This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

a West Bottoms coffee roaster and café founded by Ian Davis in December 2014, known for on-site roasting and a strong motorcycle-community identity. The business survived a 2016 fire and a 2020 COVID closure, relocating within the West Bottoms to its current 1301 Woodswether Rd home. Tier 1 (independent, owner-operated).

Description

Blip Roasters is an independent coffee roaster and café in the industrial heart of Kansas City’s West Bottoms, at 1301 Woodswether Rd — a ~19,000-square-foot facility housing the roastery, café, warehouse, and an on-site Anchor Moto motorcycle shop.123 Founder Ian Davis launched Blip in December 2014 as a wholesale roasting operation; the first café followed in 2015–2016.45 The business is closely identified with Kansas City’s motorcycle community — its weekly “Sunday Church” ride-ins draw close to 100 bikes — under the brand’s “#BUILTNOTBOUGHT” ethos.12

Ownership and history

Ownership

PeriodOwner / OperatorNotes
2014 → presentIan Davis (independent)Founded Blip Dec 2014; named with early partner Conrad Amirof (2015); later coverage names only Davis as owner.463

Location history + resilience

  • 2014–2016: original roastery at 1331 St. Louis Ave, West Bottoms — destroyed by fire in early 2016, ~5 months after the first café opened; reopened ~April 2016 at 1101 Mulberry St with help from public donations.73
  • 2019: second café opened near 30th & Troost (closed during COVID).3
  • March 2020: Davis closed both locations and transparently laid off the entire staff; reopened at the end of August 2020 at the current 1301 Woodswether Rd location.3

Davis left Kansas City for a period (working in coffee in Charleston, SC) and returned to KC in 2014 to start Blip.4

Sources

Disputes

(None active.)

Footnotes

  1. KCUR — “Blip Coffee Roasters, West Bottoms, motorcycles, bikers” (Mar 2024). https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2024-03-07/blip-coffee-roasters-west-bottoms-motorcycles-bikers — asserts: motorcycle community identity; Sunday ride-ins “close to 100 bikes”; 1301 Woodswether Rd. ↩ ↩2

  2. Blip Roasters — official site. https://www.bliproasters.com/ — asserts: West Bottoms roaster/café; “#BUILTNOTBOUGHT” motorcycle ethos; Anchor Moto on-site; current hours 7a–7p. ↩ ↩2

  3. Daily Coffee News — “Blip Roasters Makes Stunning Comeback in Kansas City’s West Bottoms” (Sep 2020). https://dailycoffeenews.com/2020/09/17/blip-roasters-makes-stunning-comeback-in-kansas-citys-west-bottoms/ — asserts: mid-March 2020 closure + full staff layoff (quoted); reopened end of Aug 2020 at 1301 Woodswether Rd; 2016 fire recap. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  4. Flatland KC — “Blip Roasters Aims to Create Community Around Coffee” (2015). https://flatlandkc.org/arts-culture/blip-roasters-aims-create-community-coffee/ — asserts: founder Ian Davis; “needed a break from Kansas City,” worked in Charleston SC, returned to KC in 2014; Blip launched Dec 2014. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. Daily Coffee News — “With New Café, Blip Roasters Revs Up Growth in KCMO’s West Bottoms” (Sep 2015). https://dailycoffeenews.com/2015/09/18/with-new-cafe-blip-roasters-revs-up-growth-in-kcmos-west-bottoms/ — asserts: roasting commercially ~10 months as of Sep 2015 (i.e. wholesale began ~late 2014); first café at 1331 St. Louis Ave. ↩

  6. Sprudge — “Blip Coffee Goes Big in Kansas City’s West Bottoms.” https://sprudge.com/blip-coffee-goes-big-in-kansas-citys-west-bottoms-86178.html — asserts: Ian Davis + Conrad Amirof named as business partners (2015). ↩

  7. The Pitch — “Blip Roasters Is Back in Business in the West Bottoms.” https://www.thepitchkc.com/blip-roasters-is-back-in-business-in-the-west-bottoms/ — asserts: 2016 fire destroyed the original roastery; reopened nearby with public support. ↩

See also

Categories
  • Locally owned
  • Coffee
  • West Bottoms