Rising Stars: Meet Joshua Langenheim of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Langenheim.

Hi Joshua, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
When I opened the first StoneFruit Coffee, I didn’t have all the answers. In fact, I had more questions than anything else. But I’ve always believed that if you’re going to do something, you owe it to yourself and everyone around you to do it the right way. So I became a student. I learned everything I could about coffee, hospitality, leadership, and business. I made plenty of mistakes along the way, but every mistake became another lesson that helped shape who I am as a business owner.

As StoneFruit grew, so did my perspective. I realized I wasn’t really in the coffee business—I was in the people business. Coffee just happened to be what brought us together. Every location we’ve opened, every new venture like Steel Valley Brew Works, and every decision we’ve made has been guided by one question: How do we create a place people genuinely want to be?
I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built, but what I’m most proud of isn’t the number of locations or the businesses. It’s the relationships. It’s watching team members grow into leaders, seeing customers become lifelong friends, and knowing we’ve been able to invest back into the community that’s invested so much in us.

Today, my vision is bigger than opening another store, it’s to franchise this dream. I want to build something that lasts. I want StoneFruit to become a place where future business owners can chase their dreams without losing sight of what matters most. I want our culture to outlive me. If people remember anything about me years from now I hope it’s that I genuinely cared about people and tried to leave every person and every community a little better than I found it. But more importantly… I simply hope my daughter still wants to hang out with her old man as she gets older.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not. If anything, the struggles are what made the journey worthwhile.
There were days I questioned whether I was doing the right thing. There were financial challenges, long hours, difficult decisions, and plenty of mistakes that kept me awake at night. When you’re a business owner, you carry more than just your own livelihood—you carry the responsibility of your team’s families, your customers’ trust, and the community that’s chosen to support you. That weight is real.

I’ve learned that growth isn’t always exciting. Sometimes it looks like making hard decisions, admitting when you’re wrong, or starting over after something didn’t go as planned. Those moments are never easy, but they’ve taught me resilience, humility, and the importance of always learning.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that success isn’t measured by how few problems you have—it’s measured by how you respond when those problems show up. Every obstacle has made us better. Every setback has forced us to improve. Looking back, I wouldn’t erase those difficult seasons because they shaped our culture and reminded us what really matters.
Today, one of the principles we talk about often is, “Protect the Heart.” As we’ve grown, I’ve realized it’s easy to chase bigger numbers, more locations, or more opportunities. What’s much harder—and much more important—is protecting the culture, the relationships, and the values that made people believe in us in the first place. That’s the challenge I gladly carry every day.
The road hasn’t been smooth, but I wouldn’t trade it. Every difficult season has helped shape not only our businesses but the person I’ve become.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
On paper, I’m a business owner. I own StoneFruit Coffee, Steel Valley Brew Works. But if you asked me what I really do, I’d tell you I’m in the business of building people and creating places where they feel like they belong.

Coffee and food are simply the vehicles. Hospitality is what we actually sell.
I’m obsessed with the details because I believe the little things tell people whether they’re valued. From the quality of our coffee to the way a guest is greeted when they walk through the door, every interaction matters. Those moments are what create trust, and trust is what builds a lasting business.

As we’ve grown, my passion has shifted from opening new locations to developing leaders. There is nothing more rewarding than watching someone who started with little confidence become a manager, a leader, or even someone who discovers a career they never imagined for themselves. Seeing people realize they’re capable of more than they believed is one of the greatest privileges of what I do.

What I’m most proud of isn’t a building or a balance sheet. It’s the culture we’ve created. We’ve built businesses where relationships matter, where quality is never compromised, and where doing the right thing is more important than taking the easy path. That culture is something I’m fiercely protective of because I believe it’s the heartbeat of everything we’ve built.
If there’s one thing that sets me apart, it’s that I’ve never wanted to grow just for the sake of growth. Bigger isn’t always better. Better is better. Every decision we make comes back to one question: Does this protect the heart of who we are? If the answer is no, then it isn’t the right decision—no matter how profitable it might be.

At the end of the day, I hope people don’t remember me as someone who built coffee shops or restaurants. I hope they remember that I built places where people felt seen, valued, and cared for. To me, that’s success.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
If there’s one thing I’d want readers to take away, it’s this: success isn’t something you achieve alone, and it isn’t measured by the number of businesses you own or the awards hanging on your wall. It’s measured by the lives you impact along the way.
I’ve been incredibly blessed by people who believed in me long before they had a reason to. My family, our team, our customers, and this community have all played a part in every success we’ve experienced. None of this happens without them, and I’ll never lose sight of that.

As we continue to grow, I have one promise to myself: never sacrifice our heart for growth. Businesses can always get bigger, but if you lose your values, your integrity, or the way you treat people, you’ve already failed. I believe the greatest responsibility of a leader is to protect the heart of what they’ve built.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.StoneFruitCoffee.com
• Instagram: StoneFruit_Coffee
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StoneFruitCoffee/
• Other: https://www.steelvalleybrewworks.com