She discovered an eye-opening coffee on RAGBRAI. Now she owns a coffee shop in Mediapolis.

In the final stretch of this year's Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, cyclists will pass through Mediapolis, a small town north of Burlington. In the middle of town, near the intersection of Main and North Orchard streets, sits Jilly's Coffee & Cakes, a locally owned shop with a special connection to the ride.

Owner and operator Jill Rohr had been baking for friends and family since high school and working in commercial kitchens for almost 15 years. She wanted to open a bakery and coffee shop for a while, and in 2018, while biking RAGBRAI, she found what she was looking for.

"There was this coffee truck. It was Sidecar coffee," she said. Sidecar is a popular coffee company based in Cedar Falls that happened to be serving at that year's RAGBRAI.

"I don't know if it was just the heat of RAGBRAI, I don't think it was, but it was really good coffee." The week after she finished RAGBRAI, she contacted Sidecar and began work to create the shop.

She wanted a building on Main Street in Mediapolis, and found an old hardware store that was being remodeled. The project took a couple years to complete due to funding and construction issues, leaving them to open in early 2020, right as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning.

"Crazy as it sounds, everybody was closing and we were opening," Rohr said. "It was scary, but we have a community that is very 'shop local.' That's what saved us."

Opening in the middle of COVID-19 was challenging, but for Jilly's Coffee there was an unexpected perk.

"When I first opened, I didn't know any other revenue," she said. "So looking back it was probably a huge loss on the company, but I now know how to operate on no staff and not as many customers." The early days were lean, but with the help of Sidecar and the dedication of customers, the shop thrived.

"Regulars make our business run," Rohr said. "We're like the morning bartenders. People come in; they tell us how their morning's going, or they had a bad night and we love that they feel comfortable enough to talk to us."

The shop isn't just for chatting; it serves breakfast, lunch and of course coffee. As much as possible, Rohr sources ingredients locally. She also prepares all the food and drinks in house, with the coffee roast being provided by Sidecar, who Rohr says have been very accommodating.

"We were there a few weeks ago sampling all the coffees," she said. "I wanted more of the depth to the dark roast and they adjusted it for me."

As the business grows and establishes itself, Rohr takes pleasure in the process and dreams of expansion.

"My favorite part is interacting with customers," she said. "Watching them get excited when they drink something and eyes light up and they say, 'Oh, that's good.' Just seeing people enjoy that cup of coffee every day is my favorite part."

In the future, she hopes to be able to start roasting her own beans and even open a second location. She said she already gets many customers asking to open a store in their city. While she's too busy to ride RAGBRAI anymore, she does enjoy biking and seeing riders in the shop.

"I just want to make sure our shop is prepared and make a good experience for all the riders," she said. This year they plan to have a canvas painting for all the riders to sign. The piece will be displayed in the store alongside photos of riders and staff.

Breakfast options at the cafe include pizza, croissants and muffin sandwiches and plenty of pastries. The lunch menu is a variety of sandwiches. No matter when, there's always a wide range of drinks on offer, from lattes to tea. Rohr's everyday coffee is a redeye, but her seasonal favorite is an oatmeal crème pie latte.

Where to find Jilly's Coffee & Cakes

Location: 530 Main St., Mediapolis, Iowa

Contact: 319-394-3410 or jillyscoffee.com

Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. to noon Sunday

Ryan Magalhã es is a reporter for the Register. Reach them at rmagalhaes@dmreg.com .

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: She discovered an eye-opening coffee on RAGBRAI. Now she owns a coffee shop in Mediapolis.