photocredit: ebay.co.uk
BY: RACHEL SMITH
It’s no secret that nautical terms are used frequently in and around Clear Lake. To ‘Drop your Anchor’ is a common term used in boating. When a boat comes into shore, or wishes to remain in one area while on the water, you would drop your anchor into the water, securing yourself to a designated area.
It seems fitting, then, that we recognize these two incredible business who have dropped their anchor here, but then spread their wings and launched their product into other markets.
Brad and Angie Barber had always dreamed of creating roots in the Clear Lake community, and did just that in 2002 when they opened the first Cabin Coffee Company. The concept, derived on a drive home from Des Moines after getting coffee and bagels, was a place where folks could get a high-quality cup of coffee in a warm and inviting atmosphere.
And boy, have they done just that. As you enter Cabin Coffee, located on the corner of S. 3rd Street and Main, you step into a realm of comfort. A place full of warm smiles and friendly service that cocoons you in a cloud of delicious sights and smells. A place to grab a cup of coffee while you chat with friends, or meet for a delightful lunch. Modeled after a log cabin in the West, it’s a place where you can go to ‘Just Be Happy… And Have Fun.’
In fact, that’s their motto!
But what is really remarkable about their story, is that while they are firmly anchored in Clear Lake, you can find Cabin Coffee stores in 5 other states! Other than Iowa, they currently have 16 locations in total throughout Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota & Wisconsin. Recently, Cabin Coffee built a roasting house to handle their large demand. And while they roast the majority of their supply for franchises there, each location roasts their own single origin and blends on site, giving each customer the ultimate coffee flavor.
Offering only the freshest of ingredients, Cabin Coffee is the perfect place to treat yourself at the Lake!
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Bob Rolling has always enjoyed a good beer. So much, in fact, that he began tinkering with brewing his own beer, giving it to friends and family to try. Soon, his hobby turned into a business idea and thus came the formulation of Lake Time Brewery.
Located on the corner of Main & 8th Street, Lake Time opened their doors in June of 2013. Bob and his wife, Suzy, decided they wanted their name to really reflect the lake lifestyle. Lake Time Brewery is more than great beer… it’s a State of Mind. There are no rules, no time constraints. Eat when you are hungry. Sleep when you are tired. Fish, sim, read a great book. It’s about family. Friends. Making memories of a lifetime. That’s what Lake Time means.
It wasn’t long before Lake Time garnered a devoted following of craft beer enthusiasts. In fact, they’d simply fulfilled their motto of “Creating Beer Snobs… One Beer at a Time!” But with this expanded need to supply beer to more and more people posed to be difficult, and Bob soon found he could not keep up with the demand.
In order to give the people what they wanted (more beer), Lake Time expanded into a new production facility and hired Brandon Nelson, a professional brewer from Spokane, Washington. In the spring of 2018, a canning line was added to the facility, make great craft beer available whenever you’d like.
Currently available in 23 counties in the Northeast portion of Iowa and 6 counties in and around the Des Moines area, lovers of Bob’s famous brews can grab a six-pack to enjoy at home. Or, for those dining around North Iowa, many local eateries carry the Lake Time beer on tap.
Lake Time Brewery is a fabulous business anchored in Clear Lake, but forging full-steam ahead into the business frontier!