Session Coffee Brings a Local Alternative to South Santa Fe Drive

The morning commute on Santa Fe Drive just south of Mississippi Avenue gets a little treacherous when cars queuing up at a Starbuck's drive-thru overflow into northbound traffic lanes. Brothers Matt and Brad Gruber noticed the number of drivers stopping to fuel up on caffeine as early as 5 a.m. while scouting locations for their own coffee shop. So it wasn't entirely a coincidence that they decided to build Session Coffee across the street at 1340 South Santa Fe Drive.

Matt says he and his brother have been working on opening Session Coffee for the past year and a half, converting part of a granite countertop showroom into a modern, 900-square-foot facility that will serve traditional espresso drinks, pour-over and drip coffee by the cup, and cold-brew coffee on tap. The brothers have backgrounds in construction and in the coffee industry, and so have completed much of the interior work themselves.

Matt expects to open Session Coffee "in the next week or so," depending on final inspections from the city. "Everything's up and running, so it's mostly just cosmetic stuff now," he adds.
The brothers are concerned with sourcing ethically grown coffee and sourcing locally, so Session will utilize beans from Middle State and Novo, both Denver coffee roasters, and will also bring in coffee from other Colorado roasters in a monthly rotation. Baristas will serve pour-over coffee using Hario V60, Chemex and Kalita systems to give the best options for true coffee aficionados. And in addition to cold-brew coffee, there will also be kombucha on tap. Matt says he's also considering adding beer and wine once Session has developed a customer base.

The location may seem a little out of the way, but it's just around the corner from a light-rail station and from several new apartment buildings at Mississippi Avenue and Broadway. And then there's all those morning commuters, some of whom may be willing to actually get out of their cars for something a little different. "This is a great opportunity to bring a local business to the area and offer an alternative to a corporate chain like Starbucks," Matt explains.

To make sure Session taps into some of that rush-hour coffee demand, the Grubers plan to open at 5 a.m. Monday through Friday, with a 7 a.m. opening on Saturdays and Sundays. Closing hours will be 4 p.m. daily, but could change depending on demand.