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Missouri’s first Black-owned brewery, opened June 30, 2023 in the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District. Founded by three local Black entrepreneurs — Kemet Coleman, Woodie Bonds Jr., and Elliott Ivory — the two-story taproom, brewhouse, and beer garden at 2010 Vine Street occupies a building that formerly housed one of KC’s first public-works institutions. The brewery drew significant local and national press as both a craft-beer milestone and an act of cultural reinvestment in a historically Black district.

Description

Vine Street Brewing Co. is an independent, locally owned brewery and taproom in Kansas City’s historic 18th & Vine Jazz District, widely reported as Missouri’s first Black-owned brewery.123 It opened with a public grand opening on June 30, 2023.24

The brewery occupies a roughly 4,800-square-foot space at 2010 Vine Street — a building that previously housed one of Kansas City’s first public-works institutions, the Street Department. Co-founder Kemet Coleman has described the location as “sacred soil,” framing the brewery as a bridge between the district’s historical legacy and its contemporary revitalization.4 The venue is a two-story taproom with a brewhouse and an outdoor beer garden.24

The beer program centers on a contrast between co-founder Woodie Bonds Jr.’s experimental, flavor-forward homebrewing approach and head brewer Elliott Ivory’s engineering-driven emphasis on clean, consistent production.13 The brewery distributes beyond its taproom and has appeared at regional events such as Boulevardia.5 (Specific current beer names/styles: — taproom menu rotates and was not captured at a fixed point.)

The founders have been explicit about the brewery’s mission to address underrepresentation in craft beer — Black-owned breweries account for roughly 1% of breweries nationally — and to create an inclusive community space rooted in KC’s Black cultural heritage.146

Ownership and history

Vine Street Brewing Co. was founded by three local Black entrepreneurs:137

  • Kemet Coleman — Founder; Director of Taproom & Culture. A Kansas City musician and urbanist (known for “Get Out: The Streetcar Song,” adopted as the official song of the KC Streetcar), Coleman was born along the Troost corridor in Kansas City and began his craft-beer involvement working in guest relations at Boulevard Brewing Co. starting in 2013.78
  • Woodie Bonds Jr. — Founder; Sales Director and co-head brewer. An award-winning homebrewer (formerly of the Missouri Mashers Brewing Club) who founded Kansas City’s first hip-hop beer festival; spent roughly 20 years at Ford Motor Company before the brewery.39
  • Elliott Ivory — Founder; Head Brewer. A former project manager at Honeywell who homebrewed for years under the name “Wiz Brewing,” brought to the project an engineer’s emphasis on precision and consistency.139

A fourth team member, Annie McGinnis, has been reported as Director of Operations.1

The brewery was years in the making, with founding-era press from 2022 documenting the project under development before the June 2023 opening.10 Coleman’s profile rose to a White House Young Men of Color Roundtable invitation, underscoring the venture’s national visibility.4

  • Website: https://vinestbrewing.com — Note: corrected from seed value vinestreetbrewing.com, which does not resolve to the official site.
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vinestbrewingco/ — Note: corrected from seed handle vinestbrewing.
  • Phone: (816) 231-0799 — Note: corrected from seed value (816) 415-2800, which is not the published number.

See also

Sources

Footnotes

  1. KSHB 41 (Kansas City) — “3 local entrepreneurs set to open Kansas City’s first Black-owned brewery.” https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/three-local-entrepreneurs-set-to-open-kansas-citys-first-black-owned-brewery. Asserts: founders Kemet Coleman, Elliott Ivory, Woodie Bonds Jr.; Annie McGinnis as Director of Operations; founders’ motivation re: underrepresentation. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  2. Brewbound — “Vine Street Brewing Co., the First Black-Owned Brewery in Missouri, To Open in Kansas City.” https://www.brewbound.com/news/vine-street-brewing-co-the-first-black-owned-brewery-in-missouri-to-open-in-kansas-city/. Asserts: “first Black-owned brewery in Missouri” framing; 18th & Vine location; two-story taproom + beer garden. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Good Beer Hunting — “Elliot Ivory, Kemet Coleman, and Woodie Bonds Jr.” (Signifiers 2023). https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/signifiers-2023/2023/12/21/vine-street-brewing. Asserts: founder roles and brewing backgrounds; Ivory as head brewer; Bonds’ homebrewing reputation. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  4. KCUR (NPR Kansas City) — “Kansas City’s newest brewery isn’t just the first in Missouri owned by African Americans, it’s ‘sacred soil.’” Published 2023-06-30. https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2023-06-30/kansas-citys-newest-brewery-isnt-just-the-first-in-missouri-owned-by-african-americans-its-sacred-soil. Asserts: June 30, 2023 grand opening; 2010 Vine Street; former Street Department building; “sacred soil” framing; 4,800 sq ft; ~1% national figure; White House roundtable. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  5. Boulevardia — “Vine Street Brewing Co.” (event vendor listing). https://boulevardia.com/explore_taps/vine-street-brewing-co/. Asserts: active participation in regional beer events. ↩

  6. LISC Kansas City — “Vine Street Brewing Co. is Paving the Way for Aspiring Black Brewers.” https://www.lisc.org/kansas-city/regional-stories/vine-street-brewing-co-paving-way-aspiring-black-brewers/. Asserts: mission re: representation; community-development framing. ↩

  7. Vine Street Brewing Co. — “Meet our Team.” https://vinestbrewing.com/team. Asserts: founder roles (Coleman = Founder/Director of Taproom & Culture; Bonds = Founder/Sales Director, co-head brewer, 20 yrs at Ford, founded KC’s first hip-hop beer festival; Ivory = Founder/Head Brewer, former Honeywell PM, “Wiz Brewing”). ↩ ↩2

  8. Kemet Coleman — “About.” https://www.kemetcoleman.com/about. Asserts: Coleman born along the Troost corridor; KC musician/urbanist; “Get Out (The Streetcar Song).” ↩

  9. Vine Street Brewing Co. — “About / Our Story.” https://vinestbrewing.com/our-story. Asserts: founder narrative; Bonds’ Missouri Mashers Brewing Club background; address 2010 Vine Street, Building 2A; “Missouri’s first black-owned brewery.” ↩ ↩2

  10. Startland News — “Brewed under pressure, KC’s first Black-owned brewery puts more than reputations on the vine.” Published 2022-09. https://www.startlandnews.com/2022/09/2000-vine-street-brewing/. Asserts: founding-era development reporting (pre-opening). ↩

See also

Categories
  • Locally owned
  • 18th And Vine