By Boulder County Farmers Markets

Shane Stinn and Isaac Olson want you to feel like you are walking into their living room when you step through the doors of MeCo Coffee Collective.

It’s designed to help you notice the warm scents of coffee and freshly baked bread, art from local artists on the walls and, most importantly, the feeling of community and belonging that is central to everything they do.

The name MeCo comes from Isaac’s roots in Maine (the Me) and Shane’s roots in Colorado (the Co). The pair met in 2016 while working for Samples, a Longmont restaurant that employed people with disabilities. Combining their skills in food and people, creating a space that was “a little bit more than a coffee shop” seemed just right.

MeCo Coffee Collective wasn’t born overnight, though. After moving to Colorado in 2012, Isaac used his recently acquired culinary arts degree to work at Black Cat Bistro — a farm-to-table restaurant in Boulder — and eventually helped to open its sister restaurant Bramble & Hare. He then had a short stint at Mountain Sun, worked his way up to general manager at BRU Handbuilt Ales & Eats and then got the job at Samples as a director of operations where he met Shane.

This path gave him a wealth of experience and knowledge about the local food scene in Colorado, from the farm to the kitchen and all the way through to the front of the house. So, in March of 2018, Isaac and Shane opened their first concept together: Monzu, a handcrafted panini and pasta food truck in Longmont. While the challenges of the pandemic led them to shutting down Monzu in July of 2020, one thing remained — MeCo cheesy bits.

What started as a homemade cracker that served as a side to sandwiches at their food truck had grown a dedicated following. The success of this tangential business venture led Shane and Isaac to continue investing in the MeCo brand.

In July 2021, MeCo Coffee Collective was officially opened. This venture was a space to increase the scale of their cracker production and simultaneously create the community space they had always wanted.

Shane and Isaac don’t just talk the talk when it comes to building community. The beans that they brew are from Nimbus Coffee Roasters, and the honey they use is from Bee Hugger Farm, both located in Longmont. Their stores all hold a local retail section with the hopes of helping other small businesses grow. They always aim to share not just the space to get started but also the knowledge of how to get through the legal details of starting a business — something they have gained experience in through all of their ventures prior to being business owners themselves.

More recently, MeCo Coffee Collective has begun to get involved with Boulder County Farmers Markets. You may have spotted them popping up at a few guest spots at the Longmont Farmers Market this year and offering freshly baked bread, cookies and brownies in our online market. Being located a short drive from our headquarters, what you order online is baked fresh and driven straight to our warehouse to get boxed up with the rest of your order. You can also order MeCo Cheesy Bits online for a taste of what truly got the MeCo brand started.

To take it even more full circle, if you order for pickup in Lafayette, you will get to see MeCo Coffee Collective’s second location in person. This is one of three pickup locations for online orders, but the only one where you can grab a warm drink, purchase local artisan goods or sit and chat with your friends.

This is just the start of what MeCo has in store. Their third location is scheduled to open on Nov. 7 in Frederick and will not only offer coffee but a full bar and community seating area, as well. Pizza and an east coast style deli will be provided in the same location by Zilla’s Pizza & Subs, and there is even the potential for an ice cream shop to open in the space next spring.

One day, Shane and Isaac hope to have six locations in Colorado and six in Maine, connecting both of their communities and families. Until then, you can continue to follow Shane and Isaac’s journey on their socials @mecocoffeecollective, at mecocofee.com or shop MeCo baked goods and other delicious farmers market goodies at shop.bcfm.org.