John Curry - Buona Caffe
Buona Caffe
From a start of roasting beans with a hot air popcorn popper, John and Pat Curry have grown to 3 locations in Augusta.
Fueling Good Conversations Over Good Coffee
It’s a familiar sight at theClubhou.se’s Georgia Cyber Center location: entrepreneurs, mentors and other creative minds getting together over a cup of good coffee.
The provider of that local roast? John Curry, longtime theClubhou.se member and lifelong entrepreneur himself. Curry is the founder and owner of Buona Caffe Artisan Roasted Coffee, which he and his wife, Pat, launched in 2010.
Both used to work in the newspaper business—John as a photographer and photo director, and Pat as a writer and editor. “You can’t work in the newspaper business without drinking a lot of coffee—and believe me, we did,” says Pat. “Over time, we began grinding our beans.”
Then John read an article about roasting beans at home with a hot air popcorn popper. That “why not” led to a tabletop roaster and Saturday afternoons roasting coffee on their front porch. When friends started asking to buy their coffee, John’s entrepreneurial lightbulb lit up. After conducting focus group research, they armed themselves with a 1-pound roaster found on eBay, a GoDaddy website template, and started their business.
Today, the Currys operate three Buona Caffe locations in Augusta (and own two of them): the original Buona Caffe on Central Avenue, a café at the Georgia Cyber Center, and its roasting, equipment and training center on Reynolds Street in downtown Augusta, which they plan to open as a café in the near future.
““theClubhou.se has always been a unique organization from the beginning, nobody else is doing the kinds of things they’re doing”
John has been a theClubhou.se member for about as long as he’s been a coffee roaster: “theClubhou.se has always been a unique organization from the beginning,” he says. “Nobody else is doing the kinds of things they’re doing as far as working with new businesses and having the collaboration space.”
His connection with theClubhou.se has been a happy mutual partnership. John has been a regular part of 1 Million Cups, a weekly gathering of entrepreneurs and the Augusta community, supplying both the coffee and his expertise in starting and running a successful business. He’s also part of theClubhou.se’s formal mentoring program for young entrepreneurs. “He’s shared good stories on starting his business at our events, and I’ve always appreciated his wisdom,” says Grace Belangia, theClubhou.se cofounder.
Added cofounder Eric Parker, “The simple gathering of entrepreneurs and mentors around coffee is at the root of how startup communities are built.”
Along with 1 Million Cups, the Currys have run the café at the Georgia Cyber Center since 2018, and often provide coffee and catering to theClubhou.se events. “All members get us as their customers, so it’s a win-win,” says Belangia.
