Carl & Lori Churchill

Carl and Lori Churchill co-founded Alpha Coffee on September 11, 2010. Carl is a combat veteran (LTC, retired) with 21 years enlisted and officer service. Lori is a military spouse. They packed bags in their basement as Lock-N-Load Java, rebranded in 2016, and opened the first shop in 2017 at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon.

The two shops a shopper can walk into: 7260 Racquet Club Drive, Cottonwood Heights) and the downtown Alpha Cafe at 111 S Main Street, Salt Lake City). They also ship to all 50 states, sell wholesale, and run subscriptions. Organic bags and single origins are on the site.

Grounds for Good donates over 10% of profits to veterans, planet, and community groups. Coffee for Troops, running since they opened, has sent more than 22,000 bags to deployed service members and discounts orders going to overseas military addresses.