Our Story
Dan and Donna Sullivan followed their hearts on a journey through history that brought them to settle in the town of Ontonagon in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Their story begins more than 170 years ago, when Dan’s great-great grandfather Thomas Stripe, a fur trader, first arrived in Ontonagon on Lake Superior’s southern shore. Enamored with the place, he made it his home, and eventually went on to become Ontonagon’s first lighthouse keeper in 1865. With strong family connections to Ontonagon, Dan and Donna share Thomas Stripe’s love and passion for the small town, and — purely by chance — purchased the same River Street building where Dan's father lived when he first set eyes on Dan's mother from the kitchen window some 60 years ago.
This very building is where Dan & Donna have also founded The Olde Swing Bridge Coffee Roasting Company. The roastery and gift shop is a natural extension of their desire to bring about positive feelings from shared history and community experiences. How better to do this than browsing through such a special place, listening to time-captured Victrola music and swapping meaningful stories over a cup of finely crafted and perfectly roasted coffee? Come inside as a visitor and leave as family.
Their journey will continue to evolve through the creation of superior roasts, hosting workshops allowing visitors to experience the entire roasting process from seed to cup, and by providing you with a beautiful and unique gift shop on Ontonagon’s River Street that we hope will be an amazing and unforgettable experience.
Welcome to the Olde Swing Bridge Coffee Roasting Company…
It's a Feeling..!
Our Family
Along with daughter Piper and a litany of 4-legged friends, we invite you to experience the positive feelings that stem from the area's unique history, bringing love and community together in this family-run roastery. We hope to touch each heart that crosses our threshold and that your experience will be unique and memorable.
