MO Joe Coffee House – Kokomo
Brew Crew
MO Joe Coffee House Owners Pour Their Heart Into the Business
Writer / Julie Yates
Photographer / John Bolinger
When Troy Hintz found out that the previous owner of MO Joe Coffee House was selling the business, it seemed like the type of opportunity his family was looking for. Located on North Main Street, the cafe has proved to be a true family business. It’s also committed to supporting and helping the community.
“We’ve always been interested in finding a business,” Hintz says. “It’s been a desire to do something like this in our family. We heard that it was a turnkey business. After talking and praying about it, we decided to go forward. We took over on January 1 and opened on January 7 to participate in First Friday. The whole family worked 16- to 17-hour days preparing to reopen. We took everything off the walls, and everyone was on their knees scraping and preparing for painting. We wanted a fresh, clean slate to make it our own.”
Hintz, a police officer, along with his wife Jill, daughter Emma and daughter-in-law Brittany, all work at the shop. Their son Ryan is also part of the business and helps out from time to time. The family changed the decor to make it their own style and reflect their values by taking down several objects that had been hanging on the walls.
“We added a light lunch daily and breakfast as well on Fridays,” Hintz says. “We got a blending machine to make smoothies, frappés and milkshakes. A fruit-based product is used that has no high-fructose corn syrup, and is non-GMO. We’ve also added Red Bull refreshers for people that don’t like coffee. They can be made to be any flavor such as orange creamsicle or blueberry. Everyone loves the bubble drinks and our frozen Ghirardelli hot chocolate.”
To ensure that each espresso drink tastes the same no matter which employee makes it, Hintz brought in an expert barista. During several training sessions, he instructed everyone on best practices for steaming milk and pulling perfect espresso shots.
Special events happen at MO Joe. Besides participating in First Fridays, the cafe has sponsored “Friends” trivia and some live music nights. Special promotions such as a National Superhero Day celebration and Thursday soft-drink specials make it a lively place.
One important aspect of the cafe is that it provides the Hintz family a way to do outreach in the community. So far, three different addict recovery facilities in Cass and Howard counties have benefitted. People have donated products and gift cards to these organizations that the cafe supports.
“I’m tired of seeing what drugs can do and how they steal members from families,” Hintz says. “We want to be a positive in the war to fight addiction. I have a heart for seeing people get better when they go through recovery. To be a little bit of blessing – that’s what’s in our heart at MO Joe Coffee House.”
MO Joe Coffee House is located at 106 North Main Street in Kokomo. For more info, call 765-437-3451 or visit facebook.com/mojoecoffeehouse.
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Mo joe Coffee House, North Main Street, Kokomo, IN, USA
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765-437-3451
TodayClosed Now!09:00 AM - 05:00 PM- Monday09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Tuesday09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Wednesday09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Thursday09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Friday09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
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