Messenger Coffee Co.

Ron Matsch co-founder; KC specialty-coffee operation; Tier 1 with a local-PE disclosure overlay (FairWave Holdings, majority-owned by KC-based Great Range Capital, Mission Woods KS — same parent as The Roasterie). Matsch family retained as partners/stakeholders; FairWave CEO Dan Trott is a KC native. Sister-brand pattern to The Roasterie.

Description

Messenger Coffee Co. is a Kansas City specialty-coffee operation co-founded by Ron Matsch (the Matsch family). The operation runs roasting + multi-café operations + sister sub-brands including Blackdog Coffeehouse, Filling Station Cafes, and Ibis Bakery — all nestled within the Messenger Coffee Company brand.¹²

In September 2020, Messenger Coffee + The Roasterie joined common ownership through the FairWave Holdings coffee collective, majority-owned by Kansas City-based private-equity firm Great Range Capital (Mission Woods, KS). The Matsch family was retained — Ron Matsch as a partner, and the Matsch family among FairWave’s individual stakeholders + board.²³ FairWave CEO Dan Trott is a Kansas City native + beverage-industry expert.³ The structure is documented in detail on the-roasterie Registry page; Messenger Coffee is under the same FairWave PE ownership and, per the tier doctrine, is Tier 2 (private-equity majority ownership → Tier 2 regardless of the firm’s KC location).

The Plaza Provisions food hall (opened Aug 2025) includes a Messenger Coffee vendor presence — extending the brand’s reach into the Plaza/Cascade Hotel dining market.

Tier classification — Tier 2 (private-equity owned)

Tier 2 — KC-founded operation, now private-equity majority-owned (Matsch family retained as partners/board, not sole owner-operators).

Same ownership structure — and same tier outcome — as the-roasterie. The KC founding is real; the tier reflects the ownership structure, not the coffee.

• Brand origin KC-rooted (Ron Matsch + Matsch family co-founders) — documented, not diminished.
• Majority owner is FairWave Holdings / Great Range Capital (PE) → not owner-operated local → Tier 2.

(Re-tiered 1→2 on 2026-07-09 during the Tier-1 ownership audit; supersedes the earlier “local-PE disclosure overlay” that had kept it Tier 1.) : reconcile the Best-Coffee candidate-pool rationale (built on the superseded overlay) — see Best-Coffee-In-KC-Summer-2026-Shortlist-Synthesis.

Menu

Last verified: 2026-06-17 · Source: Messenger Coffee official site (messengercoffee.co) + Yelp/Tripadvisor (1624 Grand) + Visit KC listing · URL(s): https://messengercoffee.co/, https://messengercoffee.co/collections/coffee, https://messengercoffee.co/pages/1624-grand, https://www.yelp.com/biz/messenger-coffee-kansas-city-2 · Confidence: High (retail beans + drink categories), Medium (named café drinks + food, drawn from review listings not a posted café menu)

Specialty-coffee café + roastery program. The Crossroads flagship at 1624 Grand pairs the coffee bar with Ibis Bakery on the first floor and a full kitchen (kitchen closes 2pm). Cafés pull shots on La Marzocco Linea PB machines with Mahlkönig grinders and use housemade syrups.

Espresso & coffee drinks

• Espresso / cortado / macchiato / cappuccino — core espresso program on Messenger’s own roasts⁴
• Lattes — including a Honey Bear latte and seasonal/customizable builds (housemade syrups)⁴
• Americano and standard milk drinks⁴
• Cold brew — poured from Messenger’s dedicated Cold Brew Blend (milk chocolate, butterscotch, hazelnut)⁵
• Matcha — noted for housemade syrups⁴

