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Salt Lake City · United States

Salt Lake Roasting Co.

Since 1981 · John Bolton

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Overview

Salt Lake Roasting Co. was founded in 1981 by chef John Bolton, who started roasting at night in a Sandy warehouse on a 10-kilo Probat purchased from a man in Cleveland after years of frustration with the coffee available at Snowbird Ski Resort, where he ran the kitchens. It was the first coffee roaster between Denver and San Francisco, opened a retail shop in 1983, and has anchored downtown Salt Lake City through five locations across more than four decades.

Known for

  • Utah's first specialty coffee roaster (1981) and oldest continuously operating coffee shop in Salt Lake City
  • Founder John Bolton sourced coffee from 28+ countries of origin in person
  • Above Fair Trade pricing and emphasis on bird-friendly, shade-grown coffees from balanced ecological environments
  • Outsized cultural footprint as a counterculture symbol in a state where the predominant religion abstains from coffee
  • Bakery program led by head baker Dave Wheeler with rotating chef-driven specials

Why it matters

Bolton's roastery effectively introduced specialty coffee to the American Mountain West, opening when there was no other operation of its kind between Denver and the Bay Area, and surviving as a local institution long enough for an entire Utah coffee scene to grow up around it.

Production

destoning
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head roaster
John Bolton (owner)
color sorting
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roaster machine
30-kilo Gothot (replaced original 10kg Probat after 1983 retail launch)
filter equipment
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cupping frequency
Thousands of cups per year — used as primary buying and quality-control tool
roastery location
Salt Lake City, Utah
espresso equipment
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annual volume tonnes
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Café

820 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84102

Sources

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