Parisi Artisan Coffee

Parisi Artisan Coffee is a Kansas City family-owned specialty coffee roaster, founded by the Paris family and built on their Sicilian grandmother’s espresso tradition. The roasting operation launched in 2006 under Paris Bros., Inc. (the family’s KC specialty-foods distributor, established 1983), and grew into what local coverage describes as the largest specialty coffee roaster in the central United States. Its flagship café anchors the Grand Hall level of Union Station; a second café operates in downtown Overland Park, alongside a wholesale and contract-roasting program.

Description

Parisi Artisan Coffee is the coffee brand of Paris Bros., Inc., a Kansas City family business. All Parisi coffees are small-batch, drum-roasted at the company’s production facility off Southwest Boulevard near the Crossroads Arts District.¹ The brand operates in an Italian café idiom — espresso-forward, single-origin and blended specialty coffees — reflecting the family’s Sicilian heritage.²

The Union Station café is the consumer flagship, occupying roughly 1,200 square feet on the main level adjacent to the Grand Hall. Its design incorporates history from the old Harvey Coffeehouse that once stood in the same spot.³ Beyond retail, Parisi runs a wholesale program serving offices, restaurants, and multi-location cafés, plus contract roasting.⁴

Ownership and history

Period	Operator / milestone
1983	Paris Bros., Inc. founded in Kansas City by Joseph Paris with brothers Salvatore and Anthony — specialty-foods distribution.1
2006	Parisi Coffee roasterie launched by the Paris family, inspired by their Sicilian grandmother’s moka-pot/espresso tradition.12
~2011	Parisi Café opens at Union Station (flagship), in the former Harvey Coffeehouse space.3
Recent	Joe Paris assumes the presidency, taking over the 40+ year family business from his father and uncle; company relocates HQ to the Power & Light District (lease near 13th & Baltimore), targeting a mid-March 2026 move.5

Parisi remains family-owned and locally operated. Recent KC business coverage characterizes it as the largest local and family-owned coffee company in Kansas City, with roughly 200 employees across Paris Bros.’ broader operations (which also include warehousing and grocery distribution from SubTropolis).⁵

The flagship’s “founded” date warrants nuance: the seed record listed 1996, but verified sources place the coffee roasterie launch at 2006 (1996 corresponds to Union Station’s reopening, not Parisi). The parent distribution company dates to 1983.

Links

• Website: https://www.parisicoffee.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisicoffee/
• Phone: (816) 472-3326

See also

• downtown-kc
• Registry

Sources

Footnotes

1. Startland News, “Destination espresso: Parisi Coffee spot pours from family, Union Station inspiration at new KCI,” Feb 2023 — https://startlandnews.com/2023/02/parisi-coffee-kci/ (founding 2006; Paris Bros. 1983; Crossroads/SW Blvd roasting). ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. HerLife Magazine (Kansas City), “Parisi Café: Single-Origin Specialty Coffees Anchor the Complete Italian Café Experience” — https://www.herlifemagazine.com/kansascity/cravings/parisi-cafe-single-origin-specialty-coffees-anchor-the-complete-italian-cafe-experience/ (Sicilian heritage, Italian café format). ↩ ↩²

3. Parisi Coffee, “Parisi @ Union Station” — https://parisicoffee.com/blogs/news/parisi-union-station (flagship; ~1,200 sq ft; Grand Hall; former Harvey Coffeehouse). Union Station opening year ~2011 per Startland coverage. ↩ ↩²

4. Parisi Coffee, Locations + wholesale pages — https://parisicoffee.com/pages/locations (Union Station, Overland Park, wholesale/contract roasting). ↩

5. Axios Kansas City, “Parisi company launches new era with downtown KCMO HQ,” Feb 20, 2026 — https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/02/20/parisi-coffee-company-launches-new-era-downtown-kcmo-hq (Joe Paris president; family/local ownership; ~200 employees; Power & Light HQ; mid-March 2026 move). ↩ ↩²