Circadian Coffee Co. Opens El Jebel Drive-Thru After Three-Year Wait

“Something’s been brewing in El Jebel.”

That’s how the Aspen Times started the story, and honestly, it’s the only way to open it. After years of permits, concrete pouring, and the kind of bureaucratic friction that makes you question your life choices, Circadian Coffee Co. soft-launched on Friday. They’re offering blended drinks, lattes with homemade syrups, and a local food menu. But the real story isn’t the coffee. It’s the drive-thru.

Founder Heather Short didn’t just want to sell caffeine; she wanted to sell time.

“It was a big question, but for me the answer was always clear,” Short said. “My vision has always centered around a drive-thru coffee concept — one that reflects the pace of modern life while still creating a welcoming, community-focused experience.”

Picture this: you’re stuck in the morning rush on Highway 6, window down, radio up, kids in the backseat arguing over who gets the window seat. You don’t want to park, walk in, wait in line, walk out, and find your spot. You want to roll down the window, hand over a card, and keep moving. That’s the gap Short claims the mid-valley has been missing.

She’s been planning this since 2021. Back then, she was operating out of a shared space with another restaurant. Her landlords, the Crawfords, asked her what she actually saw for the future. She told them she saw a drive-thru. They didn’t laugh. They helped.

Short’s obsession with the drive-thru format isn’t theoretical. She grew up in Washington state, where drive-thru coffee was a daily staple. She worked at one early in her career and spent her college years in the trenches of Dutch Bros Coffee while getting her business degree. She learned that efficiency doesn’t have to mean soulless service. It can mean strong community relationships. It means knowing your regulars by name, even if you only see them for thirty seconds.

Now, she’s a parent. Her husband, Keith Gabel, is a Paralympic snowboarder who trained out of the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club. They’re busy. They’re always on the go.

“We’re parents, we’re always on the go, we need convenience,” Short said. “There’s a lack of that in this valley.”

And that matters because convenience is a luxury in the Valley. We’re used to parking our trucks, walking into a shop, and hoping there’s room. We’re used to the social friction of the line. Short is betting that locals are ready to trade that friction for speed.

The journey to get here took roughly three years. Short and her team navigated permitting, meetings, inspections, landscaping, and the endless cycle of pouring concrete. It’s not just about flipping a switch; it’s about building infrastructure that supports a specific kind of lifestyle.

The starter menu includes hot, iced, and blended caffeinated drinks, plus non-caffeinated options like smoothie bombs, juice, and hot chocolate. Pastries are included, though the source cuts off there. But the focus is clearly on the model: a quality mid-valley operation built around community, connection, and convenience.

Short says the result is exactly what they hoped for. “It has been incredibly rewarding to work alongside the Crawfords to create something that honors the needs of busy people while maintaining a commitment to exceptional products, meaningful service and local partnerships.”

It’s a gamble. Drive-thrus change the character of a town. They bring noise, they bring traffic, they bring a different kind of footfall — or rather, hooffall, or wheelfall. But for the Short family, and for the neighbors who value their time, it’s a calculated move.

The sun is already high over El Jebel. The line is forming. Not in the shop, but in the lane.