Fairwave adds another Minneapolis coffee company to its fresh-brewed collective alongside Messenger, Roasterie

By Tommy Felts | August 3, 2022

FairWave Coffee Collective has pulled another shot of growth, serving up news Tuesday of its acquisition of a second Minneapolis-based purveyor in as many years.  “We are thrilled to welcome Up Coffee Roasters to the FairWave collective,” Suzanne Gunning, vice president of marketing, said in a release.  The acquisition keeps Kansas City-based FairWave on track with…

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Exclusive listen: Coffee entrepreneur, bandmates tease new music, how they find harmony between notes

By Tommy Felts | September 14, 2021

Golden Groves was ready to pour its music for audiences in 2020, but when stages across the world — including Boulevardia in Kansas City — went dark, members of the local indie rock band refined their flavor. [pullquote] Pulling inspiration for the band’s name from Kansas’ wheat fields, Golden Groves first played together in 2013. Although…

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Why KCK’s ‘dopest, 7-fingered, adopted, biracial business owner’ is serving kinship, coffee at his new cafe

By Tommy Felts | August 18, 2021

When a new coffee shop in KCK’s Strawberry Hill neighborhood opens this fall, the space is expected to feature more than just specialty roasts — with financial literacy programming, community workouts and hip hop yoga sessions on the menu. “It’s never been about, ‘How can I make the most money the fastest?’” said TJ Roberts,…

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Coffee for the culture: Porter House KC founders partner with Messenger to craft Black-owned coffee brand

By Tommy Felts | April 30, 2021

Black Drip Coffee brewed from within a desire to bring coffee culture to historically disenfranchised and underserved communities, said Charon Thompson and Daniel Smith.  “It’s more than coffee,” noted Smith, who co-founded the brand, Black Drip Coffee, as well as the Porter House KC with Thompson. “We always talk about breaking down barriers and creating…

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