The Good Life – January-February 2024
On the cover – Artist and illustrator, Matt Mastrud aka “Punchgut.” Also in this issue – Dad Life with funny and relatable stories showing what it means to be a loving and involved parent. Our Having A Beer with segment: a light-hearted interview giving our readers a glimpse into the lives of well-known men in our community. Also in every issue, a Local Hero showcasing men who are making a positive impact and inspiring others to do good.
On the cover – Artist and illustrator, Matt Mastrud aka “Punchgut.” Also in this issue – Dad Life with funny and relatable stories showing what it means to be a loving and involved parent. Our Having A Beer with segment: a light-hearted interview giving our readers a glimpse into the lives of well-known men in our community. Also in every issue, a Local Hero showcasing men who are making a positive impact and inspiring others to do good.
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HAVING A BEER WITH | SKYLER DUTTON<br />
Thunder<br />
Coffee<br />
owner sticks<br />
to caffeine,<br />
while<br />
percolating<br />
on the<br />
significance<br />
of specialty<br />
coffee.<br />
HAVING A BEER WITH<br />
Three<br />
years into<br />
what is now an<br />
impressive 10-year run<br />
of sobriety, Skyler Dutton<br />
was slogging through a year<br />
he describes simply as “rough.”<br />
No, it wasn’t the year of<br />
Covid. It was 2016. He<br />
had left a career in<br />
law enforcement —<br />
slightly disillusioned<br />
— and proceeded<br />
to bounce around<br />
from oil field jobs<br />
to logistics and<br />
transportation jobs,<br />
losing each one in<br />
quick succession.<br />
8 | THE GOOD LIFE<br />
i n<br />
specialty<br />
coffee down in<br />
Oklahoma and opened<br />
my eyes to how good<br />
coffee could really taste,”<br />
Dutton explained. “That got me<br />
into brewing my own coffee<br />
at home and eventually<br />
sourcing my own<br />
beans. My wheels<br />
were spinning, so I<br />
asked my brother<br />
to move up here<br />
and start a coffee<br />
business together.”<br />
Thunder Coffee<br />
officially opened<br />
in 2017, selling<br />
their first cup of<br />
handcrafted coffee<br />
in July out of a popup<br />
cart that continues<br />
to make regular<br />
appearances at events<br />
around the Fargo-Moorhead<br />
area. Six years later, Dutton<br />
and his crew sling coffee out<br />
of two physical locations,<br />
including the spacious<br />
spread inside<br />
Brewhalla,<br />
SKYLER DUTTON<br />
With a threepeat<br />
of job losses<br />
draining his<br />
optimism, he turned<br />
to family. Specifically,<br />
his brother, who had<br />
introduced Dutton to the world<br />
of specialty coffee earlier that<br />
same year.<br />
“He [brother Dexter]<br />
had gotten<br />
involved<br />
WRITTEN BY: BEN HANSON<br />
PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
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