2018 Startups to Watch: Made in KC hometown goods hub expands
January 16, 2018 | Traci Angel
Editor’s note: Startland News selected the top Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. The following is one of 2018’s companies. To view the full, ranked list of Startups to Watch, click here.
Made in KC Cafe wants customers to sip a Kansas City brew, then peruse what local artisans have to offer.
The coffee-and-browse experience awaits at the latest venture from Made in KC. The one-stop shop debuted its 1114 Baltimore Ave. hybrid store in December, introducing a concept of fresh-brewed, inviting java and locally produced wares.
1) Plexpod
2) PayIt
3) Bardavon
4) Rx Savings Solutions
5) Swell Spark
6) Mycroft
7) Super Dispatch
8) Made in KC
9) RFP365
10) Ruby Jean’s Juicery (tie)
10) Cambrian (tie)
The company also launched the online Made in Kansas City Marketplace, expanding the availability of items already found in Made in KC shops and partner Hallmark stores, as well as including other vendors not previously stocked in brick-and-mortar locations.
“It’s a resource and it’s like Etsy, only with Kansas City products,” said Tyler Enders, Made in KC co-founder.
Outreach also comes in the form of Made in KC Explore, a component of the company’s website that offers lists and featured attractions from throughout the metro. Postings include “Menu of the Month” and “Drinking Coffee in Kansas City,” as well as the popular feature “Living in Cinn,” which spotlights the quest for cinnamon rolls across town.
“It’s another way to serve our clientele,” Enders said of the online venture, which began in spring 2017. “We added two or three articles a week last year.”
Still, Made in KC Cafe was the year’s biggest attention-grabber, he said.
“We got an amazing reception and hadn’t done any advertising,” Enders said.
Ten Kansas City-based roasters will be on a rotation at the shop to provide customers with a taste of local coffee blends, including varieties like cold brew and nitro cold brew. The cafe is slated to open a bar in the back this spring that will offer local beer on tap.
“We have laid our groundwork for the year,” Enders said, adding that among other changes, Made in KC has added administrative space in the Crossroads to accommodate its growth. He is keeping quiet, however, on a few of concepts he said will be announced later this year.
Featured Business
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
TechAccel hops in $3.2M round for Lincoln-based ag tech firm
Kansas City-based TechAccel is joining an investment round in a Nebraska agriculture tech firm that aims to improve crop yields. The area venture firm is among a group of investors in Lincoln-based Epicrop Technologies Inc., which raised a total of $3.2 million in its Series A round, which was led by North Forty Ventures. TechAccel…
Roasterie founder Danny O’Neill takes historical look on Midwest coffee culture
Editor’s note: In partnership with the KC Greats podcast, hosted by Scott Parman, Startland News hopes to offer its audience more avenues to learn about entrepreneurs in Kansas City. Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. In this episode, Roasterie founder and CEO Danny O’Neill answers the question: Why coffee? In the early…
Jeff Shackelford: Here’s how to land Digital Sandbox funding
When it comes to pitching their startups, most Kansas Citians err on the side of selling themselves short. At least that’s what the Digital Sandbox KC’s Jeff Shackelford told a crowd Tuesday at an event helping community members who are interested in pitching to the incubator-style program. Launched in 2013, Digital Sandbox has supported a…
The education system is broken — these Kansas Citians want to fix it
As you may remember or have experienced with your own child, there seems to come a point in one’s educational journey where kids ask themselves — what’s the point? The answer has always been, so that you can get good grades, to get into a good college to then get a good job. The problem with…