Valley Coffeehouse Brews Up Community Connection
Valley Coffeehouse
brews up community connection
Colburn, who works as an agricultural industry specialist with Foothills Bank and currently serves on several boards, including the Arizona Agricultural Education / FFA Foundation, a youth organization that prepares members for leadership and careers in agriculture, education, and medicine, remembers the exact moment he heard the idea.
“I laughed. ‘A coffee shop? I don’t even drink coffee!’ ” he recalls. But something about the idea lingered. “Neither of us knew anything about coffee. But we love community and understand how to create that space.”
After some convincing, Colburn agreed to the idea on one condition: His friend Adam Holliefield (BS Supply Chain Management ’19), who has worked in the specialty coffee industry for nearly 10 years, had to be involved. In December 2024, just one year after their first planning meeting, Colburn, Holliefield, and Antelman opened Hooligans.
Juggling full-time jobs while launching Hooligans was no small feat for its three founders; balancing work, family, friends, and health proved challenging. However, by sharing business responsibilities, hiring great employees, and delegating leadership duties to a trusted managerial team, Colburn, Holliefield, and Antelman have found a rhythm that allows them to maintain balance.
“For us, it isn’t the monetary reward but the satisfaction of our work and the impact we’re creating that motivates us,” says Holliefield. “But it doesn’t have to be all-consuming: You can find a happy balance.”
Inspired by the journey, Colburn hopes Hooligans encourages other dreamers to see that with passion and balance, you can build something meaningful.
“You can be a top performer at your job, start something on the side, and succeed,” he says. “It sounds cheesy, but I hope our story motivates someone who has always wanted to take that leap.”
Before founding Hooligans and becoming the director of coffee and supply chain at Merit Coffee, Holliefield worked for various organizations in coffee-related roles, and Colburn worked as a loan executive for the Valley of the Sun United Way.
Hooligans may be new to the Valley, but the company is already making an impact by purchasing some of its coffee directly from producers and roasters in Colombia, allowing Hooligans to directly fund the coffee project and farmers and increasing their profits by up to 300%.
“It’s important to us that Hooligans provides impactful opportunities for people, whether through the coffee we source or the people we employ,” says Holliefield.
While each Hooligans founder brings a unique skill set to the business, they agree that building and supporting the community is a top priority, and the coffeehouse has already hosted several community development events.
Though Colburn never envisioned himself as an entrepreneur, inspiration struck close to home: His wife, Allison, had already built a thriving business with Wylde Salon in Gilbert, Arizona. Colburn says he would never have stepped into entrepreneurship without his wife’s insights into the dedication required to build a successful organization.
“The challenging part of opening a business is that you don’t realize how much time and effort you’re pouring into it until things have calmed down,” he says.
As Hooligans grows, Antelman, Holliefield, and Colburn look forward to creating more opportunities for community building and encouraging long-term employee growth.
“People and businesses, more than anything else, have the power to change the world positively or negatively,” says Holliefield. “I want Hooligans to have a positive impact in the community for our employees and customers.”
Rooted in community, the team focuses on fostering meaningful relationships, one cup at a time. Whether you’re a local looking for a new hangout or want to follow along with their journey, you can find them on Instagram: @hooliganscoffeehouse.