How the Owners of Traveller’s House Coffee & Tea Rise and Grind

We’re forever grateful to our local coffee shop owners and baristas who work hard from before dawn to dusk to give us a pep in our step. But none of us can truly imagine what goes into a day’s work for these busy bees. To get a better idea, we chatted with Greg Venturella, who helps keep all three Traveller’s House Coffee & Tea locations afloat with his wife, Cherie Venturella, who is the majority owner. Although no two days are ever the same, here’s an example itinerary of what he does in a workday to keep the coffee flowing.

2:30 a.m. When most of us are sleeping soundly, Greg and Cherie are already up and at ’em. Greg gets ready for his day and quickly heads out the door.

3 a.m. A day of errands begins. He first swings by the shop’s Republic Road location and the National Avenue location to pick up inventory to bring to the airport kiosk.

3:50 a.m. Greg arrives at the Springfield-Branson National Airport, goes through security and then heads over to the Traveller’s House kiosk to help see the crew through the busiest hours of the day. The kiosk opens at 4 a.m., and he sticks around to assist until the morning rush winds down.

6 a.m. It’s time to fuel up for the day. Greg heads to the National Avenue location, where he pours himself a cup of coffee and enjoys a breakfast sandwich. His go-to breakfast is ham, provolone cheese and scrambled eggs on a croissant. He enjoys some quiet time and reads a devotional by the fireplace.

7 a.m. The National Avenue location is now open. Greg sticks around a bit to make sure the crew doesn’t need an extra set of hands before he’s on to his next task. If someone happens to call in sick at any location, he’ll rearrange his day so he can help fill in.

9 a.m. Greg checks his emails, does a quick inventory check for all three locations and makes a list of what they need. His first stop is the company’s storage unit, where he’ll grab the items they order in bulk, like flavored syrups. Then he’s off to the grocery stores.

10 a.m. Costco Wholesale and Sam’s Club are open for the day, and Greg makes his stops at each. He delivers the goods to their corresponding locations.

1 p.m. It’s lunchtime. Between errands, he often swings by a local spot like Purple Burrito to grab some fish tacos.

2 p.m. Greg checks in with the staff at the Republic Road location. One of his favorite parts of the job is getting to connect with his employees, or as he says, “do life with them.”

4 p.m. He rests at home before heating up some leftovers. On rare occasions, he enjoys putting steaks on the grill to eat when Cherie gets home.

7 p.m. There’s always an early bedtime in the Venturella house, which makes greeting that 2:30 a.m. alarm not so bad.