Meet Mindy and Sam Tallent of The Stone Cup in Lyons

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mindy and Sam Tallent.

Since 2004, Mindy and Sam Tallent and The Stone Cup family have been greeting folks with delicious food & drink and warm, friendly service in their Lyons, Colorado, cafe.

From Mindy:
We serve organic and free trade coffee, teas and espresso along with amazing fresh baked goods and smoothies. Plus our kitchen prepares healthy, hearty grab-and-go breakfast and lunch made with skill and soul. When we bought ‘The Cup’, our goal was to help build community and care for the planet. We worked with a local environmental consultant and found some pretty cool ways to reduce our impact on the environment. We offset our energy use with renewable, non-polluting wind energy. We have a comprehensive recycling and composting program. From eggshells to cups and plates, we keep as much as we can out of the landfills.

Coffee cups – those not created by our local pottery artist – are fully compostable, as are our to-go boxes. A unique plastic made from corn is the base for our compostable smoothie cups, straws, lids, forks, spoons and knives.

Our biodegradable and compostable plates are made from sugar cane. (pretty sweet). We even shoo the flies in the summer by planting pots of basil, a natural deterrent, around windows and doorways. Nothing like trading pesticides for pesto. Grab a table in the restaurant and enjoy our gallery of local art, or take it outside where you can laze on the sunny patio just about any time of year. We also have a beautiful event space, ready for celebrations of all kinds.

We’re open 7 days a week, 6am-4pm!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh boy. Staffing, food costs, equipment failures, working 80 hours a week, general craziness and, of course, the big flood of 2013 have all had an impact.

But ‘keep on keeping on’ has been one of our mottos and the best way to smooth out those bumpy roads (and roads that actually disappeared during the flood) is through sharing a shoulder to cry on and, in turn, receiving support from friends and family within our community.

As an example, when the 2013 flood devastated our little town, we were left without all infrastructure and had no way out of town. Everyone emptied their defrosting freezers, brought it all to The Stone Cup, and we had a huge barbecue. We made makeshift grills and cooked up enough to feed everyone. There were lots of tears, hugs, and laughter. That about sums up our sweet, crazy town and all the people in it. We’re proud that our place could become everyone’s place on that day. And every day.

Please tell us about The Stone Cup – what should we know?
Our earlier summary pretty much captures the business; organic and free trade coffee and tea, made-from-scratch food and live music on the weekend. We’re especially proud of our environmental commitment to being a zero-waste facility. Our tagline sums it up – ‘Building community and caring for the planet, seven days a week.”

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My love for people really keeps me going. Plus, I suppose my family would say my insane determination and indefatigable work ethic.

Contact Info:

• Address: The Stone Cup
  442 High Street
  Lyons, CO 80540
• Website: http://www.thestonecup.com/
• Phone: 303-823-2345
• Email: mindy@thestonecup.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestonecup/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheStoneCup/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-stone-cup-lyons
• Other: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g33532-d383701-Reviews-The_Stone_Cup-Lyons_Colorado.html

Image Credit:
Personal photo and food photos (10-58, 10-68, 10-62) by Tyra Sutak Ink & Images, ‘Yay Mindy’ photo by Rachel Tallent

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.