Denver was the center of the US coffee world earlier this summer, as the city played host to the 2026 US Barista Championships. But the city’s coffee scene is vibrant year-round, with fresh new openings and major destinations aplenty. Let’s add another exciting spot to the list when it opens later this summer: the new downtown location of local favorites Blue Sparrow Coffee, whose first cafe opened all the way back in 2017.
The 2026 Build-outs of Coffee is presented by DONA, Pacific Barista Series, and La Marzocco.
As told to Sprudge by Jeffrey Knott.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
We opened our first location in the art district of Denver in 2017. It was less than 500 square feet. It’s always been important that we stay in touch with our communities; even as we grow, we stay connected the communities were a part of. Each location is designed a little differently, and our team doesn’t excellent job of building community inside and outside of the coffee shops. In addition to this care deeply about sustainability and have invested heavily in it even though we are just a small coffee shop we believe we can make an outsized impact.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
The new location is downtown Denver. The story in the news has been all about how downtown Denver is struggling beyond recovery. It is true that office occupancy has never fully recovered post-Covid however we don’t agree that it’s “dead”. We are reinvesting in the parts of our community we believe in, even when others aren’t. It’s small businesses that create jobs, create community, bring people together. While we’re only one small coffee shop, we’re doing our part by committing and investing in our community not only in the good times, but when they need us as well.
What’s your approach to coffee?
Good coffee doesn’t have to be fussy. We can produce amazing quality coffee, quickly and without the attitude. We’re not here to educate our customers, simply here to serve them a great product every single day.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
We started roasting our own coffee a few years ago and will be adding a new blend lineup. Unlike most specialty shops, we have chosen to focus on blends instead of a single origins (we still have a few). We think it’s a lost art and can bring out incredible profiles of coffee. We name all of our blends after the streets were located on and so we will be releasing a new 17th St. blend. We’re really excited with how it’s coming along
How is your project considering sustainability?
Sustainability has been a foundational principle of ours from day one. It’s something woven deeply into the business. We publish sustainability reports every year talking about initiatives, results (good and bad), and what’s next. While it’s not the most interesting goal, our most recent goal has been food waste. We have been able to repurpose chai spices, reduce pastry and sandwich waste through partnering with two different vendors, and save hundreds of gallons of coffee each year by changing our methods. That only scratches the surface of what we’ve done and it’s all on our site here: bluesparrowcoffee.com/sustainability
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
August 30th
Thank you!
No, Thank you!
The 2026 Build-outs of Coffee is presented by DONA, Pacific Barista Series, and La Marzocco.
