DENVER — A local coffee company is brewing a second chance for women incarcerated at Denver Women's Correctional Facility.
Redemption Roasters opened in 2022 as an employment opportunity for inmates, giving them the chance to learn new skills. Denver7 learned about the company after visiting Convict Coffee in Parker, which is working to change the public's perception of people who were previously incarcerated, one cup of joe at a time.
For the past year, Cortnee Eaglen and Destiny Williams have been working together to ensure Redemption Roasters' operation goes smoothly.
Williams monitors a computer screen that displays the coffee bean temperature.
"Tracking the rate of rise is fun, and it's fun to problem solve and use your critical thinking to figure out where things may have went wrong and how it's going to affect the overall flavor of the coffee," Williams said.
Eaglen removes any defective beans or quakers, which are immature beans that could affect the entire flavor of the pot.
"It doesn't take much to affect the flavor profile of our coffee, and you just want it to be the best that it can be," Eaglen said. "It goes through many stages before it even makes it to us."
The two get in around 7 a.m. and work into the afternoon. Williams said a roast could take anywhere from 11 to 15 minutes on average.
A whiteboard tracks the roasted inventory and what's needed for orders.
"Well, each day when we come in, we get to see what online orders we received the night before or since we've left the day prior," Eaglen said. "Just tell us what we have on hand and what we need to roast for the next day to be prepared, because it takes between two and 7 days to de-gas.''
Justin Wheelock is the supervisor of Redemption Roasters. He explained the multiple factors that go into roasting the beans, including elevation, density of the beans, moisture content, and the importance of controlling the heat and temperature.
"Over the years, it started out really slow," Wheelock told Denver7. "I'm proud to say that we are pretty busy now developing quality products. I'm proud to work side by side with these women, and we're constantly creating new blends, new coffee roasts, bringing in new coffees."
Besides learning new skills, Wheelock said this job provides a sense of confidence.
"I think the importance of having this type of job is to empower these women with skills that transfer to the streets, that will hopefully develop into a career," Wheelock explained. "It also promotes accountability, time management, and just a creative process that may be lacking in a daily life."
You can see the bond Williams and Eaglen have formed and the immense pride they have in the job.
- Hear more from Williams and Eaglen in the video player below
Both emphasized the importance of having Redemption Roasters in their lives and the immense impact of the job.
"It's a second chance," Williams said. "It's a way to start over, and it's another solid foundation for us when we get out of here."
"We all got here for whatever reasons that brought us here, and we all need a second chance," Eaglen said. "This is something that will translate great out there. Who doesn't love coffee? So whether it be to go, to continue roasting, or whether it be to be a barista, it gives you that foundation to be able to take a skill outside of here."
Coffee beans can be purchased online, with eight different roasts available. Right now, they are not able to ship orders outside of Colorado.
