“We moved to Hughesville to help start the Bethany Mennonite Chapel, and basically my idea was two things, to give my children something to do, like a little family business, and to get to know the community better,” owner Tony Graybill explained.

“We talked about a coffee shop, and we just felt like that’s where God would lead us,” said Graybill, who moved to the area from Freeburg in July 2023, along with his wife, Twila and their five children, aged between six and 11.

Graybill is also the proprietor of Cornerstone Landscapes & Design, 113 S. Second St., Hughesville.

Having no background in the coffee industry, Graybill said setting up the business has been a learning process.

KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette The new Rooted & Grounded Coffee shop sits at 20 West Water Street in Hughesville.

“I talked to people who had experience with it. There’s an organization in State College that has a cafe, and we went to a conference that they put on to help coffee shops and cafes start. They trained some of our baristas, so that helped to get started,” he said, adding that apart from one barista, the business is exclusively family-run.

“It’s all my two oldest boys and my oldest girl, the three of them do the coffees, my wife does a lot of the baking, and I just try to manage, do supplies and keep things rolling,” Graybill said.

Rooted and Grounded carries a number of common caffeinated options, including regular Americanas, lattes, also available in brown sugar, caramel, French vanilla and hazelnut, as well as maple and caramel macchiatos, creme brulee, mocha and a white chocolate mocha.

Additionally, the shop offers an assortment of baked goods, smoothies, hot tea and hot chocolate, and often runs seasonal or monthly drink specials.

“Our coffee’s not as sweet as some places. We try to make it a little less sweet so people can enjoy the taste, and they really enjoy the fresh, roasted coffee,” he said.

KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Barista Todd Graybill makes a coffee at Rooted and Grounded Coffee Shop in Hughesville on Thursday morning.

“A lot of people like the specialties, like the peppermint mocha or the eggnog latte,” Graybill said.

“We’re gonna do a maple cinnamon latte, and keep our peppermint mocha latte for January, and then we’ll do something different for February,” he said.

The majority of Rooted and Grounded’s offerings are locally sourced.

“My coffee is fresh-roasted from Appalachian Mountain Coffee, in Port Everton. He gets his beans in, roasts it right for me, and I go pick it up and bring it here,” Graybill said, adding that he likes that it allows him to stay out of the commercial world.

“The milk that I use for the coffees comes from Oat Milk Creamery in Lewisburg. It’s an A2/A2 milk, which is a little bit better for people who have gut issues,” he said.

Creating a unique, welcoming environment was central to Graybill’s vision for the shop.

“When we were in the process of renovating the building, a lot of people were excited about a coffee shop in Hughesville, because there’s not really one this style, where it’s a sit down, cozy atmosphere,” he said.

“We have a fireplace and different seating areas for groups, and people to sit and just have a one to one chat,” Graybill said, adding that WiFi is available for customers.

“Today, there was a dad and a daughter in here. They were doing school, and he was on his computer. “It was really neat to see that, and that’s what we want to aim for,” he said.

Graybill said they are open to renting out the space for events after hours to interested parties.

Graybill looks at Rooted and Grounded as an additional option to other coffee establishments, rather than a competitor.

“I would tell people, ‘come try the coffee,’ because it’s just different from what you might get at some other places. It’s freshly roasted, and I think that is the advantage that we have,” he said.

“Our cheesecakes, or cinnamon rolls, our soft pretzels, all of our baked goods are made right in house,” Graybill stressed.

“That’s kind of our unique thing, we’re trying to keep things fresh and support other local businesses, to keep our stuff more local,” he said.

“One of my goals was to provide something for my family, but also to provide a place for people to sit down and talk one to one and just relax in a nice, relaxing environment, where it’s warm,” Graybill stressed.

“Most places you go, they want to get you in and out. We don’t have a drive through. We’re not a fast paced place, and I feel like that’s our niche. It’s something different,” he said.