G.I. Joe Coffee House Services
Military to Civilian Training
Our military to civilian training includes certified instructors who provide comprehensive transition, career and entrepreneurship training. In partnership with the Institute for Military Families (IVMF), we are able to give our veterans the training they need ro start
ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING
Ideation
Startup
Growth
Resources
Ideation
For: Transitioning Service Members & Spouses
Boots to Business
For those interested in exploring business ownership or other self-employment opportunities by leading them through the key steps for evaluating business concepts and providing foundational knowledge required to develop a business plan.
For: Female Veterans, Service Members, & Their Partners
Ignite
Introduction to entrepreneurship available to women veterans, active duty service women, and women military spouses/life-partners who are just beginning to explore the opportunity of small business ownership as a post-service career path.
For: Transitioning Service Members & Spouses
STRIVE
The Startup Training Resources to Inspire Veteran Entrepreneurship (STRIVE) program is part of a landmark initiative that transforms veterans and military family members into entrepreneurs. Delivered by Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families’ (IVMF) ARSENAL of 8 national entrepreneurship programs, STRIVE leverages networks and education resources in local communities to support and advance veteran owned businesses.
Startup
For: Veterans & Transitioning Service Members
Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV)
Cutting edge bootcamp style entrepreneurship training program teaching the steps and stages of business creation and business management, with a tailored emphasis on the unique challenges and opportunities associated with being a veteran business owner.
For: Families of Veterans & Caregivers
Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans’ Families
Bootcamp style entrepreneurship training program that integrates training with caregiver and family matters, positioning participants to launch and grow small businesses while tending to family responsibilities. Offered to spouses, family members, caregivers or the surviving spouse of a military member who gave his or her life in service to our country.
For: Female Veterans, Service Members, & Their Partners
Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship
A women-focused training program in entrepreneurship and small business management that provides tools, ongoing support and business mentorship to veterans, active duty service members and military spouses aspiring to become successful entrepreneurs.
Growth
For: Established Veteran or Spouse Business Owners with 5+ Employees
Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans Accelerate
Ready to take your business to the next level? Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) Accelerate is a bootcamp-style program focused on growth and tackles head-on topics such as the financial, management, marketing and strategic planning challenges established businesses face.
For: Veterans & Transitioning Service Members
RISE
R.I.S.E. – Resilience. Innovate. Sustain. Evaluate. – is a six-week virtual, bootcamp-style program dedicated to veteran and military family business owners, focused on the pivoting of the business not only to remain sustainable, but to explore ways to expand, and tackles head-on topics such as the financial, operational, strategic planning and communication challenges small businesses are facing.
For: Veterans & Military Spouse Business Owners
Veteran EDGE
Veteran EDGE (Engage. Develop. Grow. Evaluate.) is a four-day conference dedicated solely to veteran and military spouse business owners and the ecosystem that supports them.
For: Military Veterans, Spouses, National Guard & Reserves
VetSource
This three-phase program, which includes a training component, is designed to connect procurement professionals from Fortune 500 companies to veteran and military spouse owned/established businesses and culminates in a one-day event organized to increase business opportunities through unique introductory sessions.
Resources
For: Any Military Connected Persons
Center of Excellence for Veteran Entrepreneurship (COE)
The mission of the Center of Excellence (COE) for Veteran Entrepreneurship is to create, collect, organize, and share knowledge, resources, and networks to advance entrepreneurial opportunities for transitioning service members, veterans, and their families. This is accomplished through the development and delivery of innovative programs and educational resources; timely and relevant research and policy analysis; and by cultivating veteran-connected ecosystems across the United States.
For: Any Military Connected Persons
Coalition for Veteran Owned Business (CVOB)
Coalition of private sector companies, businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working to connect veteran and military family-owned business to supply chains of medium-sized and large corporations. CVOB simplifies and facilitates the process of supplying goods and services to larger employees.
For: Any Military Connected Persons
VETNET
Online resource offering innovative networking tools, career training, job opportunities and entrepreneurship classes. VetNet is a free service for the entire veteran and military family community.
CAREER TRAINING
ONWARD TO OPPORTUNITY
Start Your Journey
ONWARD TO OPPORTUNITY
Onward to Opportunity – Free Career Training Program
Supported by grants from JPMorgan Chase & Co. and the Schultz Family Foundation, Onward to Opportunity – formerly known as the Veterans Career Transition Program – utilizes an online learning platform to help active duty, selected reserve, veterans, and military spouses learn business, technology, and customer service skills to accomplish their personal and professional goals. Participants may choose to work towards one of our supported industry certifications administered by globally recognized organizations. O2O combines industry-validated curricula, strong partnerships, and comprehensive career coaching and employment services support to align program participants with civilian job opportunities.
