The reinvigoration of one of Covington’s landmark buildings is more than a story about bricks and mortar—it’s about community, connection, and fresh beginnings. As SparkHaus opens its doors as Northern Kentucky’s new home for entrepreneurs, it also marks the relaunch of a Covington-born creation: Starter Coffee.
Braxton Brewing Co. launched Starter Coffee in 2015 for entrepreneurs using their flagship Covington taproom as a coworking space. As Braxton grew into one of the top craft breweries in the region, Starter eventually took a backseat to other priorities. But as plans for SparkHaus took shape, so too did a vision for its revival.
Ultimately, Braxton donated the rights for Starter Coffee to Blue North, the catalyst and operator of SparkHaus.
“When Starter Coffee was first created, the idea was to offer something distinctive within the Braxton taproom that fueled the entrepreneurs building companies in our community,” said Dave Knox, Executive Director of Blue North. “That same mission is at the core of SparkHaus today. We’ve designed a space where Northern Kentucky entrepreneurs not only have flexible offices to meet their evolving needs, but also a community where ideas can be shared, refined, and grown into the region’s next success stories.”
“Seeing Starter Coffee revived at SparkHaus, with a mission to inspire and support the next generation of entrepreneurs, feels like the perfect continuation of that story,” said Jake Rouse, CEO of Braxton Brewing Co. “It’s exciting to watch Starter once again serve as a spark for big ideas in Covington.”
Starter Coffee will be available for free to all SparkHaus members and for purchase at Better Blend’s public-facing, ground-floor location. The long-term goal is to grow the brand so that a portion of sales can support Northern Kentucky entrepreneurs through Blue North’s Entrepreneurship Fund.
Starter has been reimagined with redesigned branding from Neltner Small Batch to reflect the energy and vision of SparkHaus. The coffee’s new branding now features the “Spirit of Progress,” whose iconography also appears on the building’s historic facade and throughout SparkHaus. Roasted locally by Mom ‘n ‘Em Coffee & Wine, Starter embodies the daily fuel for entrepreneurs, creators and community members who gather inside SparkHaus.
Its brand motto captures that spirit: “We rise in the morning to greet the sun, ready to build, to invent, to improve, to flip the switch on something better.”
“When Dave Knox of Blue North approached me about reviving Starter, but this time with a larger entrepreneurial purpose, I was excited to craft a fresh evolution of the brand mark,” said Keith Neltner, founder of Neltner Small Batch. “SparkHaus became the perfect launchpad. Now Starter fuels the hustle, the hang and the rise.”
Located at 727 Madison Avenue, SparkHaus is the product of a partnership between Kenton County, the Northern Kentucky Port Authority, and Blue North. SparkHaus serves as a one-stop shop for Northern Kentucky’s entrepreneurs, offering the resources needed to launch the next generation of community-changing companies. It is the largest dedicated entrepreneurial hub in the Commonwealth.
Kenton County Government