This post is part of our Building In Public series, where we're pulling back the curtain on our journey to transform the coffee industry to better serve small business owners.
At Joe, we believe that coffee is more than just a drinkâitâs a community. Itâs the relationships built over the counter, the shared knowledge among shop owners, and the support that fuels independent businesses. Thatâs why weâre launching a new community hub, a space designed to bring coffee professionals together, gather valuable feedback, and make running a shop easier than ever.
Recently, Nick Martin (Founder & CEO of Joe) sat down with Kayla Ortiz (Director of Operations) to talk about this exciting new initiative. Kayla has been the driving force behind our partner relationships, working tirelessly to create real, meaningful connections. Now, sheâs leading the charge in bringing community into our product development strategy in a systemic wayâso that every independent coffee shop on Joe can benefit from shared knowledge and collective insights.
Through years of working closely with coffee shop owners, Kayla has seen firsthand how valuable their feedback is. But often, that feedback gets lost in translationâmoving through conversations, emails, and product team discussions before turning into real updates. The Joe Community Hub is designed to eliminate the game of telephone, giving partners a direct line to product updates, feature requests, and each other.
Kayla explained:
âOur product is built for local coffee shops, so local coffee shops should inform how we build. This hub will allow us to get feedback early and often. Weâre still small enough to be nimbleâso if thereâs a change that can help your shop, we want to know about it.â
The Joe Community Hub isnât just about product updatesâitâs about connecting shop owners with each other. Whether youâre a brand-new shop owner looking for guidance or an experienced operator with insights to share, this space will bring everyone together to collaborate, learn, and grow.
Key benefits include:
â Product Update Channel â Stay informed about the latest features, see release dates, and access support articles.
â Feature Request Section â Have an idea for an improvement? Submit suggestions directly to our product team and even test new features before launch.
â Coffee Community Forum â Connect with shop owners across the U.S., discuss challenges, and learn best practices.
â Roaster & Supplier Spotlights â Discover incredible roasters and vendors, many of whom are already on the Joe platform.
â Expert Webinars & Learning Sessions â From pricing strategies to supply chain trends, get insights from industry leaders.
One of the most exciting parts of the hub is how it will empower coffee shop owners with data-driven insights that they canât get anywhere else.
âWe have millions of customer profiles and purchase behaviors,â Kayla explained. âBy tapping into this data, we can give coffee shop owners real trends that help them make better business decisionsâwhether itâs pricing, menu adjustments, or seasonal trends.â
This is a game-changer. Instead of making guesses about what customers want, shops will get real insights based on whatâs actually happening across the industry.
Getting started is easy!
đ Existing Joe Partners â Look out for an email invitation with a personalized access link.
đ New to Joe? â You can access the hub through our website under the "Community Hub" section in the Resources tab.
đ On the Go? â Download the Circle app to stay connected with the community from your phone.
Once you join, introduce yourself! Tell us about your shop, where youâre located, and what makes your business unique. This is your space to connect, learn, and shape the future of Joe.Coffee alongside us.
This is just the beginning. The Joe Community Hub is an MVP (minimum viable product), and weâre committed to growing it based on what partners need.
As Kayla put it:
âIf it wasnât for your feedback, our product wouldnât be where it is today. This is just the frameworkâweâre going to keep iterating and improving based on what you need.â
So letâs build this together. Join the conversation, share your ideas, and be part of the movement thatâs making independent coffee shops stronger than ever.
â Join the Joe Community Hub today! đ