- Free opportunity that does not utilize educational benefits
- Assistance preparing for recognized industry certification exams
- Connection to veteran service organizations (VSOs) and private sector companies committed to hiring and training veterans and military spouses
Start Your Journey
Onward to Opportunity in Partnership (O2O) is a multi-phased process designed to help you select the best learning pathway, provide you tailored training specific to your professional and educational goals, and prepare you for the process of successfully securing employment with one of our numerous employer partners.
As a participant in the O2O program, you will be guided through the following steps of the program:
- Program Steps
- Program Assessment
- Interview Matching
- Employment Support Services
Coffee Training
Each student will go through comprehensive and SCA certified coffee training.
This course lays the foundation for all subsequent G.I. Joe Coffee House (GIJCH) classes and is a great way to “get a taste” of the GIJCH curriculum. Coffee Introduction is designed for newcomers to the coffee industry and will teach you all of the basic, essential coffee knowledge. It will cover a broad overview of coffee. Perfect for the person who would like to explore what direction they wish to take their education within the Specialty Coffee Industry. When combined with GIJCH’s specialty add-on courses, you will be well on your way in your specialty coffee skills and knowledge.
FOUNDATION:
This is a full day course designed to introduce core barista skills to people with no previous barista experience. Successful candidates should be able to simply calibrate their grinders and make espresso, cappuccino, lattes, and steam milk to core standards.
INTERMEDIATE:
During the first part of this intensive training class, you will learn about coffee history, green coffee, roasting, grinding, brewing, extraction and preparation, milk, water, service skills, presentation, cleaning and sensory technology. The second half of the class is spent in the practical espresso stations. This is where you get hands-on experience with grinders, grinder adjustment, espresso machines, extraction, and pulling the perfect espresso shot. Not only will you learn about milk, steaming and texturing, but you will practice it on the spot by preparing the perfect traditional espresso, cappuccino and latte. The class will be concluded with time learning the basics of latte art.
PROFESSIONAL:
Similar to the Barista Skills Intermediate Course, except this class goes deeper into the coffee world from coffee history, green coffee, green coffee retail, coffee added value labels, certifications, roasting, grinding, brewing, extraction, preparation, milk, water, service skills, presentation, cleaning, maintenance, sensory cup technology, health and coffee. You will then spend the second half of the class refining your skills on grinding and extracting as well as milk texturing, followed by a practice session to hone skills in latte art.
This course teaches the importance and interaction of all grinding and extraction methods, as well as brewing styles typically used in the coffee industry. You will acquire the skills necessary for the preparation of coffee with respect to all of these methods. With your improved skills and knowledge, you will be able to determine what factors are important for each brew style and quality. At the end of class, you will reproduce and evaluate each brew method studied. This course is also excellent preparation for the Green Coffee class.
In the Professional class, you will use your previous knowledge to come up with brewing methods that best suit your style and unique needs.
- FOUNDATION
- INTERMEDIATE
- PROFESSIONAL
The Green Coffee course covers everything about the unroasted or immature coffee bean, which is the actual “seed”. You will learn significant background on the science and history of green coffee, as well as botany, agronomy, processing, storage, decaffeination, and grinding. You will gain an understanding of how these factors affect the cup and taste of coffee.
All three levels of the class will cover to differing depths the fundamental principles of green coffee by analyzing its process from the producer to the roaster.
Professional will provide substantially more information regarding the financial and commercial mechanics that are applied to the specialty coffee industry, including the local, national and global sales systems.
- FOUNDATION
- INTERMEDIATE
- PROFESSIONAL
FOUNDATION
The focus of this class is to get some basic impressions and physical understanding of the product and roasting process. You will learn how to and practice distinguishing between green coffee and roasted coffee, identify the change in roaster flame control, repeat the process of timing a roast temperature evolution, learn how to weigh and record the moisture of green and roasted coffee, and identify the first crack.
