Mr. Rogers once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
Just Love Coffee Cafe at 12525 Old Meridian St., Carmel, is doing just that: helping people because that’s what owners Erika and Peter Steele have it in their hearts to do.
It was always their dream to own a business someday, and Erika thought Just Love Coffee Cafe would be Peter’s adventure, but soon she learned that she would be the one to fill others’ cups with love. When they lived in Texas, Erika worked as an engineer at Boeing, but had always loved the idea of working for a non-profit and after having the twins, she fell in love with a social service agency and worked there for a while.
In May 2020, Erika, Peter, and their twins decided to pack up their bags and move to Indiana.
After moving from Texas at the beginning of the pandemic, Erika and Peter made Hamilton County their home. (Reporter photo by Sydney Schmitt)
“We thought that that would be the time to start our own business since we had talked about starting one for years, even though it was during the rough of COVID,” Erika said. “I’m a person of faith and always just said, ‘If God leads us there, then it’ll happen.’”
They had always talked about making sure their business would be one that would give back to the community, and they decided on a cafe-style business so kids and young adults could have a safe place to hang out. Once settled in Indiana, a franchise coaching company reached out to Erika and connected them to Just Love Coffee Cafe based out of Murfreesboro, Tenn.
“Since we had never been business owners, Peter and I thought it would be best to start with Just Love Coffee Cafe so that way if we had questions, we would have someone to reach out to for help,” Erika said. “We also liked their origin story. The founder, Rob, started roasting coffee beans to help support his own family’s international adoption and he found that his family was able to fundraise very well, so they started helping families with their adoption processes by roasting and selling coffee beans for them through an online market.”
Just Love Coffee Cafe not only helps raise funds for adoption, but they raise funds for other national and community chapter organizations as well by selling Cause Coffee. For example, one can purchase the Spectrum Blend Cause Coffee and a portion of those proceeds go towards raising awareness and support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
(Above left) The Cha Cha Latte has notes of smooth chocolate and hints of hazelnut with amaretto. (Above right) You can buy different blends of Cause Coffee right in the Just Love Coffee Cafe. (Reporter photos by Sydney Schmitt)
Once inside the cafe, you’ll notice the atmosphere is vibrant and upbeat. There’s plenty of seating and family-friendly board games for family fun together. A room in the back of the cafe can be closed off and used for meetings, small gatherings, and sometimes prep work for when Just Love Coffee Cafe does catering events. The menu offers specialty coffee, lattes, and other drinks, too.
My hot Cha Cha Latte had notes of smooth chocolate, and hints of hazelnut with amaretto flavors … perfect for a stormy day. One of the most unique things about the menu is the use of a simple cooking appliance: the good ol’ waffle iron.
“The majority of our menu is cooked on a waffle iron, which is something unique that Just Love Coffee Cafe is known for,” Erika mentioned.
Most of the food on the menu is cooked on a waffle iron, including the popular Bacon Tater. (Reporter photo by Sydney Schmitt)
The Bacon Tater is just one of the many items cooked on a waffle iron, and it might call your name. If you try it, you’ll sing praises of the ooey-gooey cheese and the crisp bite of tater tots with just plenty of bacon pieces on top that’ll make you squeal with delight.
Erika said her favorite menu item is the Jive Turkey, a wrap with turkey, bacon, provolone cheese, spinach, and creamy pepper jelly spread. Her coffee drink of choice would be Toffee Coffee, a signature latte with flavors of toffee, chocolate, and caramel. Looking for something gluten-free? Don’t worry, Just Love Coffee Cafe offers gluten-free options baked by No Label at the Table, a local business in Carmel that is staffed by people on the Autism Spectrum.
Just Love Coffee Cafe has raised awareness and funds for organizations such as Shepherd’s Center of Hamilton County and other local organizations. Last year, the cafe donated 10 percent of sales sold on Mother’s Day to benefit mothers and their children at O’Connor House in Carmel.
Loyal customers to Just Love Coffee Cafe are what makes the cafe able to assist the community, and Erika and Peter hope to be able to continue to do just that.
If your cup is running on empty, take some time and fill it with love. You now know where to go.
For more information about Just Love Coffee Cafe, visit them on the web at justlovecoffeecafe.com/carmel.
Sydney Schmitt is a self-pronounced coffee addict who is a new resident of Noblesville. She can be reached at sydneyschmitt@gmail.com. She’d love to hear from you and what coffee shops she should try!