Michaela Marshall, a junior double-majoring in nursing and psychology has been roasting coffee since January, and began her small business, Recovery Roasters, in June.

“I wanted to allow other people [to] love my coffee as much as I do,” Marshall said. “I named [the business] Recovery Roasters to allude that our profit goes towards helping those struggling with addiction who don’t have insurance or what they need.”

Recovery Roasters is a nonprofit, and Marshall says that all proceeds are divided between obtaining what she needs to maintain her business and going towards the betterment of the local recovery community.

“The rest goes into a scholarship fund that adults can apply for if they walk into the clinics we are partnered with,” Marshall said. “Whatever funds are in the account at the time go towards their treatment cost or getting what they need such as toiletries or diapers for their kids.”

Marshall said she is passionate about sharing her love for roasting coffee, and the process of doing so.

“I order the unroasted coffee beans from a third party who gets them directly from the farmers in Mexico and Ethiopia,” Marshall said. “They ship them to me in a burlap sack where I measure out portions of the beans, and put them in the roaster where they are heated and rotated until the desired color and strength.”

Marshall said after she roasts the beans, she cools them immediately by placing them in a sifter to preserve the quality. 

She said the beans are then kept for 24 hours and packaged for orders.

“Orders can be a light, medium, or dark roast and either ground or whole bean,” Marshall said. “Our most popular coffee is the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, and my personal favorite is the Mexico La Laja.”

Marshall said the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is a smooth roast with a note of lemon and hint of dried blueberries, and the Mexico La Laja is sweet with mild orange acidity and hint of chocolate.

“Right now, Recovery Roasters is just online through our website and social media,” Marshall said. “I would love to keep growing and expanding in the places where the coffee is sold.”

Isabella Robinson can be contacted at [email protected].