With one attached to the JFG Flats apartment building and the other on a hill overlooking the Tennessee river, two pieces of memorabilia remind Knoxville’s citizens of its corporate past.
The building that now houses apartment complex JFG Flats used to be the home of JFG Coffee Company’s headquarters and roasting plant. The slogan “The Best Part of the Meal” and JFG’s trademarked letters still adorn the outside of it.
Likewise, a JFG sign sits on a raised piece of land near the Gay Street Bridge. It is particularly visible at night, as it can light up if its dark, and adds a noticeable and mysterious layer of the landscape viewable by Knoxvillians as they dine at Calhoun’s or walk alongside the river.
But how did these reminders of Knoxville’s history get there, and what role do they currently serve?
Past connects dots to the present
JFG, which was originally founded in Morristown, Tennessee, in 1882 as a grocery company, began roasting in Knoxville in 1924. It started using the Knoxville building as its headquarters, as well as a roasting plant, in 1926.
In 2009, the building itself was transformed into an apartment complex. The old JFG Coffee sign still sits atop the complex; it is owned by Dewhirst Properties, which is responsible for JFG Flats, but JFG owner Reily Foods pays for its upkeep and its electricity bill.
“That was the arrangement when we sold (the owner) the building some years ago,” Reily Foods plant engineer Jeffrey Gamble said.
The other sign that overlooks the river, meanwhile, is owned by Reily Foods. It used to sit at the end of the Gay Street Bridge near South Knoxville, but was moved to its current location after the lease for that property was cancelled.
Reily Foods also leases the property that the sign now sits on.
JFG/Reily Foods currently has a manufacturing and distribution center in Knoxville, adding to the impact it has already had on the area.
“It means a lot (to Knoxville),” Gamble said. “We employee about 175 employees here at our manufacturing operations and distribution center. JFG’s been around Knoxville for, it you look at the history of it, JFG’s been around since the late 1800’s.”
‘That character … really comes through’
Changing JFG Flats from a roasting plant to residencies wasn’t exactly a simple process.
“We had to (completely) gut it and get all the equipment out of there,” Mark Heinz, architect with Dewhirst Properties, said. “We also had to add two new means of egress; update the sprinklers, fire alarms, and windows; put in a new elevator; and even cut windows into the concrete on the west side of building.”
It was all for a purpose, though; the building is an ideal spot for experiencing city life in downtown Knoxville and its actual structure is considered a bonus.
“Aside from the obvious location in the heart of downtown, JFG is great for apartments because it’s a concrete building,” Heinz said. “That means that, in addition to being very structurally sound, it’s fire proof and quiet, both of which lend themselves to successful residential development.”
Also, according to Dewhirst Properties leasing agent Chris Hughes, the historical background of the building itself is a plus for some residents.
“I think people enjoy living in a place with so much history because it’s so fun take a step back in your own home and imagine everyone and everything that was here before you,” Hughes said. “There’s also a beautiful contrast between the new, contemporary finishes and the historic, industrial building. From a design perspective, the work isn’t all on you and your furniture to give the room its character.
“A large part of that character has been instilled in it over the years, and that really comes through in these apartments.”
Upcoming plans for the property that has seen so much change over the years? Just following its current path, according to Hughes.
“We plan to keep renting to awesome tenants for the foreseeable future,” Hughes said.
New bags, same JFG
JFG coffee is still sold in Knoxville, and while the company honors its past, it still is looking to the present and future.
Reilly Foods is even implementing a new style of grocery bag for JFG coffee, called a “soft bag,” that is meant to keep coffee fresh for a longer period of time.
“The coffee drinkers’ palates have become more refined over the years,” Gamble said. “So the demand for higher-quality coffee, it’s a lot higher than it used to be.”
But one passing glance at the remnants of JFG’s past that still cling to the JFG Flats building or one look up at the sign that stands among the landscape overlooking the city?
It’s enough to serve as a reminder that, although things are changing for Reily Foods and Knoxville, the past isn’t quite that far gone.
