In our frenetic world there is a cacophony of information, messages, data, images, media, and voices bombarding us all at once. We're regularly told "do this," "buy this," "wear this," and so on. We usually deploy some kind of filtering system to wade through the noise so we can breathe easily. Interestingly, companies are the same. What we long for, personally or as a business is this, simplicity.
Maybe as one who exclusively rode a singlespeed mountain bike for ten years it would seem that simplicity is part of the terrain. Possibly, but what many of us long for is a simplicity of lifestyle. We don't want to be encumbered with too much ... too many distractions, too many things on our plate, or too many things to juggle in life. We long to simply stop juggling. To let that which is unimportant to hit the floor with a light thud while we cling to the one or two things that are essential.
As Loam Coffee has moved into our sophomore year as a company it means we're slowly leaving our freshman year behind. No more freshman awkwardness or swirlies in the toilet from the upper classmen. Instead, we're learning our own cadence, how we function, and how we move. Odd confession.
Many of the day-to-day decisions really get to the core of our value system. This notion of simplicity acts as a rudder as we push farther out from shore. In this past year we've received more emails than one can imagine about great opportunities, sponsorship opportunities, ideas for new products, and so many more. Each time a decision arises we place our hand firmly on the rudder of simplicity and keep our course steady. While so many things would be cool, whether our own sock line or this or that, at the end of the day one of the most liberating words now in our collective vocabulary is simply "no."
We strive to be simple. Stick to the basic message ... coffee + bikes = awesomeness. We try and share ideas, whether brew methods and such, that are all about simplicity. Nothing fancy, no hoopla, no hype, but being about promoting mountain biking through coffee, stories, and stoke. Sure, we now have a small collection of swag that anyone can buy. But even that, we go through a company where the goods (hat or tee) are not made until they are purchased. We don't carry anything in stock and we even have to buy our own trucker hat if we want one (at the same price that you do). But for us we're simply a coffee company. That doesn't mean over time we won't expand and branch out into other things, but as long as our rudder of simplicity is guiding us we do so with confidence and enthusiasm.
Thank you all for your support of Loam Coffee. We have the best fanbase anyone could ask for.
Photo credit: Robin Munshaw. Rider: Loam Coffee Ambassador Cooper Quinn