Olympians going for startup gold

• Company: Silver Bean Coffee Co.
• Olympic achievement: Silver medal in women's moguls skiing, 2002; bronze medal, 2010

For someone who spent her life on the ski slopes, Shannon Bahrke sure doesn't like the snow. "I hate cold weather," the silver medalist said. "I hate it, I hate it, I hate it."

Maybe that's why she created a business around coffee. "After skiing, I really love to go to the coffee shop and get a coffee or hot cocoa and warm up," the mogul skier said. The love for a cup of joe, as well as a passion for interacting with people, led her and her husband, Mark Bahrke, to start Silver Bean Coffee Company in 2008.

The couple self-funded the Salt Lake City-based business and started by selling blends wholesale. In November 2011, they opened the first coffee shop. They added a second location in Park City, Utah, this year and are in the process of setting up two more.

Though she retired from skiing in 2010, Bahrke keeps athletics in her business. Silver Bean Coffee, a nod to her Olympic medal, donates a portion of its sales to members of the U.S. ski team, who may find it difficult to keep up with the sport's costs.

The couple handles nearly every aspect of her business, from filling orders to taking care of the books. Sometimes, Bahrke is even behind the counter. "I think people recognize that I'm not just the face of the company," she said. "I'm really there to provide all that stuff to them."

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