Desert Sun Coffee Roasters selected for 2026 Elevate AI program

Desert Sun Coffee Roasters is one of the community partners selected for the 2026 Elevate AI program. Through the project, owner Zach Ray will work with the AI Institute to explore how AI can support stronger financial decision-making for small businesses in the region.  

The project centers on building a practical financial analysis toolkit that helps small business owners better understand margins, pricing, and profitability using tools that are accessible and realistic for day-to-day operations. It is also designed with broader community benefit in mind, with the goal of creating an approach that can be adapted for other small businesses across the Four Corners.

Ray said his interest in the program grew out of the AI Institute’s free AI community workshops led by Tom Miaskiewicz and a desire to better understand what AI could make possible for his business.  

“I had been pretty inspired through a few of the classes that Tom’s been teaching and wanted to dig my heels in a little bit,” he said. “Tom really opened the door enough to show me that there’s possibilities I haven’t yet imagined that I can begin to create.”

As Ray began experimenting with AI, he saw potential not only for Desert Sun Coffee Roasters, but for other businesses in the community as well.  

“I started building tools to help me understand my margin and how I can be priced right,” he said. “Looking at what the tools could do for me and my business, I started to think how could I continue to help other businesses in our community leverage the tools so that we can have a competitive advantage on larger corporations.”

That bigger-picture focus is a strong fit for Elevate AI, which aims to positively impact the Durango community through the thoughtful application of AI. Desert Sun’sproject focuses on a practical, maintainable financial toolkit built around tools small businesses already use with an emphasis on accessible, non-technical solutions that do not require ongoing developer support or in-house SaaS maintenance.

For Ray, the potential impact reaches beyond one company.  

“I have a vision for how it might help other businesses,” he said. “If I could get some actual help and some structure, we could truly be able to provide the community of Durango some tools that could help businesses have a better chance, at least, at succeeding.”  

He also pointed to the role small businesses play in shaping the local economy.  

“One thing that’s great about Durango is our proliferation of small businesses,” said Ray. “We know that small businesses put more money into the economy, they typically pay better wages than most, and they typically have better working culture, and I think it's something that we love about Durango and want to keep seeing in Durango, and it's why I applied for Elevate AI funding.”

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