To Troy Brett, owner of Mochaberry Coffee and Co, a café, caterer and roastery in Orangeville, the business he’s built over the past 14 years and the community he calls home have always been inseparable.

Every decision—every new item on the menu, new service and investment in making the business more sustainable—is driven by getting to know the community better and responding to what makes Orangeville unique. To Troy, there’s no other way to run a business.

The café is designed to resonate with locals and visitors alike.

“I always tell my staff: this has to be a happy, engaging and welcoming place,” he says. It’s not always easy, admits Brett; financial resources can be tight and becoming more environmentally sustainable is a work in progress.

Recently, Brett found a way to boost his business’ roasting capacity and create growth. He applied to My Main Street, a program that aims to strengthen businesses, boost productivity and revitalize main streets. My Main Street is delivered by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI), and supported by a Government of Canada investment through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

The support has allowed Brett to acquire new equipment that will drastically reduce the roastery’s carbon footprint and help revitalize its wholesale business. Mochaberry supplies several offices and restaurants in the community with its coffee and runs an online store for product sales across Canada—a side of the business Troy admits has been temporally slowed after being overwhelmed by demand.

“The new roaster is going to help us build that side of the business quicker,” says Brett. In addition to scaling faster, Brett estimates the improvements made with the My Main Street support will generate more opportunities for the community.

The improvements enabled by the My Main Street support help the café’s mission of creating a welcoming space for locals and visitors, attracting more foot traffic to the area while contributing to the economic vitality of the community.

“I want people to say ‘I can now buy a bag of coffee that was roasted on a machine that is environmentally-friendly and was roasted by somebody who lives in Orangeville,” says Brett. “That's the reason I got into this business, to be a part of the community.”