Jessica Hannah, our Territory Sales Associate, visited with Holly Roe, owner of Cinnaholic’s Knoxville and Pigeon Forge locations.
Listen in to their conversation...

WHAT IS CINNAHOLIC?

When we tasted these for the first time we knew we had to bring the first ever Cinnaholic to the state of Tennessee! It’s a gourmet cinnamon roll bakery. We make everything from scratch daily. We don’t own a freezer, so you get a truly hot fresh cinnamon roll that was made that same day when you visit us. We have 20+ frosting flavors and 20+ toppings to choose from. You can customize your cinnamon roll. We also have cookies, brownies, cookie dough scoops, and we cater large and small events.

TELL US YOUR COFFEE “ORIGIN STORY.” HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN COFFEE?

I discovered Cinnaholic on a family trip to Colorado in 2016. It was kind of a fluke thing to happen. When I ran across Cinnaholic I went in, and had one of their cinnamon rolls and thought it was extremely delicious. I went home and thought about that cinnamon roll for over 5 months. It was so delicious I was willing to drive a bit of a distance to have another one. When I looked it up, I came to find that there wasn't one at all in the entire state of Tennessee. I researched their website, and found that they were a franchise. I decided to buy into the business. Once I realized they would allow me to use a local coffee company, I knew I wanted Vienna Coffee Company. I had done story time at Vienna Coffee House for 4 years prior to running across Cinnaholic. I love their coffee, and felt it would be a great fit for me.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS?

I have always dreamed of having a coffee shop or bakery. I was inspired by my grandmother who is originally from Lebanon, but grew up in Cairo Egypt. I remember her always cooking exotic dishes, and I fostered a love for being in the kitchen. My uncle owned Copper Kettle Restaurant in Sweetwater. We just always had a family that was good at baking and cooking. I just knew I always wanted to own my own place. Owning a franchise made it easy. Everything is laid out for you. I didn't really have to think about what to do, and how to do it. I believe Cinnaholic is the only exclusive vegan bakery in Knoxville and Sevierville. It was brand new to the area, vegan and from scratch.

WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED, AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THOSE LOCATIONS?

9450 South Northshore Drive Knoxville, TN 37922

2655 Teaster Lane Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

Northshore was our first location to open. We knew we wanted a Pigeon Forge location, but wanted to start somewhere else to work through all the newness of owning a business. We signed the paperwork in January 2018 for the Knoxville location. We chose the Northshore location because it is one of the high end sides of Knoxville. Our business partner David Shanks and the Cinnaholic corporate team helped us on the demographics. We wanted a location that would attract a lot of people that was close to our home in Maryville.

We opened the Pigeon Forge location in November of last year. You were our barista for our Grand Opening. Our Pigeon Forge location is ranked number 1 in the company. (Cinnaholic is a nationwide franchise and the Pigeon Forge location is ranked number 1 based on sales.) We knew due to the area we would do well there and was glad to have opened Northshore first to get comfortable. Pigeon Forge attracts people from all over.

HOW MUCH COFFEE DO YOU TYPICALLY DRINK IN A DAY?

I am always a 2 cup girl, but sometimes I have more. I have my first cup in the morning and my second cup between 2-3 in the school pick up line because I was starting to fall asleep while waiting for school to get out.

TELL US ABOUT ONE OF YOUR INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF COFFEE.

Outside of coffee, we love spending time with our children. We are a ministry family. My husband Jason is an evangelist. We have summer camps called Smoky Mountain Outreach of Blount County. We get youth from all over who come to the camp. We chose 25 to 30 families who are in the most need in the most rural areas of Blount County, and do mission/service projects based on what the specific need is for each individual family.

IF YOU COULD ONLY DRINK THREE BEVERAGES FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?

Coffee, Sweet Tea and Water

CURRENTLY, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COFFEE?

Vienna Coffee's Front Porch

WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO ORDER WHEN CHECKING OUT A NEW COFFEE SHOP?

My go to order is a latte!

HOW DO YOU BREW COFFEE AT HOME, AND WHAT COFFEE DEVICE COULD YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?

I grind my Front Porch Coffee beans at the shop because we have a good grinder there. Then I brew my coffee on a Ninja Coffee Dark Brew.

IF SOMEONE WERE TO PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHO WOULD IT BE?

Oh I don't know how to answer that one. Everyone says I look like Drew Barrymore. However, I am not sure she could play the role of a preacher's wife. LOL

ESPRESSO OR FILTER COFFEE?

Espresso

ICED COFFEE OR HOT COFFEE?

Hot coffee

IF YOU COULD DRINK COFFEE WITH ANYONE, LIVING OR NOT, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

My grandmother was a big coffee drinker. I would love to have a cup of coffee with her again.