Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/131896
where have you gone? and he was eager for new challenges. A yearlong road trip around the country helped him clear his head before a chance encounter in San Francisco piqued his curiosity concerning the business world. He started a check-cashing/guarantee company that took off and was eventually sold six years later. That enterprise began with 15 outdated computers, all of which required swapping out the motherboards and SIM cards — a task he learned after purchasing a copy of Windows For Dummies. Now he's back in New Orleans with his girlfriend and four daughters, enjoying the perks of his most recent venture started in 2004. Like many 46-year-olds, Stonebreaker's average day is fueled by caffeine. In fact, he's pretty particular about his coffee selection. As CEO of N.O. Brew Coffee, a cold-drip, handcrafted product he and his business partner, Fred Peer, brew, bottle and label themselves, Stonebreaker weathered Hurricane Katrina and now boasts a presence in stores all over the United States. "I always felt like I had that entrepreneurial spirit and/or didn't like to take orders from other people, so I figured I might as well work for myself," he said. That's who Michael Stonebreaker is now — content, successful entrepreneur and boss man. The years spent cracking offensive players with spectacular ferocity seem like a lifetime ago, but he credits that special time for shaping his character. Speaking of which … "Coffee has 278 distinguishing characteristics, second only to red wine," Stonebreaker said. "Cold-dripping coffee leaves 70 percent of the bitter acids in the beans, which leads to a smoother product. "A lot of people don't like to deal with the grounds and the nuts of coffee; coffee's a dirty business. We take that away, process 500 pounds of coffee at a time, bottle it and sell it in the refrigeration section of grocery stores." Stonebreaker said he was never wired for some of the typical jobs athletes gravitate toward when their playing careers end, most notably coaching. "Coaches put too much time in," he said, downplaying an evident work ethic that's necessary for the 15-hour days he works in the coffee game. "They're up until 10 or 11 o'clock breaking down film. My good friend Todd Lyght [cornerback at Notre Dame] has been coaching for about four or five years now [currently as an assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles]. He absolutely loves it, but it's just not for me." In some ways, neither was playing professional football. "Going to work every day in the air conditioning is a lot easier than day three of camp," Stonebreaker said. "You're laying in the grass at 7 a.m., your head feels like it's about to explode and you know you have three practices ahead of you in the 98-degree heat. "This [business] is not that difficult. I knew we were going to be successful because I knew I was going to put the time in." ✦