After four years of brewing up success from their popular mobile trailer at the corner of U.S. 441 and Wolf Branch Road, GroundUp Coffee Bar has officially opened its first brick-and-mortar café at 17943 U.S. Highway 441 in Mount Dora.

Owner Katie Lorentz said opening a storefront has been her dream since the business began.

“The trailer has been very successful, but I always wanted to expand,” she says. “The truck is a lot more work. Being mobile, not everyone knows that we have to restock, clean, fill fuel and get fresh water every day. We love it there, but we are so excited to add this too.”

Running the trailer has required long days and hands-on dedication, but Katie said she wouldn’t trade the relationships she’s built for anything.

“We’ve built friendships over four years,” she says. “I might not know everybody’s name, but I can tell you what they order. These people are my business, my growth and my community family.”

GroundUp’s mobile trailer will stay in its same location, now open 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday with normal Saturday hours. That lets the team keep their morning rush and then Katie can head over to the new café.

“That’s important to me, being present,” she says. “Businesses where the owner isn’t present tend to go sideways.”

The new shop, a renovated former gym just off 441, is family- and veteran-owned. Katie runs the business alongside her husband, Jesse, and their two children, Kali and Tristan, with a team of employees that became an extension of their family.

“This cafe was something we did completely on our own,” she says. “We used our savings. I didn’t take out a business loan. My husband had to take a job earlier this year so it’s really been a family effort.”

For now, the café menu mirrors the trailer with espresso drinks, flavored lattes, real-fruit smoothies, refreshers and grab-and-go snacks, but Katie has plans to expand.

“My goal is to offer hot sandwiches,” she says.

She also plans to add the long-requested cold foam option soon.

“Everybody asks all the time,” she says. “In the trailer we just didn’t have enough fridge space. We will have that by the end of the year at the cafe. ”

The new GroundUp Coffee Bar is open seven days a week, 6am to 6pm Monday through Friday and 7am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.