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Kelsi Hansberry stocks the baked-goods rack at Colter Coffee Roasting at the Loading Dock in Kalispell.
Cookies from Colter Coffee Roasting. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
“Since we opened downtown, we’ve been buying baked goods from different bakeries,” Macdonald said.
But when one of his employees, Me- gan Secrest, left Colter to work as a bak- er and then found she needed a job again in Kalispell after taking care of family on the East Coast, Macdonald saw an opportunity to expand his business.
“I had been kicking around the idea of one day baking our own goods,” Macdon- ald said. “It was just kind of like a series of events that just unfolded in a fun way.”
The new shop is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Macdonald said the Colter bakery hopes to specialize in cookies.
Otherwise, the menu of baked goods customers are used to won’t change
much, with the bakers still producing sweet and savory croissants, scones, sweetbreads, and gluten-free options, including the popular gluten-free bar.
A new location and a new venture into baking are just part of the goal to keep expanding, Macdonald said. Ex- pansion was always the plan when he first started.
“I’m a dreamer, and if you don’t dream big, it’s not going to happen,” he said.
The Kalispell location on Main Street was vacated and remodeled in 2006, and Colter Coffee Roasting moved in in 2007.
It’s been a great fit, Macdonald said, allowing for a comfortable space for peo- ple to enjoy their coffee creations while
reading, studying, or just chatting.
“It’s a beautiful building,” he said. Since moving in, the company has
also kept up with trends and innova- tions in the coffee world, including pur- chasing an espresso machine that has digital temperature control, making it easier for the barista staff to pull a bet- ter shot.
They’ve also invested in a new grind- er that makes uniform grounds, he said, and gives the coffee a sweeter taste.
“We’re always trying to keep current with the techniques,” Macdonald said.
Colter Coffee is also known for its latte art designs, having held competi- tions for such creations, and for provid- ing space for musicians to perform.
While he’s thankful his business has grown so much in 10 years, Macdon- ald said he misses being able to be more hands-on with his work, like roasting the beans and pulling the espresso shots.
He started Colter Coffee because he’s a self-described coffee geek who is obsessed with perfecting the art of cof- fee. When the company moved into the bigger Kalispell location, friends and customers told him to expand into food, like burritos or sandwiches, but that wasn’t part of his vision.
“I just wanted to be the best at cof- fee, and that’s all I wanted to do,” Mac- donald said.
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