Laura Sweeton reached for the celebratory ice cream in the frozen foods aisle with her left hand and held the cell phone beaming the text message with her right. She looked down, saw the message was from her husband, read the words: “I just got laid off,” and scooted the ice cream back to its spot.

Same day, a few hours earlier, Laura had resigned from her work-from-home position at a major health insurance company. It was a planned moved initiated by faith. Though Greg’s loss of a job wasn’t on the to-do list, once the shock wore off, the Sweeton family realized it was also a gifted opportunity.

In 2019 – two years prior – the family of four found 10 acres of mostly trees in Strafford, Missouri, just north of their city life in Springfield. A single story, red-brick house built in the 1970s sat close to the road. The land behind the house would one day be suitable for daughter Anna’s vegetable garden, son Isaiah’s rabbits, a flock of ducks, a goose, additional chickens, pigs, a dog and sheep. Cows could graze on land rented out from a neighbor.

And in a small space in the corner of the garage, Laura created a place to grow a hobby into a service for others. She started roasting coffee beans in an old popcorn popper. Though the machine is a little fancier now, the care behind the good cup of coffee remains the same.

After initially meeting in 2022, Homegrown Journal recently followed up with Laura to talk specifically about Shepherd’s Crook Coffee, how it’s growing and how the Lord has loved the Sweeton family through it all.

Q+A with Laura Sweeton

A great cup of coffee has been a constant for you through this journey. Tell us about the first cup of coffee that rocked your world.

Truthfully, our early days as coffee drinkers included plenty of pumps of sugar. But I remember the first time we tried a good pour-over from a coffee shop. From then on, we just wanted more of that. We like to keep it simple. Our motto is “Great Coffee Needs No Disguise,” though a dash of heavy cream doesn’t count.

You have made it your mission to give people all over the U.S. a great cup of coffee they can feel good about drinking. How did this become your passion?

It probably actually started with our personal health journey. That’s a long story, which began many years ago, but in short, we learned it is very important how our food is raised. Over the years, we also developed a love of good coffee and more recently we’ve become very interested in sustainability. I suppose it was the confluence of all these things, and God’s gentle hand, that contributed to our venture into the coffee-roasting world.

Tell us about some of your coffee bean growers.

We’re committed to partnering with importers who work with fair- or direct-trade producers of organic or organic-practice coffee beans. Our favorite relationship is with a third-generation, Brazilian coffee farmer who now lives in St. Louis, while his father runs the family farm back in Brazil. We’re proud to work with such partners and appreciate their support of our small, family business.

You have made the responsi-bean promise. What caused you to care more about your customers than the bottom line?

We are passionate about awareness and education and like to pay-it-forward to others. While we know not everyone will become a long-term customer, we feel it is at least their right to know the truth, so they can make an informed decision. In addition, we also believe in small, decentralized systems and that, if we begin to favor such solutions, there could be plenty of room for everyone.

Give our readers a few recommendations of which coffee to buy.

• Someone who enjoys black coffee, no fluff.

All of our offerings are roasted on an air-roaster, which produces a low-acidic coffee; bold flavor and zero bitterness. Even the dark roasts like Peru or Shepherd’s Blend are as smooth as can be.

• Someone who enjoys flavored creamers.

Instead of flavorings, we rely instead on the natural notes that come out when the coffee is roasted. These subtle but distinct notes vary depending on the climate and soil where the bean is grown. For instance, Guatemala is a favorite and features notes of fruit whereas you might notice more chocolaty notes with our Honduras bean.

• Someone who drinks a specialty coffee while reading Homegrown Journal.

Coffee can be quite subjective, so we do our best to offer a wide array of single-origins, as well as a few carefully curated-by-us blends. Probably the best place to start is a sampler pack so you can try several and find your favorites.

In 2023, your family and animals moved to a different farm, giving you an additional 15 acres. Now that you are a few years removed from finding yourselves in the initial stages of the story, what can you share about how the Lord loved you during the times when you couldn’t see what was next?

There are so many examples. It seems silly now but one of our initial concerns about moving to the country was that we might feel isolated. Early on in our homesteading journey, I began praying we would be able to find or establish a supportive community of like-minded people. Of course God always delivers, not necessarily with the timing or in the way we would choose, but somehow better than we could imagine. These last few years have been the most challenging of our lives, but also full of a multitude of blessings – new friends and bountiful harvests – and answered prayers – His grace and mercy in times of trial. We honestly didn’t know what we were getting into, but we’re learning it’s not about having A-to-Z figured out.

A few years ago, you and your husband both had corporate jobs. When I originally spoke with your family, your kids talked about how much they enjoyed the family being together. What changes have you seen in your family since you began working together to build a farm and coffee business?

The bottom line is we have a lot more time together, which I think allows us to be more in sync as a family. It may not be a popular thing to say, but like many others, we had been essentially outsourcing the raising of our children. Modern families largely live parallel lives, and I find that very sad. Our family is now able to prioritize the things that are most important, while yielding to opportunities to have conversations and teaching moments that come up organically and not part of any curriculum.

How has the Lord taught you to trust Him deeper?

I would say this has primarily played out through our finances. Going from a couple of regular, predictable paychecks every two weeks to self-employment has been a huge adjustment and one that has forced us to live more simply and purposefully and focused on our needs.

Homesteading is known as a lifestyle about self-reliance, but we prefer to think of it as seeking more reliance on God’s provision.

photographs LAURA SWEETON
COVER Laura Sweeton and her family

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