Coffee Futures Fund: Community and Support for Emerging Coffee Shop Owners - Ep# 443

Cat & Cloud Podcast Cat & Cloud Coffee Coffee Futures Fund: Community and Support for Emerging Coffee Shop Owners - Ep# 443 Summary In this episode, the crew sits down with Akshat Khandelwal, founder of Coffee Futures Fund, to unpack the reality of coffee shop ownership—and why so many founders struggle in silence. Drawing from conversations with hundreds of operators, Akshat shares how the industry has focused heavily on product quality while overlooking the people behind the bar. The conversation explores loneliness in ownership, the myth of “figuring it out alone,” and how mentorship, community, and shared experience can dramatically shift outcomes for emerging shop owners. From funding models to values-driven leadership, this episode highlights a growing movement to support independent coffee businesses in a more human, connected way. Chapters 00:00 Akshat’s Origin Story and Why Coffee Pulled Him In 08:00 Why So Many Coffee Shop Owners Said “Don’t Do It” 16:00 From Romantic Dream to Coffee Futures Fund 24:00 Building a Village: Mentorship, Community, and Capital 32:00 Why Coffee Shop Owners Feel Isolated 40:00 Values, Clarity, and What Makes a Cafe Actually Matter 48:00 How the Cohort Works: Goals, Mentors, and Growth 56:00 Funding Without Equity: A Different Way to Support Shops 1:04:00 Letters to Young Coffee Shop Owners and the Future of Coffee Futures Fund Cat & Cloud: Instagram Webstore Roasters Choice Subscription Wholesale Partners! Interested in serving our coffee at your business? Learn more about our Partner Program Links – The Truth! Colombia Truji y Angelita Thermal Shock Natural Coffee Futures Fund: Jared Truby Interview Jared Truby Zine Roundtable Event World of Coffee/SCA Cafe Imports Cat & Cloud Coffee was founded in 2016 by three friends who believe experiences and connections shape our lives. Former barista champions and lifelong coffee professionals, they envisioned a better way to do business and set out to create a values-driven organization that put culture first. Our mission is to inspire connection by creating memorable experiences. Whether it's with guests in our 4 retail locations in Santa Cruz, our team members, or our wholesale partners across the country, we strive to leave everyone better than we found them. The Cat & Cloud Podcast is a space for us to share our experiences and adventures in coffee and business in hopes of inspiring more people to create culture and values-driven organizations. Hosted by Chris Baca and Jared Truby Produced by Casey Ryan March 2026

You can listen to Coffee Futures Fund: Community and Support for Emerging Coffee Shop Owners - Ep# 443 online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Coffee Futures Fund: Community and Support for Emerging Coffee Shop Owners - Ep# 443 is an episode from Coffee Podcast by Cat & Cloud by Cat & Cloud Podcast.

This episode is 01:23:08 long.

This episode was published on Mar 30, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Coffee Podcast by Cat & Cloud when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.