Laid-Off Brewer Creates Denver’s Newest Underground Cookie Company

Similar to other restaurant workers and bartenders across the nation, Colorado brewer Jordan Bettmann lost his job due to COVID-19 related closures. Having grown up in South Dakota and previously calling Minneapolis home, Bettmann and his partner chose to make the move to Colorado for a change of scenery and the growing brewing scene.

With so much time off and the need to replace his creative outlet, Bettmann started Underground Cookie Company out of his home. Having been an established brewer for five years, he was accustomed to creating and mixing different flavor combinations. Being able to incorporate this same technique into baking, Bettmann took on a new hobby that wildly turned into his new business venture.

Bettmann started out small, simply baking cookies for his friends. He took notice of how this creative outlet was helping him cope with temporarily being out of work. Rather than creating traditional cookie-cutter flavor profiles and shapes, Bettmann wanted his cookies to be a reflection of himself. Known all his life as a rebel by nature, he had an edgy vision for his cookie company — hence settling on the Underground Cookie Company name.

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Redefining what those classic cookies looked like, he created big and fluffy rounds with comforting old-world flavors like oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, dark chocolate with cherries and oatmeal white chocolate with blackberries. Each week, the website reflects select flavors offered with staples and new rotations.

Since this is a newer business, the menu doesn’t offer any gluten-free or dairy-free options. Bettmann is working on using as many organic and local ingredients as possible while taking his time to perfect the batter.

“I don’t want to make just a simple sugar cookie, not to say that those are bad, but I want to continue to push the boundaries,” Bettmann said.

So far, Bettmann is solely baking out of his home and delivering on his own with the hopes of continued growth. “Right now, I’m just trying to have a good time. The cookies are my sole focus,” Bettmann said.

The now — not so underground cookie company —  can be ordered online with both delivery and pickup options while utilizing Instagram to showcase his cookies and spread the word.