Chapter 4 #2
“I cleaned it up a lot but kept most of it original.” Jo glanced around. “I had to recover the stools and cracked booths, upgrade some equipment, and get a new sign.”
“What about the menu—did you make changes on that?”
Jo shook her head. “People like burgers and fries, so I didn’t make many changes.
But I upgraded the quality, and word spread fast. The old owner served the worst coffee on the island.
He was known for it and, strangely, proud of it.
As if you had to be a real man to drink that burnt commercial sludge. ”
Rocky chuckled. “He sounds like a character.”
“He sure is. The place wasn’t making much money, and he wanted to retire.
I knew I could do better, so I talked him into carrying a loan for me to buy it.
If I miss payments, he’s all too eager to take it back, now that I’ve made a success of it.
And I’m so close to paying it off. Only two more years. ”
She pursed her lips. Two lean years in which she’d also committed to paying the remaining portion of Hugo’s tuition.
Admiration crept into his expression. “So how’d you figure out what to upgrade?”
“Honestly, my customers taught me. The summer crowd, mostly. People coming in from LA, Napa, the Bay Area, Marin County. They knew good coffee and good food. So I listened to every insult.” Jo laughed. “You can learn a lot from people who know what they want and aren’t shy about telling you.”
“I’m impressed,” Rocky said, completely engrossed. “That’s a great success story. Any plans to franchise? You could, you know.”
“Maybe later, but I have another plan right now,” Jo said, taking a chance on sharing more with him. “I’m slowly turning my vision into reality. A little slower than I’d like, but I’m getting there.”
From behind the counter, she brought out a small premium bag of coffee stamped with the Cuppa Jo’s red logo and fitted with a one-way degassing valve.
“Here. Squeeze that.”
Rocky squeezed the valve and inhaled. “Wow, this is an intense, kind of floral-tinged scent. Nothing like the warm house blend.”
“You have a good nose.”
“What is it?”
“That’s one hundred percent Kona,” Jo said.
“Single origin, medium roast, from a female-operated family estate on the Big Island.” She watched Rocky’s face change.
“I flew to Hawaii and met the grower. Mahina’s family is Hawaiian, and she walked me through her groves.
She taught me about the importance of their volcanic soil, elevation, and ocean air.
We really connected. I’m lucky to work with her directly. ”
“That’s amazing. And Hawaii is domestic,” Rocky added. “No customs, tariffs, or international freight. Do you save money that way?”
“That’s not why I buy from Mahina. It’s because Kona is the best. Mahina and her family mill the green beans, then pack and ship them to me using standard domestic freight.
It’s farm direct, and no broker is needed.
” Jo set the bag on the counter between them.
“I call it the Imperial Kona Reserve. It’s the crown jewel of Crown Island.
I only brew it at the counter for customers who know the difference between ordinary coffee and liquid gold and are happy to indulge and pay for it. ”
Rocky set down his cup. “You’ve really got this figured out.”
“I’ve got the product figured out,” Jo said. “That’s the part I know. The beans and roast profiles, the sourcing, and the women behind every cup. I can taste the difference between a Colombia Huila and a Colombia Narino blindfolded.” She paused. “The business side is where I’m still learning.”
“You’ve come a long way. I imagine you’ve got this.”
Jo hesitated. This was the part she didn’t like saying out loud. She lowered her voice. She hadn’t told Hugo or anyone else about this.
“Not as much as I’d like. A while back, I contracted with a manufacturer to handle my packaging and production for the retail bags.
This guy out of L.A. came recommended. Supposedly, he had experience with specialty coffee brands.
He showed me a whole portfolio of work he’d done.
So I mortgaged the diner to fund the first production run. ”
Rocky’s expression didn’t change, but she saw him set down his cup. He was listening intently.
“What happened?”
“Well, I went to see the facility last week.” Jo fidgeted with the edge of a dishcloth behind the counter as she spoke. She could only imagine what Rocky was thinking, but she’d come this far, and it felt good to unload this burden with someone who wasn’t a local and wouldn’t judge her.
“When I got there, the packaging he showed me looked cheap and generic. It was nothing like what we discussed. And the sample roast? Oh my gosh, it tasted terrible.”
She pulled a thread on the dishcloth until it snapped.
Rocky lifted an eyebrow. “He couldn’t fool you, could he?”
“I knew he’d substituted something cheaper.
The beans weren’t the same grade, and I could taste it the second it hit my tongue.
My women grew those beans and hand-sorted them.
And this guy swapped them out for bargain-bin robusta and thought I was some uneducated airhead who wouldn’t notice the difference.
He blew up and argued with me, so I canceled the agreement, even though he said I couldn’t.
But I would never sell what he was trying to push on me. ”
Rocky nodded. “You caught him and called him out. That’s why he got mad.
As for the contract, you should have an attorney write a strong letter to get you out of it.
If you don’t have one, I could do it for you and have a lawyer friend look it over and send it.
That will free you up to go ahead with your plan and shouldn’t cost you anything. ”
The diner was quiet except for the countertop roaster ticking softly. Outside, through the window under the red neon sign with its vintage clock, traffic rolled past on Orange Avenue. A car turned in, and a couple crossed the street.
Her regulars were arriving.
“I put everything I had into this. If he can’t deliver, or won’t return my money, I’m out the investment, but I still owe on the second mortgage.”