Derek LaBorie, owner of Port City Coffee Roasters (Photo by Scott Merrill)
If you’re a coffee drinker on the Seacoast, chances are you’ve already “met” Derek LaBorie, owner of Port City Coffee Roasters, even if you don’t know his name. Since 1992, Port City has fueled Portsmouth mornings from its Islington Street shop, offering coffee, breakfast and lunch, and roasting beans served at more than a dozen local businesses, including Café Kilim, The Golden Egg and Coffee Break Cafe. The operation, which supports various community initiatives, runs with a crew of about 10, reflecting LaBorie’s hands-on approach and desire to give back.
A Vermont native, LaBorie began not with espresso, but smoothies. “I’d had my concession business since high school,” LaBorie says. “Sophomore year it was just smoothies. Then it was smoothies and lemonade, and that paid for college, mine and my brother’s.” He took the business on the road to dog shows, horse shows and tournaments.
Today, LaBorie still brings smoothies and coffee drinks on the road with his two Golden Retrievers and speaks about roasting with a craftsman’s focus. “Small roasting’s totally different than commercial,” he says. “Humidity, temperature, even the softness of the bean—it’s not going to be the same as yesterday.”
He’s candid about business realities, including tariffs and global market pressures that pushed coffee prices to record highs even before tariffs. When 50% tariffs hit major producers like Brazil last year, LaBorie says the impact was immediate. “We had noticed price changes even before the tariffs were enacted and our prices more than doubled,” he says. Port City raised its prices approximately 20% to 25%. “I couldn’t bring myself to pass on all those costs. Tariffs change the whole dynamic…coffee’s kind of like gasoline, everybody feels it when prices go up. But people still buy it.”
LaBorie’s commitment to community is evident in Port City’s work with Portsmouth Hanging Coffee, allowing customers to purchase extra coffees for someone in need. He also holds fundraisers to help community groups meet their goals. “One school raised $7,500 with a coffee fundraiser,” he says. “Other groups keep the fundraiser going so every pound bought brings money in. We call it the never-ending coffee fundraiser.”
After more than three decades, LaBorie doesn’t measure success by wealth. “I’m not rich,” he says. “But how do you define success? We’ve always paid everybody. And we kept going.” For more information, visit portcitycoffee.com.
