Olson, who hails from Maine (ME), and his partner in life and business, Stinn, who hails from Colorado (CO), created MeCo Coffee Collective from their years of experience in the service industry, and aptly named it for their two home states. However, it wasn’t always in the plan to own a coffee shop; first, the two opened a food truck that served homemade pasta and paninis.
“We were really starting to ramp up, and then COVID shut everything down," recalls Olson. "With the remainder of the world, we had to figure out what the heck was going on. It was disappointing: We put our hearts and energy and a lot of soul into the food truck piece, but we dissolved that because we parked at other locations that were now closed due to COVID."
Instead, the duo focused on another project, their wholesale business Cheesy Bits crackers, and Olson eventually went back to serving at a local restaurant to make it through. While COVID took its toll, Stinn and Olson rebounded with MeCo, which opened in Longmont at 627 Main Street last September.
Helping is in their nature; the two met more than five years ago while working for Sample Supports, a nonprofit that assists people with developmental disabilities. So when it came to opening their own business, Stinn and Olson wanted to use it as a way to help others. The coffee shop provides space for different local Colorado artists, craftspeople and entrepreneurs to sell their wares; the Longmont location has 46 different vendors. "We knew how difficult it was to start a business and get one going, so we keep ourselves available to help other businesses," says Olson. To date, they’ve helped six other individuals start new ventures.
One morning, Olson saw a Facebook post that said something like, "'Small coffee shop for sublease, $1200, please contact with interest.' It was very vague and desperate," Olson recalls. The post was written by Brice Young, the owner of Precision Pours, which had been open in Louisville for nine years and stepped up to help the community following the Boulder County fires that broke out on December 30. Young's family had recently suffered a loss, which prompted them to return to their hometown of Kansas City rather suddenly, leaving them in need of a way out of their lease.
Though Olson didn't know Young, he saw that they had mutual friends and reached out. That same day, the Youngs accepted Olson and Stinn's offer. “We had an opportunity to help this family get out of a sticky situation, and it’s always been part of our mission to be as community-oriented as we can,” says Olson.
The original plan was to oversee Precision Pours as general managers for ten months before taking over and rebranding as MeCo. But owing to unforeseen circumstances, ten months became just twenty days. On Sunday, July 31, Precision Pours closed, and at 8 a.m. on August 1, MeCo opened for business.
Because of the quick turnaround, all Olson and Stinn have been able to do so far is paint their logo on the wall. "We didn’t have any capability or rights to change anything until we had full ownership," says Olson. "Part of the downside of not having the ten months of prep meant that we had limited time to be able to do anything to the space as of right now. ... Our overall main goal, hopefully this winter or moving forward closer to next spring, is to do a complete revamp of the facility."
Pastries are on the menu at MeCo Louisville.
MeCo Coffee Collective/Instagram
"We're a bit piecemealed at the moment, but we're inviting Louisville and Longmont to come watch us change and grow with us," Olson concludes.
MeCo Coffee Collective Longmont is located at 627 Main Street and is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. MeCo Louisville is located at 1030 East South Boulder Road and is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. For more information, visit mecolongmont.com.
