Singletrack Café is looking to give back to the Durango community by reinvesting in local nonprofits.

Singletrack Café “Beans for Benefit” program aims to raise awareness for four nonprofits dedicated to sports and the outdoors while also supporting their efforts financially. The business’ two shops will sell labeled coffee bags with a portion of the proceeds divided among the four organizations.

For owners Melissa and Chris Lopez, it’s a way to translate their business into sustained support for those making a difference in Durango.

“I'm so excited about this program,” said Melissa Lopez. “If I could just be a philanthropist, I would.”

Singletrack Café’s shops on Rivergate Lane and Jenkins Ranch Road will sell bags of coffee dedicated to the Adaptive Sports Association, Durango Devo, Great Old Broads for Wilderness and the “Go Joe Go!” team.

The Adaptive Sports Association increases access to outdoor sports and recreational opportunities for those with disabilities, while the youth sport group Durango Devo aims to spur engagement in mountain biking.

Great Old Broads for Wilderness is a Durango-based women-led grassroots organization dedicated to the protection of wilderness. And Go Joe Go! is a local cycling team that supports the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s research.

As the Singletrack Café name suggests, the Lopezes are dedicated to the outdoors. It is that passion that led them to partner with the four nonprofits, Lopez said.

“We looked at organizations that are in line with our customer base, with adventure, nature, trails and cycling, which is a big part of our name and our brand,” she said.

To start, $1 per bag will go to a pool of money that will be divided evenly between the four groups.

The Beans for Benefit will be a continuous program. The goal is to provide sustained support for the groups while incorporating giving back into Singletrack Café’s business model.

“As a nonprofit, they’re always having to do fundraisers,” Lopez said. “Coffee fundraisers are nothing new, but we can just have that be part of our business and do (that fundraising) for them.”

The program is not only meant to lend financial help but also to raise awareness for the groups. Each organization will have its own bag with pictures and its logo, and information about each nonprofit’s mission will be at both stores and online on Singletrack Café’s website.

Bags of coffee through Beans for Benefit will also be available online, though Lopez is currently in the process of finalizing the business’ online shop.

“I hope that it’s just wildly successful to help bring them in revenue,” she said. “If it brings in some additional awareness as well, I think that it’s all good.”

Singletrack Café joins the trend of La Plata County businesses integrating giving and support for the local community into their work.

2022 marks the first year of the Local First Foundation’s La Plata Impact Fund, in which local businesses pledge 1% of their gross revenues to tackle issues such as social equity, affordable housing and the environment. Using this money, the Local First Foundation pledged $535,000 to support residents’ purchase of Westside Mobile Park.

Singletrack Café will receive its first order for Beans for Benefit from Durango’s Rocky Mountain Roastery on Tuesday.

For the Lopezes, it’s another way to further their dedication to the Durango community.

“It’s always been part of who we are to be giving back to the community,” Lopez said. “We decided to take this step as just another way to use our business to help some great local organizations.”

ahannon@durangoherald.com