Made in Tennessee: The Green Frog Coffee Company

Today, the Green Frog Coffee Company is a local attraction offering more than specialty drinks and food items. The owner says that growing up on a dairy farm inspired many of the recipes in the entrees.

“Of course, as a child, I grew up on a dairy farm. Just the experience of being out in nature and watching things being planted grown and then enjoyed at the dinner table was just a phenomenal experience,” says Timmy Jonson, who is the owner of the Green Frog Coffee Company.

Jonson and the rest of the employees put forth many efforts to bring that same experience to the customers.

“We try to use the rawest ingredients we can find in our food. Like the syrups, we use for our coffees, they’re not corn syrups, they are sugar cane syrups,” says Jonson.

Before the green frog coffee company was born, the Jackson native worked at a burger king. After that, he thought he’d never work in the restaurant business again. But one day, he visited a coffee shop in Dyersburg.

“And they needed some help; I stepped behind the counter. I developed a passion for what was going on, and an opportunity came to open my own shop,” says Jonson.

Even after 12 years, and dealing with a few challenges, the green frog coffee company, continues to serve fresh food with fresh ingredients.

During the 2008 recession, Timmy faced difficult times, he even thought about filing for bankruptcy, but when he decided to close on Sundays, he saw a drastic change.

“And when I did that, my sales went up 30 percent the very month that I closed on Sundays”, says Jonson.

According to the general manager Brandon Rickman, the atmosphere makes the green frog a great place.

“Its a wonderful place to work, and it’s a Christian environment,” says Rickman.

The environment keeps customers coming back for more.