INTERMEDIATE
In the Intermediate course, you will learn how to easily identify the color range of roasted coffee beans and understand the cup result with different roast profiles. You will be taught the steps required to install a coffee roaster, including different heat, energy sources, and materials needed for a professional roaster. You will be guided through the roasting stages, physical reactions, chemical reactions, browning process, and how different environmental conditions can affect the roast. By the end of the class, you will be able to determine different defects of the roast, how air quality can affect roasting, maintenance of the machine, and how to stop a possible roaster fire. Finally, learn about different types of roasters and we will give you the tools to setup and design a typical micro roasting facility.
PROFESSIONAL
The Roasting Professional Level class takes a more practical approach than the Intermediate Level, thus taking you further into the world of roasting. More time will be spent in actual roasting sessions. You will roast three batches of the same coffee to a predetermined color range, getting within ten points as a target. You will learn to identify coffee roasted at different times and temperatures in a cup tasting session. We will dive deeper into the science of coffee, the chemical makeup of coffee, and chemical reactions of roasted coffee. At the end of the course, you will have the ability to profile roast.
In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of formal coffee analysis. You will develop keen sensory skills, formal cup tasting protocol, and proper terminology used in the coffee industry. We cover everything from setting up the preparation of a cup tasting with proper tools and utensils to the weights, grind, and measurements used with formal cup tasting protocol. You will learn to use your sensory perceptions and proper terminology that is used by experts in the industry.
- FOUNDATION
- INTERMEDIATE
- PROFESSIONAL
Q Cupping Essentials teaches you the fundamentals of cupping. This course covers how to utilize both the Specialty Coffee Association and the Coffee Quality Institute’s cupping forms, as well as how to use sensory skills to evaluate the coffee. You will learn every step of the cupping process including weighing, grinding, table setup and pouring water. No previous knowledge or experience is required, as the course is focused more on learning and less on testing.
You will find this course most useful if you work as a roaster and you want to leave your mark on the coffee industry. Benefit from the years of experience with blend development by working directly with our top SCA Certified Roasters to create your own custom coffee blend.
The world of coffee goes beyond just caffeinated drinks to delicious alcoholic beverages flavored with coffee. There is a fine balance to mixing coffee and alcohol and you will learn the art of mixing the two in this course. We cover far more than the well-known coffee cocktails like the Irish Coffee, and you will walk away with a menu of coffee cocktails to offer at your coffee house.
If you want to impress with more than just the taste of your coffee, come learn the art of latte art. Latte art goes back centuries and continues to be loved by coffee consumers worldwide today. This course will teach you the fundamentals and allow for time to practice what you learn. By the end of the course, you will have the knowledge to make any latte art design by etching or free pouring. The skills you leave with will set you up to perfect your latte art with regular practice. This course is a great addition to the Barista Skills Course as well as the Brewing Course.
Coffee Business Training
Opening a coffee shop is a big investment, so take the time to protect yourself. We will teach you how to do things right from day one and avoid needing to play catch-up later.
Design
Learn how to design your coffee shop to reach peak efficiency while avoiding costly injuries. Stand apart with your unique aesthetic and vision.
Hiring and Management
You’ll walk away with techniques to find the right people and develop a team who will help make this whole thing possible. Recruit, develop, retain.
Budgeting and Finances
See how to develop and price out a menu while controlling waste and operating expenses. Generate crucial reports and insight so that you always know where you business is at.
Profitability and Growth
We will help you create straightforward, actionable plans to attract more customers and leverage diverse marketing channels to grow your brand. Become an ultra-successful single location business or prepare to expand to multiple locations
RESOURCES
- BUSINESS PLAN TEMPLATE
- EMPLOYEE HANDOOK
- OPERATIONS MANUAL
- ONLINE BOOK LIBRARY
- DVDS
- ONLINE REFRESHER COURSES
Multiple Retail Sales Units
You will benefit from having the flexibility in starting small and growing your own portfolio of state-of-the-art coffee kiosks. Our sales units are designed for efficiency and high profitability. Our veteran-run logistics team will ensure you receive the freshest products when you need them. Using a sophisticated monitoring system, our sales and product management team will alert you that you need to put in your orders and we make it easy with “auto-shipping” so you can concentrate on running your business.
Sizes of Kiosks: 10 Ft, 20 Ft, and 40 Ft.
Learn more
Exclusive Franchise Program
What is a Franchise?
A franchise is a legal relationship where one party, called the “Franchisor”, grants to the other party, called the “Franchisee”, the right to develop, establish, and duplicate the operations of the franchisor’s business.
