Our story · Rooted in New Mexico
Two beginnings.
One shared purpose.
A coffee truck in Albuquerque. A small roaster in Corrales. Two businesses grew around the people who believed in them. In 2025, Candlestick Coffee Roasters and Grinding Gears Coffee came together to write the next chapter.
Different roads. A common ground.
How we got here
One story began with a dream of opening a little shop. The other began with a mission to make meaningful work possible. Coffee gave both a place to grow.
Candlestick Coffee Roasters
2013 · The first spark
A shop, someday.
Living out of backpacks and, for a time, a van, Zach and Courtney traveled the world in search of adventure, beautiful places, and good food and drink. Somewhere along the way, a plan took shape: come home and open a small shop of their own. They didn’t yet know what they would sell. They knew how they wanted it to feel: inviting.
2019 · Candlestick begins
A little roaster. A warm welcome.
By 2019, they were living in Denver with two young children, and Zach was roasting coffee in the garage for fun. A trip to roasting school at Mill City Roasters in Minneapolis turned curiosity into a business.
They bought a 3 kg roaster, moved to Albuquerque, and found their place in Corrales. The setup was simple: Zach, Courtney, a roasting machine, and a pour-over bar. The days were hectic and exhausting. The welcome from their new community made them rewarding.
The early days of a family coffee business, 2019.
2023 · Room to grow
Half a mile. A whole new chapter.
Candlestick outgrew its first space and its little roaster. When friends at Silver Leaf Farms opened the Farm Stand and wanted an on-site roaster, the next step was just half a mile down the road. Zach and Courtney moved the operation and helped the new spot get started.
Grinding Gears Coffee
2017 · A mission on wheels
Coffee with a purpose.
Grinding Gears began with a coffee truck and a clear mission: create meaningful employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Serving coffee around Albuquerque gave that mission a practical home. There were drinks to make, customers to welcome, and skills to learn. With each stop, the truck introduced more people to Grinding Gears and the people behind the counter.
2019 · Putting down roots
From the truck to 8th & Mountain.
Grinding Gears opened a brick-and-mortar café at 8th and Mountain in Albuquerque, serving locally roasted coffee and other café favorites. What began at a serving window now had a front door, a patio, and a neighborhood to call home.
The Grinding Gears café at 8th & Mountain.
A place to stop for coffee and stay for a conversation.
2025 · Our stories come together
Better together.
After six years of building Candlestick, Zach joined Grinding Gears as a partner and Head Roaster. Candlestick’s roasting expertise and loyal community came together with Grinding Gears’ mission and plans for the future. The combined company carries the Grinding Gears Coffee name, with roasting operations in Corrales.
For owner Jason McDermott and Zach, the next chapter means growing exceptional coffee alongside meaningful opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It brings the care that built Candlestick into a business working toward a greater good.
Still roasting. Still growing.
The next chapter
is in your cup.
Today, we roast, bag, and ship from the Farm Stand in Corrales, New Mexico. Our blends and single-origin coffees carry both histories forward, from Zach’s work at the roaster to the mission that put the first Grinding Gears truck on the road.
To everyone who visited the market stand, ordered at the truck, or made a neighborhood café part of their day: thank you. You helped these stories grow. We’re glad you’re here for what comes next.
