La Barba Coffee started in November 2012 as the first specialty coffee roaster in Salt Lake City aimed at scaling through retail and wholesale. It started on a BBQ grill converted to a coffee roaster in a backyard. Since then, it has grown to three retail locations, a fast-growing e-commerce presence, and 100+ wholesale accounts.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Salt Lake City-based company has pivoted to focusing on its online presence. As a result, online sales are up by 500%, helping offset losses in retail store revenues.