This year, like all the others, was a lot. If I’m being honest, it felt like the future was very bright and quite dim at other times. But more than anything this year was a culmination of the last 4-5 years of dreams and visions that I’ve had for both The Lev Co and Pomelo. Here’s why this year felt like a culmination:

Last year around this time, I had a conversation with a client where they asked if I knew of any groups specifically for owners of roasteries? I sheepishly responded by saying, ‘I didn't’ know of any roastery owners groups but that I’d considered starting something like it for a few years.’ After that conversation, I put the thought of starting and running a cohort for roastery owners up on my mental shelf.

Each month that passed I couldn’t shake the idea of starting an owners cohort. Finally, late in the spring of 2024, I decided to float the idea out to 30 owners and I committed to myself that if I could find 10 owners that were interested, I’d build the program. Within 24 hours nearly every roaster I reached out to said it was something they would be interested in. So I put the work in to build what is now Junto.

If you’re lost as to what this strangely named cohort is, here's the gist–Junto is a 6 month long owners only cohort specifically for coffee roastery owners that mixes group and 1-1 coaching. Each month, there are learning opportunities that are connected to the books we read as a group, there are writing prompts and other other professional development learning elements.

Being an owner can often feel like you aren't sure what your team actually needs. The truth is, they don't need the perfect leader. Our people will forgive many sins if we are seeking growth, to care for them well, and seeking their best interest...leading them well.

It really comes down to how you support your wholesale partners and what tools and resources you provide to them. An easy way to better support your current partners is to provide your partners with items they need other than coffee. Things like tea, straws, cups, lids, etc.

If we grow $x.xx in sales…if we open 3 more cafes…if we release more products like…we’ll become profitable. This is a fallacy of scale.

That super special micro lot that blows your mind likely isn’t the thing that offer stability to your coffee roaster. Sure, there are those one off exceptions to the rule, but most roasters will need to diversify their offerings and provide additional items to their lineup that are not coffee in order to stay competitive. These coffee related items help to support the bottom line and also act as a way of serving wholesale and retail buyers and partners.

How you sell, should be codified into a repeatable process rather than an aimless & unrepeatable process.

Your sales process should be architected thoughtfully. It should be intentional. It should make the buyer / partner feel as if they've been considered in every step.

From the way in which you prospect. The initial contact all the way through to their first purchase. The buying process is just that…a process.

Many owners hope to hire someone else to do sales before they've defined and codified their own sales process. As a result, their salespeople are often well intentioned yet misguided and aren't able to maximize their efforts.

Sales - some think its a dirty word but no matter what you think about it, your coffee roaster needs it to survive.

it’s not a cost, it’s an investment