforce as an Administrator in Development for Keystone Symposia, an acclaimed international non-profit organization. Beth now provides administrative leadership and sales assistance for the Executives at Summit Mountain Rentals.

Mountain Dweller Coffee Roasters will provide its guests with an elevated, mountain-style inspired cafe experience by offering them exceptional fresh roasted small, batch coffees and hand-crafted coffee beverages in the heart of the Colorado Rockies. This will be attained by sharing the proposed space with other established businesses, including; Outer Range Brewing Company and Bird Craft restaurant. Located in Frisco, Colorado, at the gateway to seven world-class resorts and positioned near the busiest intersection along the I-70 mountain corridor, the Base Camp Shops and Residences offers an eclectic mix of well know regional and local businesses. We believe that Mountain Dweller Coffee Roasters will make a great addition to this incredible neighborhood and become woven into our high-country community's local fabric.

By investing in a higher-capacity coffee roaster and cold brewing system, we will gain the ability to greatly increase our on-site offerings and wholesale distribution network. In order to increase our wholesale profits, we plan to expand our wholesale partnership program with many more local and regional cafes, bars, restaurants, hotels, offices, and property management companies.

In addition, Mountain Dweller Coffee Roasters also has plans to begin canning and distributing its nitro cold brew coffees within its first year of business. Offering a ready-to-drink product that can be distributed to statewide marketplaces will vastly increase market branding visibility and profitability. In the future, Mountain Dweller Coffee Roasters will look to recruit local professional athletes to become our product and lifestyle ambassadors. This will introduce Mountain Dweller Coffee Roaster products to the untapped coffee market surrounding extreme mountain sports, much like the energy drink industry has successfully accomplished.

We will also provide community coffee cupping sessions and other coffee education seminars where the public is welcome to join the Mountain Dweller Coffee Roasters staff to learn more about the flavors and complexities of our coffees as well as to hear stories of the people and places behind our coffees. By sharing our passion for coffee and the pride we have for our high-country community, Mountain Dweller Coffee Roasters will also participate in local fundraisers and social events in order to become part of the local fabric that is woven into the place we call home. Achieving our business goals over time will provide our customers and employees with a safe and inviting space where people can gather and share their passions, inspirations, and spirit while enjoying our mountain community.