In Colorado Springs, Hold Fast Coffee Going Strong with Reception

The new Reception bar from the owners of Hold Fast Coffee Co. in Colorado Springs. All images courtesy of Hold Fast Coffee Co.

Hold Fast Coffee Co. is slowing things down at Reception, a new high-end coffee and cocktail bar just steps away from its flagship cafe in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

In the former event venue Almagre, which shares a parking lot with the original Hold Fast, Reception promises to welcome guests with exceptional coffee experiences by day before transitioning to craft cocktails and small plates in the evening.

“Reception was born out of our heart for hospitality, and our desire to really showcase what we’re doing in the roastery,” Hold Fast Coffee Co. Owner Grace Harrison told Daily Coffee News. “Our best seller is a build-your-own espresso martini. You actually get to pick your spirit, pick your coffee and pick a little addition if you want. It’s been really fun.”

A crystal chandelier hangs from Reception’s 20-foot ceilings above a white marble bar, where a tall glass Hario Yama slow-drip tower also refracts natural light. Curtains can be used to tame incoming daylight for guests relaxing on velvet couches and leather chairs.

Hold Fast Cafe Operations Manager Justin Lites is leading hospitality at both Reception and the original shop. At the new bar, guests can explore a range of espresso options, while Hario Switch, AeroPress, Kalita pourover and other methods expand the brew menu. Public cuppings and tastings are gradually filling the calendar.

Reception.

“The coffee program is focused a lot more on ‘slow bar,’ being able to offer different brew methods,” Hold Fast Wholesale Operations Manager Vinnie Snyder told Daily Coffee News. “If you order a cappuccino, you can choose any of our coffee offerings as your espresso. Things being a little bit more deliberate and a little more customizable is the focus compared to the [Hold Fast] cafe.”

The Hold Fast cafe, founded in 2013 under the name Peak Place Coffeehouse, continues to hold fast across a parking lane, offering espresso-based drinks, batch brews, chais, matchas and sodas alongside breakfast sandwiches and pastries.

The original Hold Fast cafe.

In 2015 the original cafe launched its in-house roastery, which introduced the Hold Fast brand. The owners unified the cafe and roastery under the Hold Fast name in 2023.

Today, the company’s San Franciscan SF-25 hums away in a new 3,000-square-foot roastery behind the Reception bar, offering expanded capacity for green coffee storage and roasting to serve both cafes.

In January of this year, Hold Fast’s production manager Maddison Ratzlaff stepped into the role of head roaster, leading sourcing and profiling for Hold Fast’s Stay True collection of rare and experimental coffees.

Hold Fast’s roastery operations manager, Nate Bland, helps keep production running smoothly while supporting the core coffees offered through the cafe and wholesale program.

“Over the last 11 years of roasting, our team has grown incredibly in their skill level, their passion, their commitment,” Harrison said. “We’re constantly looking for opportunities to showcase that and continue to bring that passion out to the world.”

The new roastery.

As a roasting company, Hold Fast is seeking to expand that world through wholesale operations, which should benefit from additional training and meeting space at Reception. The company also launched an equipment-focused service last year called Stay True Coffee Solutions.

“[Restaurateurs] poured blood, sweat and tears and years of training and experience to get a restaurant concept dialed in on the food side, and then we get to come in and bring our expertise to help them fully dial in the coffee side,” Harrison said. “Coffee’s the first or last thing that people get to enjoy, and we want to make it really excellent for them.”

Reception Coffee and Cocktails is located at 2460 Montebello Square Drive in Colorado Springs.

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