10 Minutes With Justin Goodhart: Part Two
We continue our conversation with Justin about how his company Goodhart Coffee grew to be the largest coffee catering business in the U.S.
BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT
Photos courtesy of Justin Goodhart
Last week, we began our conversation with Justin Goodhart, the former coffee competitor who now runs Goodhart Coffee, the largest coffee catering company in the United States. Today, we’ll continue our chat with Justin to hear his tips on running a successful business, and what’s on the horizon for him in both his professional and personal life.
Tanya Nanetti: What’s in store for Goodhart Coffee in the future? Any new ideas you want to share?
Justin Goodhart: Our plan for 2025 is to NOT expand to any new cities and really just double down on improving team culture and the robustness of our operations and sales in all of our existing cities. We’ve been growing really fast over the last three years, and I think it’s important we take some downtime so we don’t get spread too thin. That being said, in 2026 we could see ourselves expanding to two to three additional cities. It’s just doubling down on our strengths and continuing to refine our systems so we can do what we do best—serve delicious coffee in unexpected places!
One thing I’m really excited to share with the coffee cart world is a software called Flashquotes. Flashquotes is a software tool built specifically for coffee caterers that helps them manage leads, send instant professional quotes, handle bookings, streamline event logistics, and process payments. It’s designed to help coffee catering businesses grow and operate more efficiently, and Goodhart Coffee would have never grown to where we are without it. I co-founded the company in 2022, and as of today, over 120 of the largest coffee catering businesses in the U.S. are using (and loving) it.
In your experience, what is the key to opening a successful coffee cart? Do you have any tips to share with those interested in opening a coffee catering business?
It might sound counterintuitive, but success in coffee catering comes down to your ability to get found online and how responsive and professional you are. First and forevermore, we are a service business! When I first started coffee catering, I thought it was going to be my handcrafted syrups and the fact that I used beans from Sweet Bloom (where I used to work) that would help me get hired by people. But that turned out not to be true. People want friendly, professional, and convenient service above all.
Why do you think coffee catering has become such a popular business in recent years?
I think it’s gotten so popular because it requires relatively little capital to start up, and it represents a fun side hustle that if you failed, you’d just end up with an espresso machine and grinder to make delicious coffee for yourself at home. But if it succeeds, then you have the option to gain financial freedom, open a coffee shop, or quit your 9-to-5. There’s always allure in the promise of extra income and more freedom!
To conclude, I have a few more “personal” questions. Do you still work behind the bar—sorry, behind the cart!—or are you now too busy organizing and running Goodhart Coffee? And, if you no longer work as an active barista, do you miss it? Why and what do you miss most?
I make myself a cortado every morning, but I don’t really find myself behind the coffee cart much at all anymore. I don’t think I’ve worked an event in over a year now, and the year before that I only worked a handful when it was an emergency. Unfortunately, my love of coffee and the craft of coffee has taken me down a journey that landed me sitting behind a computer on meetings for eight hours a day. I really loved working behind the bar, getting my hands dirty, and serving customers. But unfortunately, if I were to do those things now, it would pull me away from growing the business, building better systems, and supporting my team.
In your personal history behind your coffee cart, what was the most interesting type of event (or your favorite) to work? Why?
I still think my favorite event of all time was (serving coffee at a) big solar eclipse event in 2017. Seeing a full solar eclipse is one of the most profound natural phenomena I have ever experienced, and I will never forget that day. I think what’s really cool about coffee catering is that you find yourself in unique environments and working with brands that (you may) never think possible. We find ourselves in the private meetings of Fortune 100 companies, serving CEOs, executives, movie stars, famous athletes, and more.
We love all types of events, and it’s sometimes even more meaningful to serve teachers or office staff who’ve drank Starbucks their whole life and have never experienced specialty coffee before. It’s really satisfying to hear, “This is the best latte I’ve ever had!”
To conclude, do you have a special story to share from your years behind a coffee cart?
In 2019 I met the woman I would eventually marry at an event in California where I was hired to serve coffee. We barely talked or interacted at that event, but we were making eyes at each other the whole time. We didn’t exchange contact info or talk at all … but then one day I saw on her Instagram that she had moved to Denver.
I have never slid into a DM so fast! I offered to show her around Denver, and we fell in love within months. We just celebrated our one-year anniversary and have a baby on the way. Doesn’t get more special than that!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the coffee machine (or visiting some hidden corner of the world), she’s busy writing for Coffee Insurrection, a website about specialty coffee that she’s creating along with her boyfriend.
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