Meet Hannah Gleditsch | Mother, wife, former police office, small business owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah Gleditsch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Before I became the owner of Colorado Coffee Company I spent nearly 8 years working in law enforcement. Through my time as a police officer risk was always in the back of my mind. There are many risking things about the job itself but it was also part of territory and you just knew that going into it. I think things started to shift for me when I had kids and the risk started to feel a little bit heavier. In 2022 I was diagnosed with a non curable disease that ended up forcing me to medically retire from my sworn position with the police department. Going through that process and diagnosis really opened my heart and my eyes to a whole new, very vulnerable, side of life. There were days I prayed to be able to walk without assistance, or for my vision to be fully restored. Those days truly took me to rock bottom and after recovering from those episodes I now have a new look on my life and what risk means to me. 3 years ago, risk would have been losing money, getting hurt, etc. Today, risk is letting something in your life prevent you from living out your dreams and taking control of your life. While I was in the early stages of purchasing CCC my husband and I spoke in length about what would happen if I relapsed and how that would affect the business operations. At the end of the day, I made the decision to not let my diagnosis run my life and I have taken control back. That in itself is a risk, but at the end of the day, in my last moments on earth I want to look back and feel confident that I didn’t let risks prevent me from reaching for the stars.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Being a small business owner is very new for me, as I have only been in this business for two months. I am so grateful I was able to purchase a business that was already so rooted in the community thanks to the previous owner, Stacy. Stacy’s goal was to be a third place for people to come together and celebrate life’s highs and lows, outside of work and home. My business goals and practices really align with her overall mission which makes this transition feel much easier. I am a proud Christian and I want people to know this is a Christian run business and I do feel like I was called to be where I am today. I want our community to know they are ALL welcome in the doors of my business and I will do everything I can to make sure they feel at home, no matter how different our paths are. The way I love others is through serving, so to be able to serve in every ounce of my career is so fulfilling.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ok, I have lived in Loveland nearly my entire life and I am still the biggest tourist when it comes to Estes! I LOVE Estes Park and I am so happy any time I go up there. I love to eat at Post Chicken and Beer at the base of the Stanley. They have the best sweet chili dipping sauce for chicken tenders and I literally dream about it. I love to spend time downtown, of course, and I am so happy to see the growth our cute downtown area has had in the last few years. It is so fun to see the new restaurants setting their roots and to drive down 4th street and see every parking spot full is such a blessing for our small businesses. When I was in high school and college I worked at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory at the outlet mall and have clear memories of what that area used to be. It was so sad when the old outlets lost all of their renters and sold, however this is another great area that is now up and coming again. We have great local shops out there such as The Localist, which sells all things local to Colorado. It is the best place to shop for literally anyone you know, especially someone who is from out of town looking for the perfect Colorado souvenir!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Gosh, this is a hard question to answer without writing a whole book! I owe a lot of my risk taking to my dad first and foremost. My dad became a single dad of two young girls when my mom unexpectedly passed away when I was younger. He was handed a crappy hand of cards and never wavered and gave me the greatest childhood I could have asked for. When I told him I wanted to be a police officer, he immediately supported my decision and became the number fan of law enforcement around the world. When I brought up the idea of the coffee shop he was supportive from the beginning and now, two months in, he is still my number 1 fan. All the staff know him because he comes in weekly, he sits in on meetings with me, texts me in the middle of the night with ideas and is overall a great sounding board for me.

Of course I couldn’t let this shoutout finish without acknowledging my husband, Brad. Brad and I are high school sweethearts so we really have grown up together. He has been in the fire service for 15 years and put his entire life on pause when I got sick. He encourages me to reach for the stars and never tells me no, which I love 😉 He is my best friend in the world and I am grateful to be his wife.

Website: https://coloradocoffeecompany.com

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Image Credits
*Image of me with coffee cup, credit is to Loveland Report Herald