The shop imports its coffee beans from a small community in Rwanda, offering fair wages to the coffee farmers.[/caption]

Melinda Bodukoglu, owner of Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee House and Bakery in Cypress, never worked a day in the food industry before opening up the coffee shop at the Towne Lake Boardwalk on Dec. 7.

When she and her husband, Gary, visited Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Co. in Daleville, Virginia, they immediately fell in love with the company’s concept, she said.

Georgia-based Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Co. partners with farmers and local community leaders in the African country of Rwanda to pay fair wages to Rwandan coffee harvesters.

Although the company owns four shops in Georgia and Virginia, Melinda and Gary are the first to open a franchise location.

For the past 21 years, the Bodukoglus have owned High Tech Machine, a business that makes parts for oil rigs. The Bodukoglus still own their company, but they wanted to venture out and try something new, Melinda said.

“A lot of it is about giving back to our community and giving back to the people of Rwanda,” she said. “And a lot of it just sounds like fun.”

The Bodukoglus plan to open five new locations in north Houston over the next six years, Melinda said.

In addition to handcrafted Rwandan coffee, the shop serves made-from-scratch pastries that are baked on-site daily. Pastries vary from sweet to savory, including quiche, turnovers, scones, cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip banana bread and cookies.

The shop offers sweet and savory baked goods made from scratch daily by pastry chefs.[/caption]

Different flavors of cakes and pies are sold by the slice daily, as are other seasonal items. Whole cakes and pies are available by special order.

The shop features a drive-thru for customers on the go, but Melinda said she encourages customers to come inside, relax and sip on a hot beverage while chatting with friends and neighbors.

“The whole point is to slow people down so they can come in and enjoy,” she said.