March 18, 2025
Coffee with a Cause
Convict Coffee has a noticeably different vibe than most coffee spaces around town. A forbidding, masculine face outlined on the wall greets patrons as they walk through the front door, and raucous heavy metal music plays in the background. But that somewhat menacing visage is really a hardline caricature of owner Dan Klehm, who admits the shop’s brand is an intentional throwback to time he spent in prison.
The “Convict” Behind the Coffee
“I grew up in the Bay Area in California and had a pretty rough upbringing, lot of abuse at home, lot of drugs and alcohol. All my siblings are gone, I’m the only one that came out of the home alive,” says Klehm. “I left home at 12, carried a gun, sold drugs and drove a car — at 12 years old — and for about a decade, was in and out of incarceration.”
But then his first son was born – while Klehm was serving time at Vacaville State Penitentiary. When he got out at age 22 and held his baby boy for the first time, it was a pivotal, life-changing moment. “My father was a fugitive from the law and I had a lot of resentment towards that – I wanted to be a different kind of father.”
Klehm worked hard to make up for lost time and reached the top rungs on the corporate restaurant ladder – as vice president of Applebee’s, and Illegal Pete’s — and then as CEO of Chiba Hut. All the while, the question of how he might contribute to reducing the recidivism of ex-cons resounded in his head.
Changing Direction
When Klehm was presented with yet another CEO job offer, the self-described “rough around the edges old-school metalhead” rejected it, troubled at a corporate culture which pays executives 50 to 1000 times the salary of a rank-and-file employee.
“I saw that in companies I ran,” Klehm says. “I saw employees sleeping in cars while CEOs were living in mansions, employees stacking six to an apartment, while CEOs are buying lake homes and traveling all over the country. It was very frustrating for me, and that, along with my focus on recidivism reduction, made me want to do something different.”
A Shop is Born
On Christmas Day 2023, Klehm presented the idea of a coffee shop to his now-adult sons, both of whom possess a fierce work ethic plus skills and talents of their own. The three Klehm men went all in and after our four months of finding a space, maxing credit cards, planning and marketing, painting, hauling and assembling equipment, fixtures and furniture, Convict Coffee opened for business.
“It was a total swing for the fences – I thought this is either gonna work or I’m going bankrupt – and I was 100 percent okay with either outcome,” Klehm says. “The great news is that Parker has supported us at a very, very high level. We’ve been really busy and we’ve been able to donate roughly $40,000 to causes I’m passionate about.”
Coffee with a Cause
Klehm’s causes include recovery programs for men, like the faith-based Step Seven with six homes in Parker and one in Elizabeth, and other rehabilitation programs that emphasize job skills training, sports and fitness activities or artistic expression.
The walls at Convict Coffee are covered with prints from Art for Redemption which offers creative types the opportunity to sell their artwork. Some of the baked goods are sourced from Treasure House of Hope, a nonprofit that provides housing and career development.
Convict Coffee partners with Redemption Roasters, a roastery inside a female prison in Denver where all the beans are roasted by women serving time. “They get paid a full wage and also get the vocational skill training. We use their beans to make our cold brew — every other bean we roast ourselves,” says Klehm.
All About the Beans
Klehm’s drink of choice – in case you’re wondering – is the Cortado. “It’s two shots of espresso with an exactly equal amount of milk, so it’s very coffee forward. I think if you have good coffee, you don’t have to hide behind flavors,” he says, even though Convict Coffee carries ALL the flavors a coffee drinker could want. “But if you’re a true coffee enthusiast, we have very, very fresh beans roasted every two weeks.”
So, stop in one morning and order a cuppa — at 19519 E. Parker Square Dr. The Convict Coffee staff serve every conceivable combo, plus dirty sodas and tasty grub – from muffins and Danish to breakfast burritos and grilled cheese. Or plan to play Bingo — every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. — or Trivia on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. – but come early because the house fills UP. There’s also live music at least once a week in this cool, genuine, heartfelt community space in Parker.
Lucky to Live Here
If you’re part of the master-planned community of Looking Glass you know how fortunate the families are who live in this close-knit Parker neighborhood. It’s not just the access to paths and parks, but also the community connections and proximity to nearby recreation, entertainment and shopping. Stop by the beautiful model homes from D.R. Horton, Taylor Morrison, Dream Finders and later this year, Richmond American Homes, from the $600s, and love where you live!