Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Olive.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I got into the coffee industry in 2014 with the opportunity to open our own coffee shop in downtown Lake Worth. The city of Lake Worth was void of a specialty coffee shop as the only coffee expression downtown went out of business. So when we decided to open Common Grounds, we knew it needed to start out humble with just the basics.
We emphasized community within the neighborhood and is a place for everyone to call their third place Within a few years, business started to really take off and we were able to merge and acquire a roasting operations to bring all roasting under one roof. We knew at that point we wanted to expand the brand and bring Common Grounds to more places. Currently, we have three retail locations, West Palm, Lake Worth, and Boynton Beach, and a roastery that services our stores and our wholesale partners.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Starting a small business and running one is never going to be absent of struggles. It took a couple of years for us to really find our footing and understand how to make this a profitable business. Being in the coffee industry brings a lot of fulfillment but your margins are narrow and it takes an unbelievable amount of work to get to a point of sustainability and profitability.
Even now with expansion, there are growing pains that you encounter along the way. But if you prioritize your staff and the people that come through your door, the other things will start to fall into place and that’s what we’ve seen.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Common Grounds is a retailer and wholesaler with 3 locations in Palm Beach County and a wholesale division. We have 20 years of coffee experience with nearly 10 of those years being Common Grounds. As coffee roasters, we are bridging the gap from traditional coffee to third-wave coffee (specialty coffee).
It’s important to us that we bring our customers along the journey of specialty coffee and not force our hand to something that is sometimes an acquired taste. Most importantly, we have built a reputation for the community and culture that we create within our stores. We spend a lot of time cultivating our internal culture with genuine care and dignity with every staff member.
When you give time and attention to people, special things happen. As a result, the staff naturally gives great hospitality to the guests which is a top priority for us. Building our brand on both our coffee and our community isn’t an easy task but we are dedicated to both and will continue to pursue to til the end.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The coffee industry has seen big shifts in 2020-2023 with Covid, labor shortages, and inflation. It has stabilized in many ways but it’s going to be interesting to see how that has altered the industry. A trend I am seeing is that ever since Covid, places are getting smaller and less inviting, pushing for a more in-and-out service. But that is leaving a hole for something that a lot of us still want, which is a physical place where you can just be and be around others.
Having a space to gather, hang, work, and socialize, is vitally important and I believe you are going to see a fork in the industry with some shops going strictly in and out with walk-up windows and drive thru’s because of those labor shortages and inflationary pressures, but you’ll also see the other shops that are going to provide that third place and give that extra attention to the customer experience with your product and hospitality.
Contact Info:
- Website: commongroundsbr.com
- Instagram: @commongroundsbr
Image Credits
Jeanette Brown (Common Grounds)