Pour-over / retail beans

• Pour-over / brewed coffee — single-origin and blend offerings rotate; “At Home Brew Guides” published for the same beans⁵
• Espresso roasts (retail): Relay Espresso (milk chocolate, naval orange, browned butter, hazelnut); Classic Espresso (bing cherry, brown sugar, cream)⁵
• Blends: Landline (cacao, creamy, citrus); Cold Brew Blend; Silhouette (dark — black cherry, toasted almonds, toffee); plus rotating cause/seasonal blends (e.g., Ability KC, Wake Up! It’s Match Day)⁵
• Single origin: rotating — e.g., Rwanda Shyira FW (white peach, black tea, marzipan), Ethiopia Ayla Bombe Natural, Burundi Hafi Natural, Colombia Tolima Decaf⁵
• Instant coffee: Ethiopia Natural; Silhouette Blend⁵
• Retail bean prices start around $9.50–$22.50 per standard bag (varies by origin/size)⁵

Bakery (Ibis) / food

• Ibis Bakery pastries & breads (in-house, first floor): almond croissant, Kouign Amann, bear claw, monkey bread, plus daily bread and pastries⁴
• Café kitchen: toast (incl. avocado toast), breakfast sandwiches / sandwiches, croissants — kitchen closes 2pm⁴
• Café food/drink prices not individually sourced here — “

Operating status

• Status verified active 2026-06-23 via Messenger Coffee — Cafes and Yelp — Messenger Coffee, 1624 Grand (accessed 2026-06-23). Crossroads flagship at 1624 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108 open (Yelp updated June 2026, 658 reviews). Plaza café at 4771 Jefferson St also confirmed open per Country Club Plaza dining (accessed 2026-06-23); the former 318 W 47th St Plaza location closed in a consolidation, but the Jefferson St café remains.

Sources

Footnotes

1. Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce — “Member Spotlight: Messenger Coffee.” https://www.kcchamber.com/current-topics/member-spotlight-messenger-coffee. Source for Messenger Coffee Company brand portfolio (Blackdog, Filling Station, Ibis Bakery). ↩

2. Daily Coffee News — “KC’s Messenger Coffee and The Roasterie Now Part of FairWave Holdings” (2020-09-24). https://dailycoffeenews.com/2020/09/24/kcs-messenger-coffee-and-the-roasterie-now-part-of-fairwave-holdings/ — asserts: Sept 24 2020 announcement; The Roasterie + Messenger combined under FairWave Holdings; largest shareholder Great Range Capital (KC-area PE); Ron Matsch a Messenger partner; Danny O’Neill on the board. ↩ ↩²

3. Ingram’s — “Kansas City-based The Roasterie and Messenger Coffee Company Launch FairWave Holdings.” https://ingrams.com/article/kansas-city-based-the-roasterie-and-messenger-coffee-company-launch-fairwave-holdings/ — asserts: FairWave launched Sept 2020; Matsch family among individual stakeholders + board; Dan Trott CEO (KC native). ↩ ↩²

4. Messenger Coffee café/menu references — official 1624 Grand location page (https://messengercoffee.co/pages/1624-grand) + Yelp (https://www.yelp.com/biz/messenger-coffee-kansas-city-2) + Tripadvisor “Messenger Coffee Co. + Ibis Bakery” + Visit KC listing (https://www.visitkc.com/listings/messenger-coffee-co/), accessed 2026-06-17. asserts: espresso/macchiato/cappuccino/cortado/americano/lattes (Honey Bear latte), cold brew, matcha; housemade syrups; La Marzocco Linea PB machines; full kitchen closes 2pm; Ibis Bakery (first floor) pastries — almond croissant, Kouign Amann, bear claw, monkey bread; café food includes avocado toast, breakfast sandwiches, croissants. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

5. Messenger Coffee retail coffee collection — official store (https://messengercoffee.co/collections/coffee and https://messengercoffee.co/), accessed 2026-06-17. asserts: espresso roasts Relay + Classic; blends Landline, Cold Brew Blend, Silhouette, Ability KC, Wake Up! It’s Match Day; single-origins Rwanda Shyira FW, Ethiopia Ayla Bombe Natural, Burundi Hafi Natural, Colombia Tolima Decaf; instant coffees; tasting notes + retail prices (from ~$9.50–$22.50/bag); At Home Brew Guides for pour-over. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