HUGO COFFEE
1794 Olympic Pkwy, Park City, UT
Contact: 435-901-4450
HUGO.COFFEE
IG @thehugocoffee
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Date Visited: November 1, 2019
Drink Coffee, Save Dogs
I had just left Salt Lake City, Utah, and began my journey back East. I’m sure you can relate to that feeling that comes the second you begin a road trip… must have coffee! I saw signs coming up for Park City, Utah and I knew there had to be a coffee shop somewhere. I pulled offof Rt. 80, looked on Google, anddiscovered Hugo Coffee was right down the street. To my surprise, it was located directly inside of thevisitor center for Park City.
The second I saw the logo was a dog I was even more excited to interview them. I headed inside and wasimmediately intrigued, there were pictures of dogs everywhere, comfy couches, and warmth from thewinter weather. I headed up to the counter and introduced myself to Elise, the barista at the time. She wasfairly new but very friendly and helped answer all of my questions.
Coffee + Dogs
Hugo Coffee started in 2015 by Claudia McMullin and her doggie Hugo is the mascot. Claudia createdthis coffee shop with a mission to “save dogs by roasting and selling fair-trade coffee.” Now, this issomething I can support and get behind. For every bag of coffee sold, 10% of the profit goes to variousanimal rescues. Such as Best Friends Animal Society Utah, Nuzzle’s and Co., and Paws for Life. Fun fact,Claudia adopted Hugo from Nuzzles and Co. and he has been a huge inspiration to this coffee shopjourney ever since. I hope to someday meet both Claudia and Hugo.
The beans are roasted by John Lynn, together John and Claudia have produced a wide assortment ofdelicious roasts. He is also a huge dog lover as well and rescued an amazing dog named Rivers. Afterteaching Rivers “New Tricks” it nicely became the name on the light-roast blend, you must try it. If youare interested, you can buy bags of their coffee online and have them shipped anywhere in the US.Remember 10% of your purchase will be going to help the rescues. If you have bought a bag of coffee youhave contributed to 4,102 meals, 2,790 vaccines, 174 spay/neuters, and 996 dog beds. Amazing job!
The Coffee
I had to see how good this coffee truly was, I ordered a large americano for a change. Dang, this was justwhat I needed before making my way to Wyoming. Not only did the coffee give me energy, but it was fullof flavor and warmed me right up! I was very happy considering how cold it was outside and there waseven snow on the ground. This is the spot for locals and travelers to hang out, they offer one dollar refills.
The Food
There are a handful of locally-made tasty treats to order such as blueberry muffins, doughnuts, cookies,and a slice of the lemon lavender loaf. If you’re looking to warm up they offer quiche and a deliciousselection of paninis. The one calling my name was the Vivi Caprese that was made of basil pesto, roastedpeppers, mozzarella, arugula herb vinaigrette, and lemon aioli on ciabatta bread. Make sure you grab atreat for your pup as well.
Walk Around
While you’re enjoying your coffee, you can check out the Visitor Center. There are tons of pamphlets ofthings to do in and around the area. The coolest thing I stumbled upon is the historic Gondola from thePark City Museum. This was a town that is known for epic ski conditions and they even hosted theOlympics in 2002. Make your way back towards Hugo’s and sit on one of the many comfortable couches.You can also find some dog treats, t-shirts, hats, and bags of coffee. A great souvenir would be a customHugo mug handmade by Jessica at Mean Mugs Pottery in Salt Lake City, UT. I had a great time at thiscoffee shop and I’m glad I stopped in, make sure you add them to your coffee shop bucket list, you willnot be disappointed.
The Bathroom
Considering how many people stop must come to the visitor’s center, the bathrooms were clean. Theywere fully stocked but lacked character. Maybe Hugo’s can work on hanging some awesome dog-art inthere. I am going to rank these a 7.5/10.
