owners, joined for a common purpose
Junto is a cohort of roastery owners offering camaraderie, candid feedback, and professional development, exclusively for owners of coffee roasters.
Owners Say…
Who’s a Good Fit?
If you own and operate a specialty coffee roastery and you’re serious about your personal and professional development, this group might be for you. Here’s an outline of the typical members.
Typical Junto members:
Revenue
Team
75% have a Bachelor’s degree
25% have a Master’s degree
16% have their PhD
Education
Value
They value candid feedback, are committed to personal and professional growth, and are looking for thoughtful business connections.
Have 3 - 80+ employees.
Generate between $300K - $5+ million in annual revenue
If you don’t fit the above, or perhaps haven’t opened your business yet, we’d still love to connect and support you, but this group is reserved for current owners of coffee roasteries.
A Junto Case Study
Just how much value can being in a Junto create?
One owner saved approx. $170,000 annually because of one group conversation.
One owner became profitable in four months after losing $70,000–$90,000 per year.
One owner increased net income by $30,000 through pricing and strategy development.
One owner saved multiple hours per week per team member by reorganizing team structure.
One owner increased sales by approx. $75,000 by aligning sales strategy, structure, and long-term growth goals.
Ready to Join?
$350/month
Includes:
Monthly 90-minute group sessions
Community access via Slack with curated weekly discussion questions
Curriculum books
1–2 Hot Seat presentations to receive feedback from peers
Access to monthly all-owner office hours.
Apply today👇
Owners can expect…
Monthly peer-to-peer coaching sessions and learning opportunities, with optional 1:1 coaching sessions and access to top roastery owners from around the United States.
Owner cohorts include:
One monthly group coaching session (90 minute) — an annual value of $2,250+ if billed at Pomelo’s hourly rate
Books, articles, and resources that align with learning opportunities which have reshaped past members’ businesses — $200+ value
Leadership assessment and corresponding video resources — $50+ value
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 6 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
1-on-1 coaching sessions with Luke Waite for $200 per hour (A value of $250 per hour)
Join the waitlist.
Join the waitlist.
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 (‘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.