PARKER, Colo. — A coffee shop in Parker is working to change the public's perception of people who were previously incarcerated, one cup of joe at a time.
Dan Klehm opened the Convict Coffee Company in April 2024 and previously held executive titles with franchises like Applebee's, Illegal Pete's, and Cheba Hut. He told Denver7 he was initially planning to retire, but decided to open his own business instead after seeing a need in the community.
"I spent most of my career in corporate restaurants and was really disillusioned with kind of the direction of the restaurant industry as it related to equity for the employees in particular, and wanted to do something with the rest of my career that I felt was going to make more of a difference," Klehm said.
Klehm became involved in the criminal justice system at the age of 13.
"I left home at 12, really abusive home. Unfortunately, I lost all my siblings over the years to drug abuse, and I spent about 10 years in and out of incarceration," he said. "At age of 22, I was released back in the state penitentiary, and then from that point forward, really started changing my life."
Convict Coffee focuses on reducing recidivism by engaging with and uplifting people who have also been involved in the criminal justice system. Some of the business's coffee beans come from a women's prison in Denver, while artwork on the walls was created by incarcerated individuals.
"The skill that I have in life is I know how to run restaurants, so the way that I look at it is take what you are good at and find a way to give back with it," Klehm said. "I'm good at raising money. I'm good at helping promote. We've raised thousands of dollars for causes that support ex-convicts, so whether we employ them or not, we're always focused on how can we help people that are still suffering inside of prison or as they reenter society."
Convict Coffee supports recovery-oriented groups and programs aimed at keeping children out of trouble. Since opening, the business has raised around $40,000 for different charities and hopes to raise $200,000 this year.
"We have a program called quarter for a quarter, or we give a quarter of every different cause every three months. This quarter, we're working with the Juvenile Assessment Center. They work with kids who get incarcerated, get them services," Klehm said.
Klehm and his six employees, including his two sons and daughter, help keep the business running. He describes working alongside his family as the "greatest gift of this entire journey."
"You think as a parent, maybe you raised your kids right, but you see them really roll up their sleeves, pull countless, literally hundred-hour weeks to build out the shop, get ready to open, and then serve the community, it's just really been fulfilling and validating that I did do a good job and that the example I hopefully set for them is going to set them up to be successful," Klehm said.
One of Klehm's sons, Daniel Klehm, stressed the importance of having conversations around the prison system and humanizing justice-involved people.
"Most people are starting to come around to the idea that we can do better," he said. "I think job opportunities is a big one, but also just rehabilitation and trying to really make sure that people are on the right track getting out, because most of these people are going to get out of prison — over 90% of them will — and, you know, what are we doing to make sure they're better neighbors."
On July 4, Convict Coffee Company is hosting an event that will benefit Step Seven Ministries, featuring a prison art exhibit, live music, and drinks.
"It helps out a lot," said Joe Maier, a board member for Step Seven Ministries. "He did it last year for [a quarter for a quarter], and it raised over $3,000 for the ministry. But this event that's going to happen here, it should be way more than that."
Convict Coffee is located at 19519 E Parker Square Drive. You can learn more through its website.
