Retail  October 29, 2024

Opening in Brighton is Ziggi’s Coffee’s 100th location

BRIGHTON — Baristas and franchisees from around the Ziggi’s Coffee chain gathered Tuesday to celebrate the opening of the 20-year-old Mead-based empire’s 100th location.

The coffee house at 51 N. 42nd Ave. opened its doors six hours before the noon ribbon-cutting.

“It’s kind of insane, I’m not going to lie,” Brandon Knudsen, co-founder and CEO of Ziggi’s, told BizWest just before the ceremony. “I’ve been so danged busy that this just kind of jumped up on me. It’s hard to find the words, which is not normal for me.”

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Knudsen said a new Ziggi’s location in Oregon could have been No. 100, “and that would have been kind of cool” since he and his wife, Camrin, had gone to college in the Beaver State. “But the whole team here in Northern Colorado has been especially so good to us, better than we deserve. So it’s so awesome to be here with everybody.”

The 624-square-foot Brighton location is only a drive-thru by design. Owned and operated by Jeff and Bambi Brady and their family, it’s the first Ziggi’s store to open in the Adams County seat and employs approximately 15 people. 

“Ziggi’s Coffee is about more than serving high-quality drinks and food,” Knudsen said in a prepared statement. “It’s about creating connections in the communities we serve, and we are confident the Brady family’s deep ties to Brighton will help make their store a true hub for the local residents.”

Ziggi’s story began when a coffee roaster wanted to open a cafe along with the Knudsens under the name Gizzi’s. The coffeehouse opened at Fourth Avenue and Main Street in downtown Longmont on Aug. 5, 2004, but the roaster dissolved the partnership a year later, taking the name with him and leaving the Knudsens with a debt-ridden dilemma. They couldn’t afford to buy new signage, so they simply rearranged the letters on the building and purchased an extra G to make the name Ziggi’s.

The brand has been offering franchises since 2016 and so far has shops open in 20 states and marked 340 franchise signings across 38 states. It has served more than 11 million beverages and reached nearly 100 communities, and made Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 last year.

“Having grown up together in Brighton, my family and I are thrilled to bring Ziggi’s Coffee to the place we’ve always called home,” Jeff Brady said in a news release. “Bambi and I graduated from Brighton High School, we were married here. and two of our three children were born at Platte Valley Medical Center. When looking for a location for our family business, it made perfect sense to come home to Brighton, where our story began. We’re excited to offer our community a space where people can enjoy great coffee, connect with each other and feel genuinely welcome. This shop is a reflection of our love for Brighton, and we can’t wait to share it with everyone.”

The new store is open from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily.

Baristas and franchisees from around the Ziggi’s Coffee chain gathered Tuesday to celebrate the opening of the 20-year-old Mead-based empire’s 100th location.

With BizWest since 2012 and in Colorado since 1979, Dallas worked at the Longmont Times-Call, Colorado Springs Gazette, Denver Post and Public News Service. A Missouri native and Mizzou School of Journalism grad, Dallas started as a sports writer and outdoor columnist at the St. Charles (Mo.) Banner-News, then went to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch before fleeing the heat and humidity for the Rockies. He especially loves covering our mountain communities.
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