This US Cafe Sources Beans From Its Own Colombian Coffee Farm – CoffeeTalk

Brett Janssen, a Westport coffee shop owner, has found a new opportunity in his wife, business partner, and a transcontinental farm-to-cup Columbian coffee operation. Janssen’s House Coffee, the fruit of Janssen and his fiancée Genisis Mejia’s passion for coffee, is set to open in October at 4041 Broadway Blvd. The coffee is currently available online and at the Overland Park Farmers’ Market. The 2,000-square-foot Westport space features 16-foot ceilings and exposed brick walls, with lounge seating in the back.

Mejia is a lawyer who still lives in Colombia, with Janssen living in the U.S. part-time, making the roughly 2,700-mile trek back to Kansas City to run the brick-and-mortar operation. He emphasized the coffee shop as an accessory to the farm, as that’s where the quality starts. He felt like people who come here will be tasting real coffee for the first time — farm-fresh quality coffee.

In keeping with that focus on quality, the couple purchased a Dalla Corte espresso machine, retailing in the five figures. They plan to offer tastings, as well as cupping classes. Janssen’s House Coffee will be competing with several coffee shops just in the Westport area, such as mainstay Broadway Cafe, as well as newcomers such as Chambre Coffee and Le Champion. Triple Crown Coffee closed in March after a short stint in a building just north of Janssen’s.

Janssen has visited Colombia for 15 years, and met Mejia, who he calls his wife, in 2018. Three years later, they bought a 50-acre farm in the Andes Mountains of Huila, in southwestern Colombia, a vibrant spot for high-quality coffee and cotton production. They later expanded to 60 acres.

Because Janssen grew up in Kansas City and maintains a home locally, the farm expansion seemed like a good opportunity to wholesale beans back to coffee shops in the City of Fountains. After the couple perfected its processes, he took packages of beans around to Kansas City shops looking for partnership opportunities among businesses eager for a direct farm-to-shop bean. However, they weren’t interested at all.

Janssen and Mejia are no longer interested in wholesaling. At least for now, they’re putting the product to work for their own consumer-facing venture. The farm-to-shop method is labor-intensive, but notes the process contributes to the unique appeal and quality of Janssen’s House Coffee.

The beans are roasted at another facility, packed in 5-pound bags, and shipped to Kansas City. Flavor profiles are determined by professional Q Graders in Colombia, who also evaluate the beans for any defects, acidity, body, and overall quality. Once a batch sells out, a customer probably won’t be able to get that particular flavor again. A recent Colombia dark roast was described as having flavor notes of toasted almonds, dark chocolate, cocoa, and caramel with a cupping score of 84.25.

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