By Tyler Allen EBS Managing Editor
BIG SKY – After a successful year as Big Sky’s morning meeting place, Caliber Coffee, Inc. is set to change hands.
Opie Jahn, and his wife Annie Burd, have been advertising word-of-mouth that the business is for sale since late January, and currently have approximately 10 non-disclosure agreements out to potential buyers but no offers yet, according to Jahn.
“We built a successful business in Big Sky over the past year, but our personal lives are not where they should be,” said Jahn, who began roasting coffee in 2014, in a warehouse off of Highway 191. “When I started, I saw an opportunity in Big Sky. I took it and I was passionate about coffee.”
After selling the beans wholesale for a year-and-a-half, they opened the coffeehouse at 80 Snowy Mountain Circle in February of last year. Burd and Jahn lease the space Caliber occupies, but they’re selling the roasting and shop equipment, as well as the Caliber branding.
Burd said she’s moving back to McCall, Idaho, for the summer—the couple moved back here from McCall in October 2013—and then will probably be “avoiding the snow” after the summer is over and move to a warmer climate. Jahn is planning to move into his 4×4 Mercedes Sprinter van full-time, but remain in the Big Sky area.
“Both Annie and I have run multiple businesses in food and beverage, and it’s too much,” he said. “I’m going to go back to ski patrolling and get my commercial pilot’s license.” Jahn has worked as a ski patroller at Idaho’s Tamarack Resort, guided at Ski Arpa in Chile and was a volunteer patroller at Big Sky Resort for one season.
When asked whether either partner considered buying the other out, Jahn said, “I don’t think it would work without both of us. … I don’t think I could do it without her.”
Until they find a buyer, Caliber remains open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering hot beverages, sweet and savory treats and a meeting place for the Big Sky community.
