Just Love Coffee was founded with a mission to give back. Having adopted children from Ethiopia, founder Rob Webb and his wife experienced the financial and logistical challenges of the adoption process firsthand. In response, in 2009 they launched Just Love Coffee Roasters, an online coffee store that donates a portion of its proceeds to help families with adoption costs. The business later expanded into brick-and-mortar Just Love Coffee Cafe locations, serving artisan coffee and an all-day menu (cooked in a waffle iron) while creating inviting, community-focused hubs.

Encouraged by the cafe’s organic success, Webb and his team began exploring franchising to expand Just Love Coffee into more communities. The franchise program was launched in 2018, focusing on growth across the Southeast and beyond. Today, the brand has approximately 60 locations in states including Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

The company’s mission resonated with husband-and-wife duo Kathryn and Gray Ives as they explored franchise opportunities for their second careers. Kathryn, a former retail manager with experience at stores like the Limited, and Gray, a 30-year banking veteran eager to support his wife’s vision, knew they wanted to give back in some way. While initially hesitant about the food-and-beverage industry, they were introduced to Just Love Coffee by a franchise broker and saw its potential.

Franchising appealed to Kathryn because of its structured approach. “I liked that I could learn as I developed the business,” she said. With its strong mission and community-driven model, Just Love Coffee Cafe provided the perfect opportunity for the couple to build a business while making a positive impact.

In this interview with ICSC Small Business Center contributing editor Rebecca Meiser, they share their journey, from navigating the franchising process and overcoming delays to securing the perfect location and embracing Just Love’s mission-driven approach.

What inspired you to start the business?

Gray: We were at this point in life where our kids are gone. Our youngest is now in college, so we were looking for something to do. We were talking with a franchise broker consultant who had given us several ideas, but we just couldn’t find anything of interest. We went from automobile to personal care to educational ideas. Then he came to us and said: “Have you thought about restaurants?” We immediately said: “No, we’re not interested.” But he wanted us to look at Just Love Coffee. We had told [him] that, while we were looking for something we could do, we also wanted to give back. [W]e looked at some information he gave us, and we immediately said: “We think this is it.”

What made you change your mind?

Kathryn: Well, the thing is that a lot of their food is prepared through a waffle iron. It’s a concept that was different, that we thought people would like. So for instance, you order a bacon biscuit, it’s going to come out in a waffle iron. You order a quesadilla or a club sandwich, it’s going to come out [of] a waffle iron. The great thing about the concept is that you don’t need to have a full kitchen. And the focus is really on the coffee and the mission more than the food. We don’t have any personal connection to adoption but really loved [the founder’s] story.

Once you decided to pursue the franchise opportunity, what was the process like?

Gray: We had to go through their approval process. There was an in-person visit that we had to go through, and they had to decide whether or not they wanted us to. It was a two-way interview really, but we approached them first with our interest. We spent a day going through their operations, eating in one of their locations and having conversations. It got to the point where they said: “Look, we can sell anybody a franchise. It’s not about the money. We want to make sure you are on board with our mission. We want to know what attracted you to us.”

For us, we’re in it for the money, yes, but it’s more about giving back. And that’s what we think makes Just Love better than a Starbucks or any other coffee place in the area: this focus on giving back.

What questions did you have for them?

Kathryn: We were people who had no experience. We wanted to see what controls do they have? What sort of technology? We wanted to see how the coffee was roasted, how it shipped, what a franchise owner does during the day. We wanted to see firsthand: Can we really do this? What support will they offer? How accessible are you if we need help. Do you provide training and support in hiring? We talked with the corporate office [and] met with the marketing office; all of that really gave us a firsthand understanding that we wouldn’t be alone in this.

How did you seal the deal?

Gray: We committed to a multistore deal. [Just Love Coffee] laid out expectations of when we would open our first store, how much capital that would require and agreed to the franchise fee and the franchise royalties. The first step after that was to find a location. It took a couple years to find the right spot in Mount Pleasant, [South Carolina].

Did Just Love Coffee help you find a good spot?

Gray: Their marketing group did a study of our [metropolitan statistical area]. We focused on the Mount Pleasant area as our first location because it was close to where we live.

They gave us a list of locations that were available that they knew either [were] on the market or coming on the market. We went through them all and picked one.

Is that the location you are in now?

Gray: No. We were getting delays. It was a month of delays, then more months, than a year. We grew frustrated. We actually found the location we’re in now through word of mouth and pivoted. It’s a fairly large [neighborhood] center. [W]e heard a Trader Joe’s was moving to that location, and we believed that would draw a lot of foot traffic. We saw a store was vacating in that center, and we pursued it.

Was Just Love Coffee OK with the pivot?

Gray: Yes, but we had to get permission from not just them but from Trader Joe’s and other breakfast places in the center who had exclusivities. It was all done through our Just Love reps, who represented us in the lease and negotiations. Luckily, Just Love was very, very accommodating. Never did we get: “Hey this other place over here is ready to go now. You need to pivot.” They let it be our decision, which was very important, and they didn’t rush us. They let us make the right decision instead of rushing into something that might not be the best location.

What’s the status now?

Kathryn: Our permit was approved at the end of November. We started the construction phase on the first of January, [and our goal] is to be open and operating by the first week of May.

Gray: We’ve been waiting for over three years to open this store, and in that time, the cost of construction has gone up. The price of everything has almost doubled since we started this process. You have to understand that the capital standpoint and the timeline may be hard to adhere to and things can take longer than you think.

MORE FROM THE ICSC SMALL BUSINESS CENTER: Building Out Your Location and Dealing With Permitting

Are you self-funding?

Gray: We are, at least for the first store. With the [U.S. Small Business Administration] interest rates and the current market conditions, I thought taking out an SBA loan would be cost-prohibitive. But for the second store, that may be the route we go.

How do you plan to get the word out about the new cafe?

Gray: Corporate does a broad marketing effort, which they do for all stores, but it is up to Kat and [me] to do local marketing. We are going to start by reaching out to nonprofits and the chamber of commerce to start getting our name out there. Nonprofits have been impactful in other store locations’ growth. Our location, like others, will close at 3 p.m. every day. What [Just Love owners] have done in other successful communities is they go to these nonprofits and allow space to be used for meetings and gatherings. We might cater their meetings or we might just provide the drinks, but that focus on community involvement [as part of the mission and business plan] is one of the reasons we chose Just Love.

How are you preparing for Charleston’s competitive coffee and food scene?

Gray: What [Just Love Coffee] has shown in other markets is they’re not afraid of the Starbucks or the Dunkin or any of those. We truly think that [with] our mission, our core values — if we can get that communicated and we show that when you come into our store — this will be a place that will be so much more than any other competitor. People really care about missions and values now, as customers.

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