Written by Paul Bonds, owner of Beanfruit Coffee Company
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked, “What made you get into coffee in Mississippi–specifically Jackson?” When you think about it, Jackson doesn’t meet the typical market criteria for specialty coffee. It’s not cold and rainy, it’s pretty conservative, and doesn’t have a major university in the vicinity. So why did I begin BeanFruit Coffee Company here and not some other city?
When I was kid, I used to love the show In the Heat of the Night, a drama/mystery television series that was based in the small fictional town of Sparta, Mississippi. Most of the cases that occurred on the show were solved in the fictional town. However, when the cases got too complex, they would travel to Jackson to get a higher authority involved to solve the case. Jackson was considered the “big city” on the show, and because I grew up in a small town in Mississippi like Sparta, I could totally relate. I’ll never forget the first time I traveled to Jackson as a child. I was fascinated by the big buildings, shopping malls, colleges, etc. Growing up in the tiny “one-horse town” I’m from made downtown Jackson seem like Times Square. The potential of what could happen here just got me excited. I firmly believe that excitement still exists. I also think it’s great to be a part of all the things that are starting to happen here.
Great local restaurants like Parlor Market, La Finestra, and Walkers, just to name a few, are paving the way for Jackson’s high-quality cuisine scene. Who would have thought that a single coffee shop in Fondren would one day lead to a coffee roasting operation with 10 plus cafés all over Mississippi? Cups: An Espresso Café did it, and they started in Jackson over 20 years ago. All of those factors and so many other examples give me hope for this area’s future. Sure, I know Jackson isn’t without its problems but I truly believe this city’s best days are ahead, not behind.
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