Less than six months after opening their new taproom, the team at Raíces had to shut the space down due to COVID-19 precautions. They were closed for two and a half months. They were able to open back up in the summer of 2020, only to have to close later in the year, again because of COVID-19.

In January of this year, Raíces was allowed to operate at 25% capacity. Maldonado Vega says that while the 25% limit was better than having no in-person service at all, it still was “not necessarily enough to cover [their] expenses,” which included safety precautions such as masks, sanitizers, thermometers, and even a disinfecting fog that they sprayed around the inside of the taproom.

In the spring and early summer, Raíces led and was a part of several efforts to vaccinate more Coloradans to get back to full capacity. It also hosted several vaccine clinics and has reopened. 

Raíces also offers pickup and delivery orders here.

Raíces has also proven to be a reliable place where other Latino-owned businesses like food trucks can set up shop.

“Raíces is always a great place to support local and small businesses. Especially in this time of coronavirus,” said Monica Josephson, co-founder of Duendes Tejidos, a company that sells handmade knits and jewelry.

One of the brewing company’s goals, according to its website, is to “provide a pipeline of underrepresented groups into the craft beer industry making it more accessible through our internship programs, and diversifying the demographics of the industry.”

Maldonado Vega has been happy to have more in-person customers because of the events and programming at Raíces—like the Suave Fest, which highlights Latino-owned breweries in Colorado—is a large part of their community outreach.

Every weekend, Raíces hosts sábados culturales where different artists and artisans can show off their work. More information is available on their events page.

“Every time that you come over here,” Maldonado Vega explains, “it’s just a new thing.”