Justin Hartman

OZO Coffee Company • Village at the Peaks • Longmont, CO

For many, their neighborhood coffee spot is synonymous with a good morning. It’s the place where your coffee is fresh-roasted, breakfast is wholesome and fast, and the atmosphere is quirky and inviting. Justin Hartman has made OZO Coffee Company all of those things and a success to boot. With five OZO locations in and around the Boulder area, including Village at the Peaks, Justin is brewing up local favorites 7 days a week. Success has not been without its challenges, particularly during the recent COVID lockdowns, but Justin has persevered and achieved his own American dream.

Before OZO, Justin honed his business sense managing another owner’s successful company. The experience gave him the know-how and inspiration to branch out on his own. Like accomplishing anything great, it didn’t come easy. OZO Coffee launched with very little up-front cash, no outside investors and a small SBA loan. The stress really set in when costs exceeded his initial projections by 30% and his opening timeline shifted by 3 months.

But in the midst of this challenging journey and especially during the COVID-plagued months of 2020, Justin realized he’d found a true-blue partner in NewMark Merrill. Unlike the sense of “being on your own” at other locations, the Village at the Peaks organization exemplified a team-oriented environment. NMC regularly planned meaningful and relevant community events to drive traffic. During the pandemic they bolstered efforts in establishing additional outdoor dining areas, developed a comprehensive signage program and ensured sanitation and safety were fully supported.

Justin finds the rewards of being a small business owner to be plentiful. He’s a proud supporter of local charities, and he’s motivated daily by his desire to connect with and support diversity in the community. He’s forging his own path to success and proving that coffee brings people together.