Coffee shop coming to downtown Monett

After launching a mobile coffee trailer last year, an entrepreneur plans next month to open his first brick-and-mortar shop in Monett.

David Saunders, owner of Great Dave’s Coffee Co., said he is targeting a mid-October opening for the shop, located at 404 E. Broadway St. He said it will occupy roughly 3,000 square feet in the building, which originally was utilized as a space to manufacture carriages. It later housed a hardware store and was most recently Mocha Jo’s Coffee Cafe, which shuttered.

“This building became available,” Saunders said, adding its owners, Bob and Debra Berger, have renovated the downtown structure over the years. “We approached the Bergers and we were able to work it out. It’s just a great space and has a great vibe.”

Saunders, who owns Great Dave’s Coffee via Saunders Family Enterprises LLC, said he signed a five-year lease for an undisclosed rate with the Bergers. He said most of his startup costs were connected to the launch of his coffee trailer venture in April 2023, noting between it and the new brick-and-mortar space, he’s invested around $150,000.

Saunders said the company is named in honor of his father, Dave, who died four years ago. He said Great Dave’s Coffee is largely a family affair, noting his wife, four children and even some of his seven grandchildren help with the business.

Calling himself “an Italian nut,” Saunders said he and his wife have visited Italy numerous times, which spurred his interest in opening a coffee shop.

“We go on trips to Italy, and I really began to appreciate that cafe culture, the coffee culture, the morning espresso,” he said, adding in 2021 he attended Espresso Academy, a school in Florence, Italy, to learn more about coffee. “I loved that look and feel. I’m not trying to duplicate it but trying to incorporate elements into what we’re doing here.”

Aside from Great Dave’s current drink menu, which includes a variety of coffees, espressos and lattes, Saunders said the new shop will sell sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads. While the menu is still being determined, he said two daily soups – potato and tomato bisque – are planned, along with Caesar and chicken salad options.

“There’s good momentum, and we just want to build some more,” he said of business activity in downtown Monett, pointing to next month’s planned opening of Briar House Brewing Co. LLC. “We’re really anxious to get open to the public.”

Briar House, which fills some 5,000 square feet in a roughly 112-year-old downtown building that started as a grocery, is aiming for an early- to mid-October launch at 222 E. Broadway St., according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.