Charleston Navy veteran who met husband building torpedoes launches coffee company
Melissa Green met her future husband Landis while working on Navy torpedoes in Hawaii. During the couple’s overlapping tour, the Puerto Rican from California fell in love with the South Carolina native on the sands of Ewa Beach, Oahu, and they returned to the island for their wedding in 2004.
They had no idea that after years of travelling throughout the country and overseas for the Navy, they’d find themselves back in Landis’ home state in 2014.
They now live in Summerville’s Cane Bay area with their four children, two dogs, and three cats.
Melissa felt it was time to follow a goal she had been putting off since Landis resigned from the military. She earned her online Master of Business Administration degree in January and utilised her newfound skills to launch Southern, Sweet & Sassy, a tiny coffee shop.
Her original plan was to combine a café with a bookstore. She admitted, “I’m a major coffee drinker.” “It was our break time, especially in the Navy. We’d take a break at the aft of the ship, drinking coffee and chatting. It’s the only way you can get some rest.”
She changed her business to keep up with the digital era while maintaining her passion for coffee at the forefront. She calls the online business, which is hosted by e-commerce platform Shopify, “roast-to-table.” That means the beans aren’t roasted until the customer places an order, assuring freshness.
While large-scale companies like Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks can keep their bulk beans in inventory for four to six months before they hit the shelves, Green said Southern, Sweet & Sassy’s beans arrive during their proper pique.
“The ideal freshness of a coffee bean is seven to fourteen days after it is roasted,” Green added. Green’s beans are roasted and shipped by Temecula Coffee Roasters in California.
Green explained, “I’ve allied with them because they share my principles and values.” “They’re a tiny, family-owned business that does everything in the United States, which is really important to me.”
