Paradise • When the towering American flag above a Logan coffee shop’s roastery in Paradise comes into view from the road, passing drivers often honk.
The large, billowing banner had become such a familiar landmark that Mindie Buttars and her husband, Jamie — co-owners of Cache Coffee and More — would tell people, “just look for the flag,” when visiting their home adjacent to the roastery.
But last weekend, the flag was left barely clinging to the wire that normally suspends it above the roastery’s roof. A massive tree had crashed onto the building, causing thousands of dollars in damage, they said.
“It’s pretty neat to see that it didn’t end up like a mess on the ground somewhere,” Mindie said of the flag, which was found barely touching the ground on Dec. 6.
After the Buttars posted about the damage on social media, Jamie said the community quickly came out to help, clearing away the large tree and putting up a temporary wall to block off the damaged section of the building.
“We weren’t sure what the next few weeks would look like. But our community didn’t wait for answers. People showed up with tools, strength, and heart — the kind of help you can’t buy,“ the Buttars wrote on Facebook. “The kind that only comes from a place that still believes in showing up for each other.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mindie Buttars at Cache Coffee and More in Logan on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.
Other businesses have stepped in to help. Utah Dirty Dogs, a Logan shop selling New York–style hot dogs, is hosting a fundraiser at Cache Coffee on Sunday to support the Buttars’ repairs, the shop announced on Facebook.
Jamie said the support has been “amazing,” especially after the couple learned their homeowners insurance claim had been denied.
“[They] immediately told me they were denying the claim because our roaster is stored there ... and our business insurance needs to cover it,” said Mindie in a video on Facebook explaining the denied claim. “Our business insurance isn’t going to cover it because that’s not our business, that’s our home.”
The couple uses the space to roast coffee, but it also serves as extra storage for items like lawnmowers and home maintenance supplies, Mindie said. The roaster was not damaged, she added, only the structure.
Despite the setback, the couple is pressing ahead with repairs. For now, they have enough coffee to keep the store running, Mindie said, but it won’t last forever.
More than just a coffee shop
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Wall decorations and a safe meant to securely hold the weapons of people in distress, at Cache Coffee and More in Logan on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.
The Buttars have been in the coffee business for seven years, initially distributing veteran-founded Black Rifle Coffee before launching their own brand and blends.
Cache Coffee doesn’t just sell coffee; the shop also serves as a miniature museum of military history. The walls are covered in artifacts brought in by veterans and military enthusiasts, each with a story behind it, Mindie said.
“We have stuff coming in and out constantly,” she said. “A lot of the veterans that bring this stuff in tell us that they’d much rather it be somewhere where it gets appreciated by people than collecting dust in their attics or basements.”
Mindie carefully held up a flag taken from a Japanese soldier during World War II, a piece of history brought in by a Marine whose grandfather had captured it during the war.
Around the shop, Mindie said visitors can see other wartime remnants like sand from Belleau Wood in France, where American Marines endured heavy losses during World War I; volcanic ash from Iwo Jima, the Pacific island where U.S. forces fought one of the deadliest battles of World War II; and sand from the beaches of Normandy, where Allied troops stormed the shore on D-Day to begin liberating Nazi-occupied France.
Visitors can also find an almost-complete 1954 chemical test kit, one of the first designed to detect nerve agents, Mindie said. Nearby, a Mark V Navy dive helmet, once used by naval divers to explore underwater and complete ship or harbor work, has been repurposed into a lamp.
A helping hand for those in crisis
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) A safe meant to securely hold the weapons of people in distress, at Cache Coffee and More in Logan on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.
The Buttars’ shop also serves as a secure place where people facing a mental health crisis can safely store their firearms or other weapons.
The couple started the program a few years ago after one of their friends, a veteran, died by suicide, Mindie said.
“We ended up being the ones that found him,” she recounted while holding back tears, adding that she and her husband lost another friend who was a Marine shortly after.
Mindie said the couple’s program is available to everyone but has been used the most by veterans. They have two safes in the shop, she said, but they are quickly outgrowing them.
“It’s a big responsibility, because we have to make ourselves available all hours of the day,” she said. “Most people don’t choose to do this in the middle of the day ... so there’s many times where Jamie has gotten up out of bed in the middle of the night to come down and open the safe up for somebody, but you can’t mess around with it.”
The couple said they aren’t used to being on the receiving end of generosity, as they are usually the ones giving. On Thanksgiving, they served 70 turkeys to those in need, and they still plan to host a free Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve at their coffee shop, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., they said.
Mindie said the community’s response has been overwhelming.
“A horrible situation has turned into something so beautiful,” she said. “There’s way too many people that depend on us. If we end up having to close our doors because of this, it’s a whole lot of people — that scares me to think what might happen.”