Small Town Charm- The Morning Grind

What gets you up in the morning? Is it a warm shower? An exciting day ahead? Delicious homemade breakfast? Well, for most people, including Makayla and Andrew Putz, it’s a fresh cup of coffee. They wanted to share their love for coffee with their community, thus inspiring the start of their business, The Morning Grind. The Morning Grind opened in May of 2020, and since then a lot has happened. They started by only offering drive-thru service but once they got the green light they were able to open their indoor and patio seating, perfect for reading a book or getting work done. With everything crazy going on this year, Putz has kept a positive outlook on life, “We have seen a bit of everything since being open,” She said, “Pandemic, derecho, power outage, water boil advisory… We’ve got such amazing customers that keep pushing forward!”

After talking with one of the owners of Adel’s newest coffee shop, she shared some exclusive details about the start of their business. Her and her husband, Andrew, got the inspiration to open The Morning Grind on their honeymoon to Italy last spring. The couple loved the simplistic coffee shop scene there and imagined what it would be like to bring that environment back home. What got their attention the most was how people would come in and order a latte or espresso shot without any syrups or flavors. “The beans they used were so fresh and high quality that the taste didn’t need to be diluted.” Said Putz. As soon as they saw the space available their daydreams started progressing to reality. Then it came time to get the wheels really rolling on this coffee shop. The beginning process took about a year, but for the excited newlywed’s it seemed to take much longer. Once the loan was approved, it was go time. From sampling coffee roasters to interior design the couple had a lot on their hands. So many more details went into this new business than you may even realize but for the Putz’s the most exciting part was seeing all their design plans come together to become what they envisioned, if not better.

As we all know, COVID-19 put a huge damper on many small businesses, but in the case of The Morning Grind? They opened right in the heat of the pandemic, so it is pretty much all they know. Inside seating was not available for about the first three months of the shop being open, yet that did not stop them from serving via drive-thru and being an amazing place for people to grab a drink to go. Putz chose to find some blessings in disguise mentioning that it gave the employees some time to get comfortable working before people were able to come inside. When asked what the best part has been about starting this business Putz said, “Honestly, the best part is the return customers. I cannot put into words how much it means to me that people spend their hard-earned money making my dream a reality.”

Why go to The Morning Grind? It is the perfect local spot to go to and meet up with friends, study, or just relax and reenergize. Open weekdays from 5:30 am to 1:30 pm and weekends from 7 am to 1:00, The Morning Grind offers a wide variety from espresso drinks and coffee, to pastries and breakfast sandwiches. It is the perfect place to grab your daily pick me up. What to order? From the owner herself, “Our cold brew is a must! It’s brewed for 18 hours and has zero acidity to it.” She also recommended asking the barista for recommendations, as she is confident they will make something you’ll love.