A Summer Reset at Cairn Coffee Roasters

This summer has been a season of reflection for me. Turning sixty brought a mix of gratitude, curiosity, and a simple question I couldn’t shake: what happened to my energy? To help make sense of it, I picked up Arthur Brooks’ From Strength to Strength, a book about navigating life’s transitions with purpose rather than pressure. It gave language to things I’d been feeling for a while.

Re‑aligning Life and Work

As those ideas settled in, Leah and I found ourselves talking more about the next decade — not just for the business, but for our life together. We want more time with our family. More time outdoors. More time serving in our church and community. And we realized that the way we were running the business wasn’t giving us the margin to do those things well.

Over many mornings and evenings, one theme kept rising to the surface: we had been prioritizing the business over other, more important parts of life. That’s not the balance we want anymore.

A Needed Pause

Earlier this month, I took a much‑needed break to fish and hike in Montana — a chance to slow down, clear my head, and pay attention to the things I’d been pushing aside. Meanwhile, Leah stayed home to care for family needs, which is its own kind of demanding work and a big part of why we’re making these changes. That contrast — one of us on the river, one of us carrying responsibilities at home — made it clear that our pace wasn’t sustainable.

Somewhere between the quiet of the trail and the conversations we shared from different sides of the country, we realized we needed to simplify. We decided to scale back some of our more aggressive growth plans and return our focus to the craft of roasting great coffee — the part of this work that brings us joy, steadiness, and connection. Leah will be taking her own period of rest soon, and we want our business to make space for that, too.

With that clarity, we began talking about what Cairn should look like going forward — not bigger, not busier, but healthier and more aligned with the life we want to live.

What This Means Going Forward

You’ll see fewer social media posts from us. We’ll still communicate important updates, special offers, and holiday hours, but we won’t be chasing the constant content cycle. We’re okay with that, and we hope you are too.

We’ll continue to be responsive through the channels that matter — our company phone, email, blog, and these regular customer emails. And you may see us close the shop occasionally for rest, especially around major holidays. We’ll always give plenty of notice.

Choosing a Steadier Pace

The journey so far has been fun, meaningful, and sometimes more stressful than it needed to be. Stepping back a bit allows us to give more time to our family, our friends, and our community — and ultimately to roast better coffee with clearer minds and fuller hearts.

We’re grateful you’re part of this with us. Thank you for supporting Cairn Coffee Roasters as we choose a steadier, healthier pace and continue to focus on the craft we love.