Boulder coffee duo sets sights on outdoor industry

BOULDER — Boulder adventure-seeking duo Jenny Verrochi and Alyssa Evans wanted a delicious coffee that fit their outdoor lifestyle, so they came up with their own brand — Wild Barn Coffee. The duo, into camping, hiking and outdoor sports, thought of the name on a whim after their original name fell through, while heading to a crag in Clear Creek Canyon. “Alyssa was behind me and shouted out ‘wild barn’ and it stuck,” said Verrochi, co-owner and merry mingler in charge of networking and sales. The name is for their company, but also fits their first product, Wild Barn Nitro Cold-Brew, which was released last year, followed by Sunshine Brigade 12-ounce whole bean medium roast coffee that came out at the end of August. Both products are organic, certified fair trade and fill a void for healthy on-the-go beverages free of additives, dairy and sugar — plus they are small batch with a less acidic flavor. “We have a fun, cheeky, wild brand,” said Verrochi, whose degree is in marketing and communications. “We are not trying to be another vanilla, play-it-safe coffee company. Wild is the perfect way to describe Alyssa and I.” “Wild” also refers to the outdoor adventure lifestyle Verrochi and Evans both like. Verrochi is a huge snowboarder into mountain biking and horseback riding, plus being outside with friends. Evans likes fishing, rafting and paddle boarding, and both dabble in other outdoor sports and adventures. The “barn” in the name refers to a barn in Massachusetts — it’s located in the backyard of the home of Verrochi’s parents, who, in 1997, began roasting coffee there and founded Red Barn Coffee Roasters. Verrochi’s parents, Lisa and Mark, roast coffee beans for different coffee shops and labels as well as Wild Barn Nitro Cold-Brew, a product idea Verrochi came up with when she decided to serve it in a can. While living in San Diego, Verrochi tinkered with one of her parents’ original cold-brew recipes and mixed in goji berries, a superfood with vitamin-rich antioxidants, to create a healthier, energy-boosting product. She brings together the berries with coffee and cacao nibs, the purest form of chocolate that also has antioxidants, to achieve a frothy nitro head on top of a smooth, bold brew. “The nitrogen makes it taste really smooth and creamy,” Verrochi said. “It feels like cream in your mouth. It’s delicious.”  Verrochi, who moved to Boulder in 2016, needed packaging for the cold-brew that would grab attention, so in 2018, she partnered with her best friend and neighbor, Evans, co-founder and chief pixel pusher. Evans has a degree in graphic design and worked for a New York City ad agency and created packaging for a food company. She designed the company logo and created the label, which features a naked female skier, ponytail flying as she launches through the air.  “It’s really inspired by our goofy group of friends, not taking things seriously, getting outside and having fun,” Evans said. “We want to represent that fun on […]
Source: BizWest