KC’s newest brewery isn’t just the first in Missouri owned by African Americans, it’s ‘sacred soil’

Kemet Coleman admits he wasn’t keen on the taste of beer, or the culture around its consumption, when he became a guest services representative for Boulevard Brewing Company in 2013.

“I tried maybe a Boulevard Wheat or something,” Coleman said. “I really didn’t know the difference between any of the styles, or what was possible with beer.”

Kemet Coleman, Vine Street Brewing; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News

Coleman remembered liking the beer, but the real inspiration to jump into the industry came when he realized the historical connection between Black culture and brewing beer.

“When I first discovered that beer was an African invention, that really blew my mind,” said Coleman, who is also a jazz performer and rapper. “The ancient Egyptians were an evolution of that. It goes tens of thousands of years back in time. African women were essentially the first brewers.”

Now, two years after announcing he and business partners wanted to bring craft beer to the Historic 18th and Vine district, The Vine Street Brewing Company had its grand opening Friday.

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The brand’s logo, a beer goddess named Maris, pays homage to that history by depicting her with full lips, a bold Afro and bushy eyebrows.

“There’s glaring underrepresentation in the brewing industry,” said head brewer Elliott Ivory, who co-founded Vine Street with Coleman and Woodie Bonds Jr.

“Progress requires a collective effort. We’re grateful the KC scene comes with friends and supporters, both within and outside of the industry,” Ivory said.

Coleman recently earned an invitation to the White House by becoming part of the 1% of Black-owned breweries in the U.S. He was asked to join the Young Men of Color Roundtable, a conference on minority entrepreneurship.

“Honestly, it was an honor to be at the White House as the mayor’s selection to represent Kansas City,” Coleman told KCUR’s Up To Date in May.

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From left, Vine Street Brewing Company co-founders Kemet Coleman, Woodie Bonds Jr., and Elliott Ivory with their craft beer creations on the ground floor of the new brewery at 2010 Vine St. in Kansas City, Missouri; photo courtesy of Vine Street Brewing

‘Sacred soil’

Vine Street, which is Missouri’s first Black-owned brewery, is in a 4,800-square-foot facility that used to house one of Kansas City’s first public works institutions, the Street Department.

The building’s 150-year-old limestone walls still don graffiti from decades of abandonment. Leaving them in place was something Coleman said was purposeful when planning the redesign. He called the place “sacred soil.”

“We’re bridging the past and present, and hope to foster a sense of pride and belonging for everyone who walks through our doors,” said Coleman. “The ground that the brewery is on is a very significant part of American history and Black history. So, we wouldn’t have done it any other way. It pays homage and actually reflects the history of the jazz district and this building.”