Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters

Overview

Andy Sprenger and his wife Laurel founded Sweet Bloom in December 2013 in Lakewood, the Denver suburb where Andy grew up; the flagship cafe opened in January 2014. Andy spent ten years at Ceremony Coffee in Annapolis after returning from wetland conservation and bird-banding work at Lebanon's Aammiq Marsh, rising to head roaster and green buyer; he came back to Colorado riding momentum from a competitive run that included two U.S. Brewers Cup titles, the 2013 U.S. AeroPress Championship and a World Brewers Cup runner-up finish.

Known for

• Two-time U.S. Brewers Cup Champion (Andy Sprenger)
• World Brewers Cup runner-up and 2013 U.S. AeroPress Champion
• "Connect with the Producer" events that bring farmers to the Lakewood roastery to taste their own coffees
• Three Colorado cafes: Lakewood (flagship), Arvada (former Two Rivers), Westminster (opened late 2020)
• Gives 1% of sales revenue back to communities where it lives, works and sources
• 2019 merger with Eric Yochim's Two Rivers Coffee added a hospitality-driven retail arm

Why it matters

Sweet Bloom is a clear example of a competition-pedigree barista turning championship momentum into a sustainable roasting business — and the producer-visit model, where farmers come to the roastery rather than only being visited, has become one of the more emulated transparency programs in US specialty.

Production

destoning

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head roaster

Andy Sprenger

color sorting

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roaster machine

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filter equipment

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cupping frequency

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roastery location

Lakewood, Colorado (residential-area roastery)

espresso equipment

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annual volume tonnes

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Café

Lakewood, CO (flagship roastery cafe, opened January 2014); Arvada, CO (former Two Rivers Coffee location); Westminster, CO (opened late 2020)

Recognitions

• U.S. Brewers Cup — Champion (two-time, Andy Sprenger)
• World Brewers Cup — Runner-up (Andy Sprenger)
• U.S. AeroPress Championship — 1st place (2013, Andy Sprenger)
• U.S. Cup Tasters Championship — Runner-up (2014, Andy Sprenger)

Sources

• https://sweetbloomcoffee.com/pages/about
• https://freshcup.com/andy-sprenger-colorado-coffee/
• https://www.lamarzoccousa.com/news/blog/la-marzocco-cafe-news-june-thank-cuvee-welcome-sweet-bloom-coffee-roasters/
• https://dripanddropcoffeeshop.com/2023/06/11/the-story-of-sweet-bloom-coffee/
• https://unpacking.coffee/sprenger-interview/
• https://www.visitarvada.org/articles/denvers-best-coffee-shops-arvadas-sweet-bloom-coffee-roasters-makes-the-list