Coffee Design: Dark Heart Coffee Bar In Loveland, Colorado
Dark Heart has been making coffee in Downtown Loveland since 2015. In that time, Dark Heart Coffee Bar has gone from mobile cart to brick and mortar—and in the summer of 2021, the company was hard at work launching their new roasting program and website refresh. We spoke with co-founder, designer, and roaster Justin Real to learn more.
Tell us a bit about Dark Heart Coffee Bar
Dark Heart is fueled by a love and passion for quality in all things. The dream of owning a specialty coffee shop began with napkin sketches and a desire for the unseen and exceptional. In March of 2015, after 10 years of planning, our dream became a reality; Dark Heart was branded and born via a handcrafted mobile cart that hit the streets of Downtown Loveland! Our delicious, ethically sourced, never-before-seen specialty coffee was presented at 100 small and large events throughout Loveland, all while searching for a sacred space to call home. Despite heartbreaking hurdles that could have demolished our dream, Dark Heart Coffee Bar and our steadfast resiliency found its brick and mortar roots in June of 2017.
From a comforting atmosphere that honors all humans, to the beautiful and pure lattes that they sip, Dark Heart believes in the details. We believe specialty coffee should be approachable and met with authentic engagement. We believe in the education surrounding our passions and wish to satisfy the curiosities of our clientele.
When is everything going to launch?
After almost a year of research, fine-tuning, and consulting with awesome and respected roasters like Anne Cooper and Mark Michaelson, Dark Heart has been proudly stocking our cafe shelves with our bags since November of 2020. While bringing our cafe back to life from pandemic closures, we have been rebuilding our website, and we are planning to launch our new site featuring coffee subscriptions and wholesale this fall.
Who designed your packaging?
The amazing team at Savor Brands worked closely with designer Matt Thompson to design our packaging, and wow, did they nail every detail of our Dark Heart bags! The bag incorporates one of our well-known designs, “The Hand” by Chad Eaton of Timber, and showcases iconic lettering and design cohesion by Matt. We have worked with several extremely talented designers throughout the growth of our brand, and Matt Thompson has done quite a few of our infamous design drops as seen on our Dark Heart merchandise.
Tell us about the design
We, as the creators of Dark Heart Coffee, are incredibly inspired by the craft in all things and beauty in the details. Along with these high standards of craft and beauty, the DH bags also needed to align with our genuine Dark Heart aesthetic and our belief in making specialty coffee approachable to all. And so, the design was born: The brass and gold accents in our café are represented within the design, along with a touch of gold-leaf lettering that glows against the handmade feel of the craft grey bags. Easy to understand brewing instructions for all of your homebrew needs and a bold reminder that “coffee is in our blood” are printed on the bag with love for our DH humans. We believe our bags are the perfect representation of our passion, heart, and creativity.
Where will your coffee be available?
Our coffee is currently available in the café, located in the heart of Downtown Loveland, and for shipment or pick up at www.darkheartcoffeebar.com. Our coffee is also available at local restaurants and breweries, so be on the lookout!
Follow Dark Heart Coffee Bar on Instagram.
Coffee Design is presented in partnership with and proudly sponsored by Savor Brands. Explore Coffee Design archives at our exclusive Coffee Design hub.
