May 2024

Gracie’s Coffee is a prime example of how Small Business Development Center services help entrepreneurs over the life of a business: from startup to exit. 

In 2022, at only 19 years old, Gracie Rounds reached out to the Northwest SBDC for assistance with legally establishing a 72 square foot walk-up and drive-through coffee hut on a busy corner in the rural town of Gypsum. 

After seven months of consulting and preparation, Gracie’s Coffee opened for business. Due to local demand it was soon time to scale and the SBDC offered further support in the growth stage with hiring, funding, and tax planning. Over the course of 2023 the coffee hut created eight jobs and received major funding through the Colorado Enterprise Fund.

With the initial success, Gracie developed an innovative canned cold brew product that was picked up by local retailers and continues to gain traction with retailers statewide. She further expanded through partnerships with local schools, the Chamber of Commerce, law enforcement, and TedX Youth. In 2023, Gracie’s Coffee served more than 21,000 cups of coffee. Now in 2024, Gracie’s Coffee received recognition as Emerging Business of the Year in the Annual Success Awards presented by Vail Valley Partnership. Gracie has also written a guide about her entrepreneurial journey for other aspiring business owners.

She says, “Owning this business as a young person has given me so much confidence, knowledge, and experience unlike anything I’ve ever done in my life.”

As a young person, Gracie already shows signs of a serial entrepreneur. She is now in the process of selling the successful business in order to pursue the next dream. Here again, the Northwest SBDC is helping with exit planning and business sales expertise.