owners, joined for a common purpose
We add members throughout the year, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Junto is a cohort of roastery owners offering camaraderie, candid feedback, and professional development, exclusively for owners of coffee roasters.
Choose A Tier
Includes
Everything in Learner, plus:
Monthly 1:1 coaching - 60 - min.
Quarterly virtual offsites with industry leaders
Good For
Owners who want 1-on-1 coaching, direct challenge and support, and camaraderie.
Cost
$400 / per month
Growth
Includes
Monthly group session - 90 min. including hot seat presentations
Professional assessment
Monthly curriculum and all learning elements
Good For
Owners who want the learning elements but not 1-on-1 coaching.
Cost
$250 / per month
Learner
Good For
Owners who want to see what Junto is all about.
Cost
Free - join (1) group cohort session as an observer.
Observer
Owners Say…
Junto Case Studies
Just how much value can being in a Junto bring?
One owner savedapprox. $170,000 annually because of one group conversation.
Another became profitable in four months after losing $70,000+ per year.
Another increased net income by $30,000 through pricing and strategy development.
Another saved multiple hours per week per team member by reorganizing team structure.
Another increased sales by approx. $75,000 by aligning sales strategy, structure, and long-term growth goals.
Value You Receive
An annual value of $9,500+ including monthly peer-to-peer coaching sessions, learning opportunities, 1:1 coaching, and access to top roastery leaders from around the United States.
Owner cohorts include:
One monthly group coaching session (90 minutes+) — annual value of $5,400+ if billed at Pomelo’s hourly rate
One monthly 1:1 coaching session with Luke — annual value of $3,600+ if billed at Pomelo’s hourly rate
Curriculum books, articles, and learning opportunities that have reshaped past members’ businesses — annual value $400+
Leadership assessment and corresponding video resources — annual value of $100
A rotating “hot seat” — each month, one owner presents a project, topic, or challenge to receive feedback from the cohort
Shared strategy, support and candid feedback on the projects you’re working on
Each cohort is capped at 8 members and intentionally kept intimate to foster trust and open dialogue
Ongoing access to all past and present junto members via Slack
Add On’s
Access to the quarterly Virtual Offsite or one-on-one coaching sessions can be added to any tier upon request.
Who facilitates?
Who facilitates?
Luke Waite
Luke Waite is the founder and principal consultant of Pomelo Coffee Consulting, known for transforming struggling coffee roasters into highly efficient and profitable businesses.
Roastery Experience
Before consulting, he worked with four Chicago-based roasters (Metric Coffee, Five & Hoek Coffee, Passion House Coffee Roasters and Pickwick).
Consulting Approach
Luke created a framework (Core 7) for working with roasters that stems from his experience and expertise in running cold brew companies, overseeing sales and pricing strategy as well as branding and operations. He takes a holistic and integrated approach to client engagements.
Speaking
Luke frequently speaks on leadership and operations at events like Specialty Coffee Expo (‘26, ‘25, ‘24, ‘23), Go Fund Bean (‘23), Coffee Fest Chicago (‘22), the Wilmington Coffee Fest (‘24, ‘23) as well as at Cafe Inclusivo (‘22) a project of Swisscontact.
His Goal
To help roasters achieve operational stability so they can make a positive impact on the industry and world.