An operations consulting firm for coffee roasters.
Principal Consultant | Speaker | Writer
Who is Luke Waite
He is the founder and principal consultant of Pomelo Coffee Consulting, known for P&L-integrated pricing, strategy, and increasing net profit in coffee roasteries and cafes.
Roastery Experience
Before consulting, he worked with four Chicago-based roasters (Metric Coffee, Five & Hoek Coffee, Passion House Coffee Roasters and Pickwick), opening cafes, building education and sales programs, and overseeing operations at roasters with direct reports of upwards of 20 people.
Consulting Approach
Luke created the Core 7 framework, which is his approach to guiding roasting businesses to operational sustainability. His approach stems from his experience and expertise in running cold brew companies; sales and pricing strategy; as well as branding and operations.
Speaking
Luke frequently speaks on leadership and operations at events like Specialty Coffee Expo (‘25, ‘24, ‘23), Coffee Fest (‘22), Wilmington Coffee Fest (‘25, ‘24, ‘23), Go Fund Bean (‘23), as well as at Cafe Inclusivo (‘22), a project of Swisscontact.
Writing
Luke sends out a monthly newsletter, and he also wrote a book on the framework he uses to guide roasters to operational sustainability called The Owner’s Manual: A Guide to Sustaining a Coffee Roaster.
His Goal
To help roasters achieve operational stability so they can make a positive impact on the industry and world.
Who We’ve Worked With
Sakrid Coffee + Purefi Coffee Roaster + Starved Rock Roasting Company + Haven Coffee Roaster + New Math Coffee Roaster + Sidecar Coffee + Good Intentions Coffee + Third Cup + Rite Coffee + Ceramic Coffee + Three Waves Coffee + Portrait Coffee + Reverie Roasters + Iron and Kin + Three Keys Coffee + Verb Coffee Roaster + Be Bright Coffee + Yellowstone Coffee Roaster + Theory Coffee Roaster + Swisscontact + Drift Coffee & Kitchen + Swings Coffee + Old City Coffee +
Sakrid Coffee + Purefi Coffee Roaster + Starved Rock Roasting Company + Haven Coffee Roaster + New Math Coffee Roaster + Sidecar Coffee + Good Intentions Coffee + Third Cup + Rite Coffee + Ceramic Coffee + Three Waves Coffee + Portrait Coffee + Reverie Roasters + Iron and Kin + Three Keys Coffee + Verb Coffee Roaster + Be Bright Coffee + Yellowstone Coffee Roaster + Theory Coffee Roaster + Swisscontact + Drift Coffee & Kitchen + Swings Coffee + Old City Coffee +
Illinois + Texas + Florida + Iowa + Idaho + California + Georgia + Kansas + North Carolina + Montana + Virginia + Honduras + Pennsylvania +
Illinois + Texas + Florida + Iowa + Idaho + California + Georgia + Kansas + North Carolina + Montana + Virginia + Honduras + Pennsylvania +
Where We’ve Worked
We’ve worked with 25 companies across 13 US states and in Honduras.
Why Pomelo?
Born with a love of bright and sweet coffees that resemble the flavor of a pomelo and a deep desire to build a more equitable coffee supply circle.
What we believe.
There’s a lot wrong in our industry, but our job isn’t to throw up our hands just because that’s how it’s always been. It’s to make it better for those who follow us.
Our approach is a way of life. Caring deeply about the people throughout the supply circle, our desire is to see them flourish, grow, and change our industry for the better.
That’s Pomelo - for the good of the people.
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To help specialty coffee roasters gain stability, sustainability and profitability so they can make a positive impact on the world.
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To build a future where coffee is a sustainable career for everyone in the supply circle.
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We’ve got 3…Iterative, Honest & Good.
Iterative: We approach life and problems from the perspective that having a process helps everyone involved. The best way we’ve found to get better is to iterate on what you have instead of starting from scratch with each new challenge. In other words, remove what isn’t working from the process and hold on to what is working, then rinse and repeat. Continual, sustained growth, is the goal for us and our hope for you.
Honest: Telling the truth is the minimum. To us, it’s more than that. It’s about being transparent, clear, and open about who we are and what we are about. You know, the way people ought to treat one another. We don’t think there’s anything wrong with honest work, wages, and business. We are about treating folks the same and helping roasters build businesses that do the same. That’s pomelo, honest to a fault.
Good: Remember that meal you had a while back? You know the one that you can almost taste when you think about it? Maybe it was your mothers spaghetti or a steak, or maybe it was when you were out with that one friend that really gets you and the food just tasted different that night. That’s the kind of good we are talking about. The undeniable kind. It’s got to be good every time, or it’s just not worth it.
Want Luke to speak at your next event or to your team?
Schedule a call to work out the details.