Joe Joffe was the son of Myer Joffe and Batya (Kozin) Joffe and was born in 1907 in Plunjan, Lithuania He was one of seven children. Joe migrated to South Africa in 1926, aged 19, joining his brother Kasriel. Kasriel had emigrated a year prior and was living in Pretoria. He travelled to South Africa with Harry. Before reaching Vryburg Joe worked as a smous and once he had mastered English he began working with Imperial Cold Storage. He then qualified as a block-man. In 1933/4 he moved to Vryburg and began his entrepreneurial career. He first bought a second hand furniture store. Joe then turned it into a regular furniture store (Central Furniture) and then set up a furniture store in Kuruman. He was also engaged in substantial real estate development in Kuruman. Furthermore, Joe farmed. Joe married Leila Harris in 1951. She was from Durban. Joe and Leila lived in Vryburg until 1967 when they moved to Cape Town. They had two children, Merle and Maurice.