diff --git a/circle.yml b/circle.yml
index f246b5e61c6..f6615c72145 100644
--- a/circle.yml
+++ b/circle.yml
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@ machine:
     REPO_PATH: "${ORG_PATH}/grafana"
 
 dependencies:
+  cache_directories:
+    - "~/docker"
+  pre:
+    ./docker/buildcontainer/build_circle.sh
+
   override:
     - rm -rf ${GOPATH}/src/${REPO_PATH}
     - mkdir -p ${GOPATH}/src/${ORG_PATH}
@@ -25,4 +30,4 @@ deployment:
     branch: develop
     owner: grafana
     commands:
-      - ./docker/buildcontainer/build_circle.sh
+      - ./docker/buildcontainer/run_circle.sh
diff --git a/docker/buildcontainer/build_circle.sh b/docker/buildcontainer/build_circle.sh
index 0dfede50d9e..187825da2fb 100755
--- a/docker/buildcontainer/build_circle.sh
+++ b/docker/buildcontainer/build_circle.sh
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-docker kill gfbuild
-docker rm gfbuild
+docker info && docker version
+mkdir -p ~/docker
+
+# cache some Docker images to make builds faster
+if [[ -e ~/docker/centos.tar ]]; then
+  docker load -i ~/docker/centos.tar;
+else
+  docker build --tag "grafana/buildcontainer" docker/buildcontainer
+fi
 
-docker build --tag "grafana/buildcontainer" docker/buildcontainer
 
-docker run -i -t \
-  -v /home/ubuntu/.go_workspace:/go \
-  --name gfbuild grafana/buildcontainer
diff --git a/docker/buildcontainer/run_circle.sh b/docker/buildcontainer/run_circle.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..6881726e0b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/buildcontainer/run_circle.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+docker run -i -t \
+  -v /home/ubuntu/.go_workspace:/go \
+  --name gfbuild grafana/buildcontainer