If you’ve had the opportunity to visit our downtown Lexington office, you’ve likely had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Janie Harris. She’s the bright smiling face that greets you when you walk in the front door.
As she is sort of the local face of Southern Coffee, we thought we would introduce her as our first “Meet the Team” post. Amy, our Executive Chef, sat down with Janie to talk coffee, Lexington, and community.
Have you always loved coffee, or has that love grown since entering the world of coffee roasting?
I’ve enjoyed having a good cup of coffee since I was a little girl at Grandmother’s kitchen table. She would invite me into her kitchen and prepare for me a delicious cup of coffee with Pet milk, lots of sugar, and a small amount of coffee. I suppose she is the one that gave me my first latte.
What is your favorite Southern Coffee roast?
My favorite is the High Cotton Roast. It’s a medium-dark roast that’s rich in flavor and has a wonderful aroma.
Are you from the Lexington area?
Yes, in fact, I was born and reared in Lexington although Ellis (her husband) and I worth our four children have called Tchula our home for 45 years. I still have many fond memories of growing up in Lexington, attending grade school, and graduating from Lexington High School. Right off the square was the First United Methodist Church where my parents, Theo and Dell Moses, carried us (my sister, brother and I) to worship every Sunday. My first part-time job was at a store right on the square, Patterson’s Variety Store. Patterson’s was just two stores down from where Southern Coffee Services is located today. During the 1960’s, I held several jobs on the square including working for Mike and Helen Lammons at Lammons Jewelry.
In Tchula, after my children were older, I taught first grade in the Holmes County Public Schools at S.V. Marshall Elementary School. In 2012, I retired from teaching.
The Lord has “set the bounds of my habitation” and I am so grateful to Him for placing me in Holmes County, Mississippi.
How long have you been with Southern Coffee Service?
I’ve been with Southern Coffee Services since before the beginning. (Ha!) Nancy Barrett and Jane Smith invited me to become a part of the board of Lexington Coffee Company from which came Southern Coffee Services.
What positive impact have you seen the development of the company make in the Lexington community?
It’s always positive to see a vacant building transformed into a location where there is an activity (people coming and going) and business, trade, and employment taking place. It’s exciting, as well, because Southern Coffee Services is having this impact upon Lexington. Our products are changing the way grocery shelves look not only in Mississippi but Louisiana and Alabama.
What about the company/your position would you say is your favorite?
I enjoy seeing the difference our business is making in the lives of people from giving them a pleasant experience with a good cup of coffee to giving someone a job to support their family. It’s my pleasure to serve the people that the Lord brings to our door at 212 Court Square and I’m very thankful to be a part of Southern Coffee Services.
Who is your favorite person to share a cup of coffee with?
I would have to say that my very favorite person to share a cup of coffee with is my husband, Ellis. I also enjoy drinking coffee with my children, my friends that visit the building, and weary travelers that come into Southern Coffee Company from all over the country.