Coffee with a Conscience: After nearly three decades in the oil and gas industry, Laurie McMichael and David Mosher built a thriving Newfoundland business on a passion for coffee and community.

When Laurie McMichael and David Mosher logged on to Zoom for this interview, the founders of Gros Morne Coffee Roasters had just come back from enjoying a rare bit of sunlight in a long snowy winter. The couple treasures these quiet outdoor moments—a sharp contrast to the 30 years they spent navigating the high-stakes logistics of the global energy sector.

For three decades, McMichael and Mosher worked as independent consultants for major energy projects world-wide. They were based in Vancouver where McMichael was born and raised; Mosher’s roots were in Newfoundland, where they’d built a part-time home in 2003.

By 2010, they decided it was time to start winding down the consulting business. “We wanted to do something that was better for the world and better for the environment,” said McMichael.

That “something” arrived serendipitously in San Francisco during one of their final energy projects. “Just down the road from where we were living in Sausalito, there was a guy who is one of the very, very best coffee roasters in the world,” said McMichael. “I took it upon myself to take classes with him.”

Those classes grew into an apprenticeship. With McMichael hooked on the craft and with Mosher wanting to spend more time with family back home, the couple permanently moved to Newfoundland in 2017. While Mosher wrapped up his consulting contracts, McMichael honed her skills on a small roaster in their garage, selling beans at the local farmers’ market.

Continue reading this story: click below to login/subscribe

Login or Subscribe