Cheyenne Smith drinks a lot of coffee.
And access to good coffee is a problem for Smith, who frequently enjoys outdoor activities like climbing and backpacking.
“I spend so much time outside and I drink so much coffee,” Smith said, adding, “When I was on my backpacking trips, it was either this gross, bitter instant coffee … or it was bringing out a full setup to make coffee.”
So, she decided to start a business making compostable, single-serve coffee in tea bags that makes easy, fast and fresh coffee. Smith shared her story as a guest speaker in a class at the University of Colorado Boulder on Thursday.
Freshman Aydan Roper said Smith inspired him for his class project, which is to create a company that makes coffee infused with cannabis. In the class, the students create a purpose-driven business idea for their final project. Roper’s idea is something he wants to someday make a reality.
“It got me inspired for my project,” Roper said, adding, “Hearing how she did it and seeing it implemented, it got me excited for the future.”
Smith is the co-founder of Alpenglow Coffee, a program coordinator at Women’s Wilderness in Boulder and a CU Boulder alum. Her goal is to merge her coffee with the outdoor community she is involved in to bring more people of color into outdoor activities. As a woman of color, Smith said she wants to make the outdoors more inclusive for everyone.
“We all know the outdoors is probably one of the whitest spaces ever when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion,” Smith said, adding, “I really think it’s about empowering one another no matter what color you are.”
Professor Laura DeLuca said she invited Smith to the class to support a purpose-driven, inclusive business and owner while giving her students an opportunity to learn.
“I want it to be engaged learning and I think a more naturalistic environment, and having the coffee just turns it into conversation right there,” DeLuca said.
The idea for Alpenglow was born during a backcountry trip when Smith thought about how there was no good solution to make good, easy, fast instant coffee while on the go. During the trip, she and her group brainstormed solutions. They later created a prototype of single-serve, non-freeze-dried, compostable tea bags with coffee inside.
“Just brew it like tea, and you have a fresh cup of coffee,” Smith said.
Alpenglow officially launched in December 2021. Now, it’s available in small boutiques in Boulder, Fort Collins and Denver. Smith said she is working to get the product into REI.
“I really hope that we can build an outdoor community around this coffee that is more representative of the outdoor world we wanna see and get people out on adventures,” Smith said.
For more information, visit alpenglowcoffee.co.
