Wonderfilled Vol. 5: Salt Lake City

WHERE ARE YOU FROM ORIGINALLY, AND WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO SALT LAKE? I’m originally from Aspen, Colorado. I moved here in 1997 and began purchasing and renovating commercial buildings, and then leasing space within them. The first building I purchased was in the 9th and 9th District, which now houses Publik Kitchen.

Today is actually the 2nd anniversary of our flagship store and roastery on West Temple!

We opened Publik Kitchen in January and, a month later, we opened Publik in the Avenues (our second coffee house).

HOW IS PUBLIK’S APPROACH TO COFFEE AND ROASTING UNIQUE? We care. We care about every aspect from sourcing green coffee to profiling and roasting and we’ve placed significant importance on sustainability. The roasting process is thorough and detailed to ensure that all of the blends are interesting and that the single origins truly highlight their regional characteristics. Our roastery is 100% solar powered and we are one of two roasters in Utah that has an afterburner —and oxidizer that filters out 96% of the particulates that affect air quality. We compost and use compostable coffee filters in all of our brewer, as well as our eco-line of to-go packaging. Utah has a horrible air quality situation and being conscientious about the environment is part of our culture.