Faith, Purpose, and the Calling to Do Things Differently
Before I share anything personal, I want to begin with gratitude.
To every customer who has trusted Xtrema in their home, to every family who has chosen pure ceramic cookware for their table, and to everyone who has supported this mission over the years, thank you. You are the reason this company exists. You are the reason we have continued forward through seasons of growth, challenge, and perseverance.
Xtrema was built on a simple but powerful belief. What we bring into our homes matters. How we cook matters. Health matters. And people always matter more than profit. Every pan we have ever made and every decision we have ever taken has been guided by that conviction.
This community has allowed us to pursue a dream that goes far beyond cookware. It has allowed us to stand for truth, even when it was not the easy path. For that, I am deeply grateful.
It is from that place of gratitude and honesty that I want to share a bit of my personal journey.
For much of my adult life, I have been fighting a battle that most people never saw.
About ten years ago, I was formally diagnosed with Lyme disease, though I now know I had been living with it long before that diagnosis. Like many chronic illnesses, it did not arrive with clean lines or easy answers. It unfolded slowly and persistently, shaping my energy, my health, and my limits over time.
I continued forward anyway.
Building a company while carrying chronic illness is not something you plan for. There were seasons of strength and clarity, and others marked by exhaustion, pain, and deep uncertainty. Through it all, my family carried more than their share, and my faith was refined. It became less about outcomes and more about trust. Less about control and more about perseverance. Learning how to find joy, meaning, and purpose even in the middle of struggle has been one of the great lessons of my life.
In 2007, alongside my twin brother, I set out on a dream that would become Xtrema Pure Ceramic Cookware. Long before clean eating and non toxic living became mainstream conversations, we were asking a simple but important question. If food ingredients matter, what about what our food is cooked on?
That question was deeply personal for me.
When you are dealing with illness, you become more aware of what enters your body and how it affects you. You begin reading labels. You begin asking better questions. Over time, I realized that purity does not stop with ingredients. Cookware matters too.
That conviction led us down a difficult but uncompromising path. We committed to creating cookware made from one hundred percent pure ceramic, with no coatings, no metals, and no shortcuts. It meant choosing the harder road. It meant standing firm in an industry where definitions are often blurred and compromises are common. But we believed then, and we believe now, that truth matters when health is involved.
Xtrema has never been venture backed. We built this company the hard way. It was self funded, decision by decision and year by year. There were real highs and meaningful wins. There were also lows, tight seasons, and years like 2025 that tested our resolve in very real ways. Through it all, Xtrema still stands.
Not because the road was easy, but because the mission was worth it.
Over time, I have had to come to terms with the reality that my health requires a different pace and a different posture. After much prayer and many conversations with my family, I have decided to step back from day to day leadership at Xtrema.
This is not walking away. It is stewardship.
The dream was never about me alone. It was about changing the way people cook, one kitchen at a time, by offering a truly non toxic option rooted in integrity. That calling is very much alive and is being carried forward by a committed team who believes deeply in why this company exists.
I would be remiss if I did not honor my wife, Debbie. She has walked this road with me every step of the way. She has carried burdens no one should have to carry and has done so with grace, strength, and unwavering love. I would not be here without her. Our family has been my greatest earthly gift, and I am deeply grateful for the way they have stood beside me through both joy and hardship.
If there is one reason I am sharing this now, it is to pour into others who are fighting chronic illness or unseen battles of their own. I know how isolating it can feel. I know how easy it is to lose hope. If this message reaches even one person who feels alone, then sharing it is worth it. Your life has value. Your story has meaning. And your struggle does not disqualify you from purpose.
One of the hardest parts of living with chronic illness is feeling unseen or misunderstood. Many people spend years searching for answers, navigating uncertainty, or being told that what they are experiencing does not quite fit into a diagnosis. If that has been your experience, I want you to know that your pain is real, your persistence matters, and your journey has meaning even when clarity is slow to come.
My faith in Jesus Christ has been my solid rock through every season. He has carried me when I could not carry myself. That faith is the foundation of my life and the foundation of this company. It is why we put people and customers first. It is why we do things differently. It is why we refuse to compromise truth for convenience
We are called to love people. At Xtrema, we do that in a very practical way through ceramic cookware. We believe health matters. Truth matters. And people will always matter more than profit.
With faith, humility, and hope, I look forward to the next chapter and remain confident that when we love people well and stand on truth, the impact reaches far beyond any single product.
With gratitude,
Rich Bergstrom
Founder, Xtrema Cookware
