Three years after losing the contract to operate the food and beverage concession at Montrose Regional Airport, The Coffee Trader is back.
The longtime Montrose-based coffee company recently reopened its airport café after successfully bidding to reclaim the concession contract, replacing San Juan Coffeehouse, which had operated the space since 2023.
For Dee Coram, who owns The Coffee Trader with Phuong Nguyen, returning to the airport was a familiar opportunity.
“When it came up, it was one of those things,” Coram said. “We had done it before. We knew what we were doing, so when the opportunity popped up, we decided to do it.”
The Coffee Trader previously operated the airport concession beginning with a small coffee cart before expanding into a permanent café space as part of the airport terminal expansion.
Coram said the business worked with airport officials on the layout of the original café area before moving into the current location in January 2020. After the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily closed the airport, the café reopened but later lost the concession contract when it came up for bid in 2023.
Coram said operating at the airport proved to be good for business, helping the company grow from its original concession cart into a full café operation.
The newly reopened location features several updates. Airport seating that once occupied the south side of the terminal has been replaced with café tables and chairs to create a more inviting dining area for travelers. The airport has also installed a photo booth near the café, along with a private soundproof booth where passengers can charge devices or work before flights.
The Coffee Trader also refreshed the concession space before reopening.
“We got in early before anything and painted it with our colors,” Coram said. “Then we did the branding across the top and a few different things.”
The reopening has also meant hiring an entirely new airport staff.
“It’s all new,” Coram said. “We’ll get through the summer season and then be geared up and ready.”
The Coffee Trader was founded by Coram and Phuong Nguyen in 1999 on Main Street in Montrose. Over the years, the company has expanded to multiple locations throughout the region while maintaining its flagship café in Montrose.
Coram said returning to the airport felt like picking up where the business left off.
“We knew what we were doing,” he said. “The opportunity popped up, and we decided to do it.”
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.
