Success Stories: Young Entrepreneurs Taking Mobile Coffee Startups To Smash Hits – CoffeeTalk

Rebecca Turri, a Business Administration student at Chico State University, is the owner of Lovebird Coffee Company, which has become a Wildcat favorite. The coffee business was not initially part of Turri’s career plans but emerged after a series of unfortunate events, including falling victim to a pyramid scheme, a brief stint at a tech company, and several stressful months of unemployment. Turri, who was raised by a single mother and independent since the age of 15, knew she had the confidence and grit to become an entrepreneur.

In May 2023, Turri discovered a Facebook Marketplace listing for the Kenskill trailer and purchased it for $500. With a loan from a family friend, she, her husband, David Turri, and her best friend, Kennedy Johnston, spent six months stripping away dingy old paint, clearing out a squirrel’s acorn stash, replacing broken windows and rotting wood, and removing layers of duct tape and grimy old tile. Their hard work transformed the trailer into a fully functional mobile coffee shop, which perched outside of Holt Hall in spring 2024.

Lovebird’s success didn’t happen overnight, and it wasn’t luck, asserting that it was the result of consistency and 60-hour workweeks dedicated to making her dream a reality. Long 10-hour days inside the trailer, managing business orders, building relationships, focusing on strong marketing, and carefully assembling all the moving pieces have been key to its growth.

Starting Lovebird with Turri has given Johnston’s life meaning, allowing her to spend time with her best friend and solve problems together. It also means working on one of the most beautiful college campuses, having the privilege of hiring and working with amazing students, and finding a place in her new community. Turri, who was part of the Seufferlein Sales Program and Pi Sigma Epsilon, is in awe of the overwhelming support from the Wildcat community.

Just one year after launching her dream business, Turri’s Wildcat roots are deepening as she transitions from her beloved trailer, “Gertrude,” to a brick-and-mortar location inside the new Behavioral and Social Sciences Building.

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