The 7 Brew drive-thru coffee stand in Montrose has new ownership, and its new operators see the location as more than a single acquisition.
For Houston-based Emerge, Montrose is the starting point for a larger expansion of the rapidly growing coffee chain across Western Colorado.
Emerge recently purchased the Montrose 7 Brew location at 1433 Encanto Place and celebrated the transition with a grand reopening intended to reintroduce the business to the community.
Mick Rosckowff, who co-founded Emerge with his business partner about 10 years ago, said the company specializes in mergers and acquisitions, primarily in quick-service restaurants and other service businesses. 7 Brew is now the fifth brand in its portfolio.
The company isn’t entirely new to Western Colorado. Emerge also operates Taco Bell locations in Cortez and Durango.
But Rosckowff said 7 Brew offered something different.
“We got into 7 Brew because we saw the brand is on fire,” Rosckowff said. “It is exciting. It is full of energy.”
Rosckowff said he and his business partner traveled to Arkansas several years ago and became interested in the concept after seeing the culture surrounding the brand firsthand. He said the emphasis on customer interaction, upbeat employees and what the company describes as a “culture of kindness” fit naturally with Emerge’s own philosophy.
Music is typically playing at the stands, while employees interact directly with customers rather than simply taking an order through a drive-thru window. Baristas use what the company calls a “talk and walk,” moving alongside vehicles while talking with customers as their orders progress through the line.
“The first thing is making sure that everybody has fun, that we have music blasting in those stores, and the kids that are making the drinks are having a good time,” Rosckowff said.
The Montrose location became available after its previous franchisee exited the business and sold the store back to 7 Brew. Emerge subsequently purchased the location from the company and acquired the rights to develop the brand throughout Western Colorado.
Now, the company plans to move quickly.
Rosckowff said Emerge expects to develop four additional 7 Brew locations next year, including stands in Delta and Fruita and two in Grand Junction. The plan is to continue opening four locations per year for the following three years.
“Montrose is kind of like our launch pad of where we’re going to do it,” he said.
That made the recent grand reopening important to Emerge, Rosckowff said. While 7 Brew has expanded rapidly in other parts of the country, he said its presence remains relatively limited in the West, meaning some Montrose residents still aren’t familiar with the concept — or even what the name means.
“We needed to reopen the store because unfortunately they didn’t put a lot into the community,” Rosckowff said of the location’s previous operation. “Some people would be like, ‘Are you guys a brewery?’ I’m like, ‘No, we don’t sell beer. We sell coffee and energy drinks.’”
The name comes from the seven original specialty drinks offered when the company began, he said, with “brew” referring to coffee.
Rosckowff said Emerge also wants the Montrose location to have a stronger presence outside the drive-thru. The business has already become involved with Montrose High School, including sponsorships supporting Red Hawks athletics and cheer.
“We’re going to get involved in the community,” he said. “We not only want to cultivate kindness to our customers and give back. Kindness is not just going to be the experience of this stand, but giving back to the kids in the community, to the teens.”
Rosckowff said the reception from employees and customers since Emerge took over has reinforced the company’s decision to make Montrose its first 7 Brew market in the region. He recalled one regular customer recently returning to the stand with a crock pot for a young employee after hearing that she had moved out on her own and didn’t have one.
The Montrose store has a staff of more than 30, Rosckowff said.
The menu includes coffee, energy drinks and other beverages, with a wide range of flavors and customization options. Rosckowff said the ability to customize drinks without adding charges for many substitutions is another part of the concept’s appeal.
But for Emerge, he said, the larger opportunity is building a business around both the product and the experience.
The company expects the 7 Brew name to become considerably more familiar across Western Colorado over the next several years. Even as those additional stores open, Rosckowff said Montrose will retain a special place in the company’s plans.
“This will always be where the heart is — Montrose,” he said. “We’re just happy to be here. The people are so cool.”
Justin Tubbs is the Montrose Business Times editor. He can be reached by email at justin@montrosebusinesstimes.com or by phone at 970-765-0915 or mobile at 254-246-2260.
