About us

Former editor and publisher of a digest-sized nationally distributed CoffeeHouse Digest (TM) magazine, Lorren Dawes began her journey roasting coffee back in 2006.

Her roasted coffee was branded under Catalina Island Roast Coffee during her three year stint living at sea level on an island off Southern Calif. It was sold at the tourist shops -- both in Avalon and Two Harbors -- owned by the Catalina Island Company. Steve's Steakhouse, the only fine dining restaurant on the Island, began serving this coffee to its customers.

But Lorren's coffee journey took a huge turn when she relocated to the high altitude community of Big Bear, Ca (6700 ft) where she had lived for almost 25 years prior. She discovered that the coffee she had been roasting at sea level was very different roasted at high altitude: 1) It didn't take as long to roast a small batch; 2) The flavor profiles were dramatically enhanced; 3) And no matter how dark the roast developed, the caffeine content was still quite high. High Altitude Coffee Roaster was born! She began hosting two-hour coffee teaching experiences in Big Bear which were a hit and solidly booked.

In 2021, Lorren relocated to the serene community Pagosa Springs, Colorado, still a high altitude community. Her coffee roastery is now located at an altitude of 8552 ft, which adds to the extraordinary flavor profiles of the various blends and single origin coffees.

Currently the ONLY coffee roaster in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, you can find her at the Pagosa Farmers Market most weekends in the summer.