European cafe culture comes to Breck thanks to this entrepreneur opening the doors to a 4th business

Kit Geary/Summit Daily News
From formulating a concept to finding a space to operate out of, owning a small business is a demanding feat to take on, especially in a mountain town economy largely reliant on seasonal tourism.
Summit local Nichole Shepherd has taken on that challenge, successfully, four times. Thanks to serendipitous opportunities in which adjacent storefronts became available at the perfect time, she’s been able to carve out a little corner of Breckenridge where all four of her businesses are neighbors.
It’s a 10-second walk from this self-starter’s custom jewelry shop, DonLo, which she opened around 2017, to her felt hat shop, Midsommar Hat Co., which she opened in 2023. Midsommar Hat Co. shares a hallway with her vintage store, Haus of Lois, which opened in August 2024, and her newest business, the Baretto 1931 espresso bar.
Baretto 1931 had a pop-up opening for Wake Up Breck, a coffee-related fundraiser which happened ahead of Breckenridge Ski Resort’s opening day, and then officially opened at the start of December.
Shepherd’s life and now business partner, Christian Von Graevenitz, acts as the operating owner and can be found behind Baretto’s counter everyday.
Hailing from England, Von Graevenitz’s experience with coffee began with European cafe culture. Ski trips growing up brought him to countries like Italy, France and Austria — all places he said don’t mess around when it comes to high-quality espresso. In adulthood, he would bring Shepherd to some of these spots as well, and this led to them entrenching themselves in the world of espresso.
When the approximately 200-square-foot storefront next to Haus of Lois opened up around the same time Shepherd was working to get the vintage shop up and running, the two decided the small space would be perfect for a grab-and-go style espresso bar. They dubbed the spot “Baretto 1931,” drawing inspiration for the Italian word for “tiny cafe” and from Shepherd’s grandmother, who was born in 1931.
Von Graevenitz renovated the space by hand and worked on acquiring top-of-the-line equipment. Next, he began the search for beans. His childhood and world travels made him a bit of a stickler when it came to the quality of product he was willing to serve at his espresso bar.
“Naturally good coffee is going to taste sweet, you shouldn’t have to add sugar to it,” he said when describing his standards.
He landed on Servant Coffee out of Denver, which sources coffee from places like Honduras and Ethiopia.
Shepherd said caliber of the coffee Baretto 1931 serves comes down to Von Graevenitz’s craftsmanship.
“The beans, the grinding, the process — (everything) is about the science of the coffee and espresso … We want to bring the standard up in coffee in the community,” she said.

Every Monday, Baretto 1931 gets a cookie delivery from Breckenridge-based Peak Sweets. Peak Sweets is ski patroller Brigitte Vossler’s side hustle, and the pair say they have a hard time keeping their hands off them because they are so good.
Every Friday, the shop gets a delivery from Alma-based Bristlecone Bake Shop.
“They are the best pastries I’ve ever had,” Von Graevenitz, noting he’s been all over the world.
Shepherd said locals who know they get the deliveries will show up on Friday to make sure they can snag a pastry before they sell out.
Baked goods at Baretto 1931 range from $5.50 to $6.70 and drink offerings range from $3 to $7. It is open Sunday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Baretto 1931 is located at 302 South Main St. in Breckenridge.

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