New farmer-owned KC coffee shop will offer what few in the U.S. can
How many coffee shops in the United States grow their own beans?
The list appears to be incredibly short, with less than a handful of spots around the country. There’s Talisman Coffee in Austin, Texas, whose owners have a coffee farm in Nicaragua.
Big Island Coffee way out in Hilo, Hawaii, is another. (Hawaii is one of the only U.S. stateswith a climate that supports coffee farming.)
Unsurprisingly, there aren’t any shops in Kansas City (or likely the entire Midwest) that grow their own beans.
Janssen House Coffee is about to change that.
The forthcoming Westport shop, 4041 Broadway Blvd., is owned by coffee farmers Brett and Genisis Janssen. The married couple have a coffee farm nestled in the Andes Mountains in Huila, Colombia.
Brett, a KC area native, and Genisis, who hails from Colombia, are seeking to improve the local coffee industry, which they see as lacking.
“It’s a lot of the same stuff — it’s just burnt, not roasted properly … or even grown properly, for that matter,” Brett said.
They hope to open the spot in the next couple of months. It’s taking over the old Buffalo Exchange thrift store space.
To Brett, achieving the perfect cup of coffee is something of a science. He hires an outside Q grader (coffee professional) to determine the coffee’s flavor notes and whether the beans are up to snuff.
Each bag has a “cupping score” out of 100. Over 80 is considered specialty-grade.
He uses a pourover to brew the a cup, then pulls out a TDS meter to measure the total dissolved solids in the brew (aka whether it’s brewed correctly).
To make an espresso drink, he pulls shots out of a Dalla Corte espresso machine, which is not sold in the U.S. Brett said it’s exclusively used for coffee competitions in Europe.
“For us it was nice to open up an actual real coffee shop, as we see it, and for people to experience real coffee,” he said Tuesday after demonstrating his process.
The spot will have a relatively simple menu, though it will carry a few syrups to meet cultural demands.
The couple has been selling their coffee in the area since 2023, offering the beans they roasted and grew themselves via their website or at local events, like the Overland Park Farmers Market.
When they first purchased their farm, they figured they would be able to sell to local coffee operators. But one door closed after another, and they decided to take up the project themselves.
“We decided — screw it — we’ll just build our own business up here,” he said.
Brett is currently in the metro, building out the space and looking to hire and train staff. Once things have settled at the shop, he’ll travel back to Colombia, where Genesis is, making trips back and forth every so many months.
He’s already announced his opening to his local customers, many of whom have tasted his cold brew on farmers markets mornings.
“They’re waiting. I think they’re tired of waiting,” he said. “We’re looking forward to hosting people in Kansas City. I love Kansas City … why not build up Kansas City more?”
He plans to offer coffee tastings to help Kansas City expand its coffee palate. He hopes customers will enjoy a variety of coffee that may be new to them: Castillo Washed City Roast, Yellow Honey and more.
“This is a coffee experience,” he said. “You think you’ve had coffee, but unless you’ve come here and tried honey coffee, you probably haven’t tried all the spectrums of coffee.”
While the couple is serious about coffee, they hope the space will provide an atmosphere that the neighborhood finds comfortable and inviting.
“We just kind of wanted a nice, humble place where people would be able to come in, drink quality coffee, and relax,” Brett said.
This story was originally published August 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM.