Looking Back

David started Break under an entirely different name at the time. His vision was to simply create a space in his hometown where people could come and enjoy a quality coffee experience amidst their daily life. The first couple years of business were experienced through a global pandemic and holding onto that little dream became difficult. Through that time, Break received tremendous support community support as people began ordering their freshly roasted coffee online, and waited in their cars for their drinks to be served to them. It was during this time that it became clear that this coffee was for a specific type of person - a person that would go out of their way to enjoy something special each day. Whether it was coming into the cafe or simply taking time to craft their own coffee at home to enjoy within the mess of everyday life. These people wanted more than a drink, they wanted a quiet moment, a simple luxury, a break. This time in our business revealed a simple truth about the people we were serving, and it was that revelation that led to change the name of our business to Break Coffee Roasters in 2022. Everyday it serves as a reminder of why we’re doing this work of providing people with an exceptional break in their day.

Looking Forward

Today Break is proudly owner-operated by David and Emily Collins and Brandon Goldman. Together we are working to create a roastery and collection of cafes that create space for slowness amidst everyday life. From being deliberate in the sourcing of their coffee, to the lattes served in our cafes, to donating back to the global communities from which we import their coffee, every step of the process is intentionally focused on the people involved. Our company is defined by a desire to curate a sense of slowness through quality-crafted coffee. We know coffee isn’t the most important thing in the world, but often times, the moments and people surrounding it are.

We're eager for what's ahead. We hope to move our roastery to a larger facility in this next year as we continue to grow and serve more people. Hill Street Cafe will continue to be a pride and joy for us to serve our beautifully diverse community in Downtown Duluth. We look forward to seeing our partners thrive and continuing to support them however we can. We're excited to really hone in on our company values and continue to create spaces that allow people to take a break from the things we need to take breaks from.

To those who have been with us since the FCC days, and those who have recently joined us, thank you for allowing us to share our vision with you. Finding people who connect with what we do and how we do it is what drives us, and it a true joy to be building a business and community based on quality and gratitude. Coffee is nothing without people, and we are so grateful for our people.