Oskar Blues Enters Coffee Business: Hotbox Roasters 32oz Cans

The company that shook up the craft-beer industry by canning its beer is officially unveiling its latest offshoot Wednesday. But Hotbox Roasters coffee beans already started hitting local shelves at places such as Alfalfa’s Market and Lucky’s Market last week, with a Bolivia Newton John light roast, a Frank Sumatra medium roast and a darker Kenya Dig It. 

Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis is co-founding Hotbox with John Ralston. Although technically a separate business entity, the company will roast and package imported beans at Oskar Blues’ headquarters in Longmont, taking up about 5,000 square feet of the 100,000-square-foot brewery.

The beans will come in the same large “Crowler” cans the brewery packages some of its beers in, with cans of beans going for between $13.95 and $16.43. Ralston said a blended variety will be coming out soon, in addition to the first three roasts to help supply Oskar Blues’ Lyons and Longmont restaurants. A canned cold-brew coffee will be on the way. And Hotbox, on its website that will launch Wednesday, will also feature a subscription service where people can order the coffee beans to their door anywhere in the country on a weekly or monthly basis.