Jeff Archipley is a man who knows what it means to fight for what matters. And for him, that means two things: long-lasting recovery and high-quality coffee. So, naturally, he founded Pink Cloud Coffee—a company that not only serves incredible coffee but also gives back to the community that helped save his life.

Raised in Okemos, Michigan, Jeff’s relentless drive and competitive spirit took root on the soccer pitch. As a two-time captain of the Big Red Men’s soccer team, he graduated from Denison University with a degree in English/Writing and later joined his family’s medical supply business, managing territories in San Francisco and Los Angeles. But beneath the success and long workdays, Jeff was fighting a battle no one could see.

Years of chronic back pain led him to painkillers—what started as an attempt to manage discomfort quickly spiraled into dependence. When the pills stopped working, he turned to alcohol to numb everything his body refused to let go of. He’d down entire bottles of wine and still feel stone-cold sober, the pain too deep, the escape too fleeting. It wasn’t just a habit—it was survival. Until it wasn’t.

By 2006, he had no choice but to face the truth: he was an addict and an alcoholic, and if he didn’t stop, he wouldn’t make it. He got sober, and for the first time, began building a life where he didn’t have to run from himself.

The Search for Something More

Newly sober and seeking healthier ways to manage pain while exploring his own mind, Jeff turned to meditation. Under the direction of Trudy Goodman, a Vipassana teacher in the Theravāda lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA, Jeff immersed himself in the practice. Trudy, who teaches meditation retreats around the world, encouraged him to go deeper—to attend a longer, silent retreat where he could truly understand “the business of being.”

It was on that very first retreat in Santa Fe that Jeff met his future wife, Johanna. For ten days, they never exchanged a single word. And yet, on day seven, Jeff wrote in his journal that he would marry her and they would have two kids. Sometimes, you just know.

The Birth of Pink Cloud Coffee

In 2019, Jeff was diagnosed with severe Rheumatoid Arthritis, finally explaining the chronic pain he had endured since age 14. The irony wasn’t lost on him—the very thing he had spent years trying to numb had a name all along. But instead of letting it define him, he let it drive him. Pink Cloud Coffee was born from this same resilience—the understanding that pain, struggle, and setbacks don’t have to be the end of the story.

As Founder & CEO, Jeff has poured his heart into Pink Cloud Coffee, turning a 1991 horse trailer into a fully customized mobile café, roasting every bean by hand, and ensuring that every purchase directly supports recovery programs, treatment centers, and people fighting to get and stay sober.

Through it all, he lives by one simple mantra: “To whom much is given, much is required.” His journey has been anything but easy, but it’s proof that with the right support, second chances aren’t just possible—they’re life-changing.