University of Denver Spring 2025

Bold Flavors, Big Impact: A DU Alum’s Mountain-Made Success Vail Mountain Coffee & Tea (VMCT) co-founder Craig Arseneau (BSBA ’86) has been waking up the Vail Valley for 35 years. His journey exemplifies how business acumen paired with a drive to make a positive impact can lead to lasting success.

Minturn

H ere’s a look at Arseneau’s story, by the numbers.

32 Women For nearly a decade, VM C T has fi nancially supported the Colombian W omen’s P roject by purchasing raw green beans, developing trainings and providing e q uipment like ecological stovetops and energy generators. VM C T ’s program has trained 32 women and 10 men in Colombia, conducted 28 community farm soil analyses and made fertilization recommendations, and given 30 families access to drinking water. 300 Wholesale Clients If you’ve had a cup of joe in Colorado, chances are you’ve tasted beans roasted by VM C T . 1 DU Family W hen Arseneau graduated from DU , he didn’t fully grasp the signi fi cance of joining the alumni community — but that q uickly changed. H is manager at his fi rst post graduation job in Boston was a DU alum, and now, living in V ail, he actively hosts alumni events and remains connected with the DU network. From longtime friends to new ac q uaintances, DU ’s community continues to shape his experience. “It’s just this family — the DU family — that you don’t know exists when you graduate, but it’s bigger than you think,” he says.

8,000 Ft. VM C T ’s coffee is roasted in M inturn, Colorado, at a high altitude in the tradition of N orthern Italian roasters, which means sugars and solids caramelize at a slower rate, resulting in sweet, smooth fl avors that can’t be reproduced at lower elevations. 105 Miles Beans and tea travel more than 100 miles from VM C T ’s R oastery in M inturn to Beans Caf é , the student - run coffee shop located in the Fritz Knoebel S chool of H ospitality M anagement. 500 Mugs W hen Arseneau and co - founder Chris Chantler opened VM C T in 1989 , they handed out reusable, branded hot beverage mugs to ski patrollers, “lifties” and restaurant workers, which proved to be a wildly successful promotional tactic. 35 Years Arseneau and Chantler were traveling in S witzerland in 1989 when they saw the W orld S kiing Championships broadcast from V ail, prompting them to “get serious” about their entrepreneurial adventure and move back to Colorado from the E ast Coast to open the D aily G rind Coffee Company in V ail. M ore than three decades later, they are deeply engrained in the V ail V alley community. “Being avid ambassadors for our community, we’ve un q uestionably supported all organizations that have reached out to us for donations or product in kind,” says Arseneau. 3 Locations VM C T ’s brick - and - mortar locations along I -70 are in D ownieville, M inturn and Beaver Creek.

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