serving cheer ... with a side of coffee

joyristas megan mccutcheon and nathan nelms inside the java joy coffee truck.

Considering how prolific the coffee chain Starbucks is, it’s a fair assumption most Americans are familiar with the term “barista.” The term “joyrista,” however, might be a new one.

Joyristas serve much more than cups of coffee. They serve businesses, the Athens community and everyone they encounter with welcome arms, big hugs and — as the job title might imply — a whole latte joy.

“The first thing, I got hired, they needed help, so I wanted to help,” said Megan McCutcheon, who was one of the first four Joyristas to join Java Joy after it was founded in 2016. The nonprofit is a program of Watkinsville, Georgia-based Extra Special People, which provides special needs-centered activities and programming for children and adults of all abilities, as well as their families.

Nathan Nelms came on board in 2017 after Jake Sapp, coordinator of program operations for ESP, contacted his parents about Nelms working with Java Joy.

“We did like a practice,” Nelms said. “We would like, fill the coffee filter thing an then we’ll have to pour the coffee powder stuff and then we’ll have to shake it a little bit and put it in the thing, and we’ll have to turn the coffee thing on and wait ‘til it says ‘ready to go.’”
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Going on two years later, Nelms and McCutcheon are experts at running the coffee maker and the coffee cart.

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Laura Graben, Java Joy’s development coordinator, initially started at ESP as a volunteer and as demand for the coffee cart grew, so did its staff.

“It was an opportunity for our adults here at ESP in particular, but also an opportunity in our community to become more engaged,” Graben said. “Now we have three Americorps members, we have Jake who is the top manager of Java Joy, me as the development coordinator and we have 14 joyristas now. … It’s just basically really blossomed here in Athens. I think people really enjoy their coffee and their experience with us and it’s a different take on their morning cup.”

​When a company or event books with Java Joy, the 

the java joy trailer and van outside an event at voya in atlanta, georgia. | courtesy photo

joyristas bring their coffee cart or coffee trailer to the business and serve complimentary cups of Jittery Joe’s, and plenty of complimentary hugs. Though many Athens-area businesses have hired Java Joy since 2016, the word is spreading.

“The coolest place is the downtown in Atlanta,” McCutcheon said of a recent event at Colony Square in Midtown. “We helped to do 500 muffins.”

Joyristas made about $100 each in tips that day, and celebrated a job well-done with lunch at Cracker Barrel.

“It’s better than [previous jobs] because you get to go out in the community and serve coffee and hang out with your friends,” Nelms said.

Graben said most of the time, the cart is wheeled into a business’ lobby, lounge or meeting room, but for this event, the trailer was on the street food truck style. She said this will be the first of several bookings at this locale as part of Java Joy’s new subscription program: companies that book at least four times in one year can receive a discounted rate. 
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“We’re really great at grand openings or holidays, parties where businesses are celebrating certain big events,” Graben said. “At the same time, we’re plugged into businesses on a weekly, monthly basis that just want us there simply for their staff.”

>> bold coffee for a bold future
 
ESP decided early on to partner with Jittery Joe’s when Java Joy launched. Graben said the Athens coffee roastery already head the name recognition, and might be a way to lessen the barrier to companies interested in booking the coffee cart. Perhaps it’s the coffee — there’s a custom Java Joy blend available now in stores — or perhaps it’s the people, but whatever it is, the demand for Java Joy continues to grow.
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“We’re in straight-up North Carolina soon for a wedding,” Nelms said.

joyristas megan and colin help at the jittery joe's roastery. | courtesy photo

In the Classic City, Java Joy launched a new partnership with the YMCA on weekends inviting businesses to sponsor coffee, and joyristas now have the chance to work directly at the Jittery Joe’s roastery on Monday a month.

“YMCA is like, we do events with basketball games. People play games, and we serve coffee for them,” McCutcheon said.

Her work with Java Joy inspired McCutcheon to create her own business — Meg’s Mess. She said the name in part comes from the mess she tends to leave in the kitchen, like red velvet on her mom’s mixer after making a cake.

As for Nelms, he gets the most out of being hands-on.

“Nathan really enjoys the kind of behind-the-scenes aspect of it,” Graben said. “You don’t tell him what needs to be loaded, he just grabs the cambros and takes them to the van.”

The other barrier Java Joy’s staff hopes to lessen is interacting with adults of different abilities.
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“That’s an amazing thing to witness. Some people have hesitancies with interacting with people with disabilities, and they don’t know how to get past it,” Graben said. “You see someone taken aback at first … by the end of it they leave with the biggest smile on their face. That’s what’s so special about our brand. We meet you where you are and you end up having this experience you didn’t’ expect, and a lot of people’s lives are changed because of it.”

above: joyristas set up the coffee cart at an athens, georgia event. below, from left: the java joy blend of jittery joe's coffee; joyristas colin and nicky at an event; muffins and cups, ready to go. | courtesy photos

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