The Piinu Nuuchi Travel Center, formally known to the community as Thriftway, has been undergoing new construction since 2023 and recently opened the Kahala Coffee Traders bistro inside the newly renovated travel center. The Piinu Nuuchi Travel Center’s new bistro is one of only nine locations of the Kahala Coffee Traders franchise. The introduction of a new coffee shop is part of the $2 million overhaul of the entire facility that has been taking place over the past 18 months, including the renovation of the existing building, fuel pumps and repaved parking areas.
Southern Ute Economic Development Manager, Colton Black has been overseeing this project since its beginning. “[Kahala Coffee Traders] was part of the negotiations that we had in regards to their updated lease, that lease included the renovations to the facility as well as kind of redeveloping that food service area, bringing in a new breakfast and lunch option was part of that discussion,” Black said. “Our goal is to provide another lunch option for folks here in Ignacio, that’s something we heard from everybody ‘it would be really nice to have another good lunch option with fresher ingredients.’”
The Kahala Coffee Traders bistro features broad menu options, including drip coffee, tea, espresso, frappes, and even bakery items. Adriano Phillips works as a cashier at the new Kahala Coffee Traders bistro, during an interview with The Southern Ute Drum he made one of the most popular menu items – the caramel frappe. “We are open from 6a.m. to 6p.m., and we serve different kinds of coffees like iced drinks, regular drip coffee, frappes, and hot drinks–my favorite menu item is I’d say the refreshers, the strawberry dragon fruit flavor, to make that we use fruit concentrates, water, ice, and fruits and then we mix it all together.”
“This business will give everyone the opportunity to enjoy more coffee and sandwiches,” Phillips said. “It will be nice for people here in Ignacio to get Kahala Coffee rather than just out of state – we have been busy, basically every day since we started and all I got to say is we got really good sandwiches and great refreshers, I hope more people stop by to try it.”
The Piinu Nuuchi Travel Center has undergone a significant amount of renovation over the last 18 months, and with the completion of repaving and the opening of the Kahala Coffee Traders bistro, the project has reached its completion. “We did finally get the parking lot repaved and that has been a long time coming, I know a lot of people wanted to see that happen,” Black said. “The Travel Center has really come together; you know two years ago to where it is now – since we redid that lease and began renovating it has come full circle from where we had envisioned it, it’s a whole new facility and I am very happy with it.”
Kahala Coffee Traders bistro, located within the newly renovated Piinu Nuuchi Travel Center, is operational every day from 6am to 6pm offering fresh coffee, tea, bakery items, and sandwiches.