owners, joined for a common purpose
The next cohort starts January 30th and there’s only 2 spots remaining.
Junto is a cohort of roastery owners offering camaraderie, candid feedback, and professional development, exclusively for owners of coffee roasters.
A Junto Case Study
Just how much value can being in a Junto bring?
One owner saved approx. $170,000 annually because of one group conversation.
One owner became profitable in four months after losing $70,000+ 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.
Which is right for you?
Includes
Everything in Growth, 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
$375 / 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 don’t need 1-on-1 coaching.
Cost
$125 / per month
Learner
The next cohort starts January 30th and there’s only 2 spots remaining.
Good For
Owners who want to see what Junto is all about.
Cost
Free - join (1) group cohort session as an observer.
Observer
The Value You Receive
An annual value of $8,000+ 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 $4,500+ if billed at Pomelo’s hourly rate
One monthly 1:1 coaching session with Luke — annual value of $3,000+ if billed at Pomelo’s hourly rate
Curriculum books, articles, and learning opprotunites 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’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
Values
They value candid feedback, are committed to personal and professional growth, and are looking for thoughtful business connections.
Have 5 - 80+ employees.
Generate between $300K - $6+ 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.
Owners Say…
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.