ALL VETERANS RECEIVE A 15% DISCOUNTED FRANCHISE FEE!
What you will receive:
- Trademark License
- Franchise Agreement
- High Quality Products
- Ongoing marketing campaigns (local and National)
- High quality and durable sales unit (kioss, trucks, and coffee houses)
- Comprehensive and certified coffee and coffee business training
How you’ll benefit:
- Established brand;
- Proven business concept and operating model;
- Established operating policies, procedures and standards;
- Lower statistical risk of failure;
- Immediate momentum on opening through established brand equity of the franchise;
- Established customer base of the franchise;
- Training and ongoing support from the franchisor;
- Shared marketing costs with the franchisor and other franchisees;
- Support in difficult times from the franchisor;
- Ongoing product and service innovation;
- Increased buying power via the franchise group;
- Easier to obtaining finance from banks and other lenders; and
- Increased chance of a successful sale of the franchise upon exit.
RESOURCES
- BUSINESS PLAN TEMPLATE
- EMPLOYEE HANDOOK
- OPERATIONS MANUAL
- ONLINE BOOK LIBRARY
- DVDS
- ONLINE REFRESHER COURSES
Franchise Business Financing
View our list of financial partners, their commitment to our mission will help you achieve the goals you have set out for yourself in the coffee industry. In addition, there are financial partners who have special programs for the Military Family Community as well.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us immediately.
SBA Veteran Advantage 7(a) Program
The SBA offers a variety of loan programs designed to assist veterans in acquiring capital to start, grow, or succeed in business. Online training courses and counseling are delivered through our network of experienced resource partners to help veterans become lender-ready. Veterans play an important role in stimulating economic growth in local communities. To encourage lending to veteran-owned small businesses, the SBA is providing a reduction in certain loan program fees.
Providing “fee-relief” on small-dollar SBA guaranteed loans reduces barriers for veteran-owned small businesses so they can access capital and create jobs. The SBA utilizes a credit scoring model to help reduce underwriting costs and processing time.
To learn more about the SBA Veterans Advantage Fee Relief initiative, please contact your local SBA District Office which can be located online.
Program Overview sheet, download
For more information, click here
Another SBA loan program that’s a good choice for veterans is the SBA Express Loan program. SBA Express Loans are a subprogram within the 7(a) loan program, offering loans up to $350,000 and fast approval decisions.
Both veterans and non-veterans can apply for SBA Express Loans, but the SBA also offers the Veterans Advantage program for these loans—through which it waives the upfront guarantee fee for veterans who qualify. Normally, this fee is 2% to 3% of the loan amount. Veterans, reservists, national guard members, and spouses are eligible to have the fee waived.
The Veterans Business Fund (VBF) is an up-and-coming resource for veterans who are seeking funding to open or expand a small business or purchase a franchise business.
This 501(c)(3) nonprofit relies on donors to provide funding for VA business loans at favorable terms. According to the site, this small business loan for veterans will be non-interest bearing to the extent permitted by law. The loan terms are for a period of five years or longer.
Veterans won’t be able to finance their business entirely through VBF, as the program will offer loans only in conjunction with the business owner’s personal equity. Generally, the applicant must bring 50% of their own funds to the table, and VBF will extend the remaining half as a loan.
Accion is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping small businesses grow and thrive, particularly those in underserved markets—including women, minorities, and veterans.
Through Accion, you can quickly and easily apply for a loan, whether online, in-person or over the phone.
With Accion, you can access loans of up to $1 million, with interest rates varying based on your qualifications and location.
Overall, Accion has flexible requirements and can work with startups, businesses with average credit, and those within a variety of industries. Accion is also a particularly noteworthy microlender if you’re looking for a smaller amount of financing.
Moreover, Accion can help you connect with peers, local organizations, and banks to help you through your financing and general business processes.
INQUIRE ABOUT JOINING US
Schedule a Private Consultation about getting involved in the G.I. Joe Coffee House Program.
Experience Innovation The G.I. Joe Coffee House Way
When you get involved in our veteran-focused coffee industry incubator…your future is in good hands.
Innovative Process
From start to finish, we use an innovative learning process that is geared to match the style and intensity you are already used to as a seasoned veteran.
Professional Sales Unit Design
Each sales unit is designed for mobility (coffee kiosk & truck), strong, custom-branded, and ready to go.
Qualified Location Planning
Our expert real estate professionals and licensing agents will assist you in finding and acquiring the best locations to run your business.
