Coffee
Who Roasts Our Coffee? Perks, and Why That Matters at 5am
18 September 2026 · 5 min read
We pour Perks at Ogden and St. George — a coffee roaster out of Southern Utah — ground fresh and brewed through the morning at $2.50. This is the page for anyone who has ever wondered whether the coffee at a donut shop was chosen or just ordered.
The short version
- Ogden — 554 Washington Blvd. Perks coffee, plus The Soda Run counter. (385) 865-1029
- St. George — 922 E Brigham Rd. Perks coffee. (435) 628-9290
- Spanish Fork — 1306 E Center St. No coffee program at this location yet. (801) 416-0800
We would rather say that plainly than let you drive to Spanish Fork expecting a cup. If coffee is the reason you are coming, Ogden and St. George are the two.
Who Perks actually are
Perks is a Southern Utah coffee company that roasts its own beans rather than reselling someone else's. What they publish about how they work is the reason we buy from them:
- Specialty Grade Arabica only. That is a graded standard, not a marketing word — it sets a ceiling on defects per sample.
- They cup before they commit. Each coffee gets roasted several ways and tasted before a version goes on the shelf.
- Sourcing they will describe. Organic where it is available, Fair Trade Certified, Rainforest Alliance and Bird Friendly lots, and coffee from women producers through partners in the Congo.
- Blends with actual character. Their line runs from a full-bodied French Roast to a medium-roasted Central American called Corazon.
- A local record. Voted Best of Southern Utah seven years running, and a Best of State winner.
They run cafes and drive-throughs of their own across Southern Utah, including one in Springdale at the mouth of Zion. So this is not a label — it is a company with its own counters, whose coffee we happen to pour alongside donuts.
Why we did not just buy the cheap stuff
Here is the honest economics. A donut shop can buy commodity coffee, brew it in bulk, hold it on a warmer and sell it for two dollars, and a good number of people will buy it because it is there and it is hot. It is the easiest margin in the building.
The problem is what it does to the rest of the order. Someone who takes one sip of stale coffee at 5:40am does not think "bad coffee." They think "that place was fine." And fine is not what gets you back on a Saturday with four kids in the car.
The donut is made that morning, by hand, in the dark. Putting yesterday's coffee next to it undoes the part of the job that is actually hard. So the coffee gets ground fresh, brewed through the morning rather than held all day, and bought from someone who cups their own lots. It costs more. It is the correct decision anyway.
What to have with it
Short guide, longer one in what coffee goes with which donut:
- Old fashioned — the pairing the whole category was built around. The crisp edges and the slight tang have something to push against.
- Buttermilk bar — same idea, more surface area. What a buttermilk bar is.
- Persian — if you are sitting down rather than driving. What a Persian is.
- A large savoury kolache — the one order that is a genuine breakfast rather than a sweet start. What a kolache is.
And at Ogden, if coffee is not your morning, the other counter is right there — The Soda Run is pouring dirty soda from the same early hour.
The things we are still working out
We would rather tell you what we do not have on this page yet than pad it. We are not listing which specific Perks blend each shop is pouring, or the equipment behind the counter, because those should come from the shops rather than from a website — and when we have it confirmed, it goes here.
What is confirmed: Perks, ground fresh, $2.50, from 5:00am Monday through Saturday at Ogden and St. George.
The full list of what we make and what it costs is on the menu, and every item has its own entry in the Utah Donut Index.
Common questions
What coffee does The Donut Run serve?
Perks, a coffee roaster based in Southern Utah. We grind it fresh and brew it through the morning. It is $2.50 a cup at the Ogden and St. George shops.
Does The Donut Run in Spanish Fork have coffee?
Not yet. Spanish Fork does not have the coffee program — Ogden and St. George do. Spanish Fork is the shop with The Soda Run counter next door.
Who is Perks coffee?
A Southern Utah coffee company that roasts its own beans. Their roastery publishes that they buy Specialty Grade Arabica, test each coffee by cupping before it goes on, and prioritise organic and ethically sourced lots. They have been voted Best of Southern Utah seven years running and have taken a Best of State award.
How much is a coffee at The Donut Run?
$2.50 for fresh ground coffee. A donut alongside it starts at $1.75 for a traditional and $2.75 for a specialty.
What time can I get coffee?
From 5:00am, Monday through Saturday, at Ogden and St. George. The coffee is on before most places in either town have unlocked the door.
Why does a donut shop care which roaster it uses?
Because the coffee is half the order. Most donut shops treat coffee as a thing they have to have rather than a thing they chose, and it tastes like it. Buying from a roaster that cups its own lots costs more per cup and is the difference between a drink you finish and one you leave in the cupholder.