Monarch Café
Nourishing ourselves and each other.
Northern Colorado's first food-as-medicine café — fully plant-based, prepared using ingredients with evidence-based benefits, and staffed by people with disabilities building a career.
The shelf
Eleven ingredients, and the studies behind them.
We are honest with our ingredients and what they can do for your health & well-being. Each claim below links to its source — all backed by high-quality, peer-reviewed research.
Meta-analysis · 15 RCTs
Turmeric
Curcuminoids reduce knee osteoarthritis pain and improve joint function.
Feng et al., BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 2022Meta-analysis · 8 RCTs
Ginger
Ginger-family extracts measurably reduce chronic pain, with a dose-response relationship.
Lakhan et al., Nutrition Journal, 2015Meta-analysis · 14 studies
Tart cherry
Speeds recovery of muscle strength and power after strenuous exercise, and reduces soreness.
Hill et al., International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2021Prospective cohort · 960 adults
Leafy greens
One serving a day is associated with markedly slower cognitive decline with age.
Morris et al., Neurology, 2018Two syntheses of RCTs
Berries
Anthocyanin intake improves short-term memory, verbal learning, executive function, and attention in adults — healthy and cognitively impaired alike.
Lorzadeh et al., Current Nutrition Reports, 2025 · 30 RCTs, 14 pooledThe antioxidant chemistry shows up in the blood vessels: anthocyanins significantly improve flow-mediated dilation, the standard measure of endothelial function.
Fairlie-Jones et al., Nutrients, 2017 · 24 RCTsMeta-analysis of RCTs
Beets
Dietary nitrate lowers systolic blood pressure by about 4 mmHg and improves blood flow.
Siervo et al., The Journal of Nutrition, 2013Meta-analysis of clinical trials
Cacao
Cocoa flavanols improve cognitive performance, with the clearest effects on executive function and processing speed.
Shateri et al., Phytotherapy Research, 2023PRISMA systematic review
Matcha & green tea
Benefits memory and attention, and reduces anxiety. The cognitive gains track caffeine and L-theanine together, not either alone.
Mancini et al., Phytomedicine, 2017Two syntheses · BMJ, Advances in Nutrition
Flax, chia & hemp
Higher intake of plant omega-3 (ALA) is associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
Naghshi et al., BMJ, 2021 · dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studiesSpecifically: a 10% lower risk of total cardiovascular disease and a 20% lower risk of fatal coronary heart disease.
Sala-Vila et al., Advances in Nutrition, 2022Two meta-analyses
Live cultures
Probiotics produce small but significant reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms — with larger effects in clinical samples.
Liu et al., Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2019 · 34 trialsFor the gut itself: probiotics improve global IBS symptoms, abdominal pain, and quality of life.
Chen et al., International Journal of Surgery, 2023 · 72 RCTsDouble-blind RCT · 161 men
Pea protein
Pea protein builds muscle thickness as effectively as whey — no dairy needed.
Babault et al., Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2015Amounts matter as much as ingredients. Every recipe is built to hit a dose in the range the research actually used — turmeric with black pepper and fat, not a dusting on the foam.
How this connects to our careWhat's on the board
What's on the menu?
The full menu is still in development with our team. Here is the shape of it — all of it plant-based, none of it an afterthought.
Coffee & espresso
Locally roasted. For anyone who needs that boost of energy & focus.
Loose-leaf tea & tonics
Matcha, green and herbal tea, plus warm turmeric and ginger tonics for the cold half of the year.
Smoothies
The workhorse of the menu — whole fruit and greens, blended to a delicious dose that actually makes a difference.
Açaí & grain bowls
Berry bowls and savory grain bowls — the closest thing to a meal, and the item most likely to make someone stay.
Recovery shakes
Pea and hemp protein with tart cherry and carbohydrate, perfect to maximize the benefits of your workouts or therapy sessions.
Kombucha & ferments
On tap where we can, local where we can. Water kefir for anyone avoiding caffeine entirely.
Where the money goes
Raise a cup to support The Transcend Project's mission.
Every purchase you make at Monarch café helps pay for someone's therapy and your server's paycheck.
See how the fee scale worksThe vocational program
A Community Rehabilitation Program with a real payroll.
Most vocational training for people with disabilities ends at simulation — a mock register, a practice kitchen. Ours ends at a paycheck, a reference, and a résumé line that stands on its own.
50%+
staff with disabilities
Projected DVR participants and employees in real, paid transitional employment.
$360K
vocational impact at scale
Projected annual value of the program at full operation
1
of its kind in the region
The only rehab-integrated café program in northern Colorado
STEP 01
Referral
A counselor at Colorado DVR or a transition coordinator at Poudre School District refers a candidate. Our own OT and rehab patients can be referred internally.
STEP 02
Paid work, with coaching
Hired and paid from day one, working real shifts alongside a professional manager and volunteers. A job coach is on the floor, not in an office.
STEP 03
Nutrition literacy, not just a register
Food handling, point-of-sale, opening and closing — plus the ingredients themselves. Every trainee learns why turmeric needs fat and can explain the board to a customer. That is a skill a chain café does not teach.
STEP 04
Onward placement
Positions are transitional on purpose. The goal is competitive employment in the community, with our reference behind it — and the seat opens for the next person.
Partnerships
Who this is built with.
A Community Rehabilitation Program only works if the referral pipeline and the funding sit with the agencies that already serve these clients. We are building the café inside that system, not beside it — the partnerships below are all in development, not yet signed.
Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Community Rehabilitation Program partnership in development. Would have DVR counselors refer participants and fund supported employment services.
Poudre School District
Partnership in development for transition services for students aging out of school-based programs — a first paid job while the support structure is still in place.
City of Fort Collins ARO
Partnership in development with Adaptive Recreation Opportunities — shared community, shared participants, and a natural pipeline in both directions.
Get involved
Work here. Volunteer here. Fund a seat.
The café runs on a professional manager, a volunteer bench, and the people we hire through the program. We need all three before we can open the door.
Volunteer a shift
Pull espresso, build bowls, bus tables, and work next to the people the program serves. No experience needed — we train.
Email us to volunteerRefer a candidate
For DVR counselors, PSD transition staff, and case managers: tell us about someone who is ready for a first paid job.
Start a referralFund a training block
Wages, job coaching, and equipment for a participant's first months on the floor — the part no sale covers yet.
DonateA note while we're still building
The café is not open yet.
The space is designed, the program model is written, and the partnership conversations with DVR and Poudre School District are underway. The menu is being finalized with our clinical team. Opening depends on build-out and the first year of funding.
Email us and we will tell you the week we start serving.