Kaya Patel

Morning Moose Coffee began with three sisters, a pink trailer and a dream. The business that started as a mobile coffee truck in Richmond, Maine now operates across four locations, including their new brick-and-mortar. On February 28, Morning Moose officially opened their Topsham storefront, bringing their handcrafted coffee and fresh mini donuts from the road into a cozy café.

Coffee runs in the Winokurzew family, with all three sisters having significant barista experience and a passion for the craft. Morning Moose was born around a dining room table in 2021 when Daniel Beall asked his wife, Lindsay Beall, and her two sisters, Olivia and Elsie Winokurzew, if they ever considered starting a café. The sisters shared that they had considered opening a business before but did not know where to begin. Daniel Beall offered his training from his Master of Business Administration, and Morning Moose took off soon after.

As a farmer’s market frequenter, Daniel Beall saw many successful coffee vendors operate successful businesses in trailers, and without the savings for a brick-and-mortar at the time, buying a trailer offered them the opportunity to get their business off the ground on a budget.

“The outpour of kindness from the community was unbelievable. On our grand opening—June 11, 2022—the entire parking lot in Richmond at the Richmond Agway was jammed full of people, and since then, it just hasn’t stopped,” Daniel Beall said.

Six months later, the business was able to open a corporate location at IDEXX Laboratories in Westbrook. However, the truck continued to be a success in Richmond.

“We continued to run our trailer with events and park it in the Agway parking lot whenever we weren’t doing events. But when we were doing events, the Richmond community was not very happy because their local coffee shop was gone. So we quickly realized we needed to get another trailer so we could leave that in place,” Daniel Beall said.

In the fall of 2024, the owners were informed about an opportunity to purchase the building that was transformed into their new Topsham location. Morning Moose began to operate in the former owners’ parking lot of until their lease ended. However, when it came time to renovate the building, all of the quotes they received exceeded their predictions.

“We were getting quotes for like $250,000 to get a contract to do it all. That’s way too much money, so we did it ourselves. My best friend’s dad came from Virginia.… I was here full time, seven days a week, ten plus hours a day with him. It took four months, and now we have this beautiful store,” Daniel Beall said.

Despite Topsham serving as their first storefront, customers are reminded of the business’s history with every visit.

“We had originally planned on [putting the trailer away]… because we were under the impression people wanted a very nice high-end coffee shop. However, it was the opposite. When people saw our trailer, they loved it,” Daniel Beall said. “And it’s actually a piece of our history, so we’re not removing that trailer. It’s really unique.”

Daniel Beall expressed that networking and talking to people have been his favorite part of the job, inspiring him to connect with customers through what he calls a “Moose Moment.”

“It’s by far my favorite thing to do, just talking to all the customers, helping make their day brighter and getting to know them, because every person has a unique story to tell, and that’s what I like to find,” Daniel Beall said.

The idea for the “Moose Moment” came from the former owner of world-renowned restaurant Eleven Madison Park, Will Guidara, who aimed to create “magical moments” for each of his guests and showed unparalleled levels of customer service and connection. Through his “Moose Moments,” Daniel Beall hopes customers leave with not only excellent service but also a memory.

Despite their recent successes, Daniel Beall described the arduous journey to their Topsham location and lauded his co-owners for helping him get through the difficult times.

“Had [Olivia and Elsie Winokurzew] not been the boots on the ground in pushing this business forward, creating the drink recipes, showing up day in and day out, not calling in sick, not giving up, pushing through when times are tough, it would not have allowed me the opportunity to leave my corporate America job and my wife’s nurse practitioner job, leave Virginia and come here,” Daniel Beall said. “So I’m extremely grateful to have business partners like them, because they sacrificed a lot to grow this business.”

Looking forward, Morning Moose will be opening their next storefront on Congress Street in Portland on April 13 and aims to launch “Midnight Moose,” with outdoor live music events.