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Paris Brothers brewing new HQ, complete with Power & Light coffee labs, test kitchen
Relocating the corporate headquarters of an iconic Kansas City business — a brand inspired by a Sicilian family matriarch’s legacy and traditions — to downtown’s Power & Light District should be seen as a strategic investment in the food and beverage company’s future, said Joe Paris.
Paris Brothers has finalized a new seven-year lease for a 16,000-square-foot space at 13th Street and Baltimore Avenue, bringing its corporate team to the heart of an entertainment district ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup games.
“As we continue to grow nationally and globally, it was important for us to create a headquarters that reflects who we are today — and where we’re going,” said Paris, president of Paris Brothers and its Parisi Coffee operation. “Downtown Kansas City gives us energy, connectivity, and access to talent that you simply can’t replicate elsewhere. As Kansas City’s largest locally owned coffee brand; this move brings our team together in a way that supports creativity, collaboration, and innovation while reinforcing our deep roots in this city.”
More than just offices offering team collaboration and cross-functional work, the space — most recently occupied by Visit KC — is expected to serve as a multi-purpose innovation and hospitality hub, featuring:
- Coffee labs, product development, and sensory evaluation for enhanced quality control and oversight in partnership with Parisi roasting facility;
- Enhanced process for custom partner blends and private label – improving speed to market with launching new coffees, such as microlots and single origin releases; and
- A test kitchen supporting food innovation across the Paris Brothers portfolio affording faster testing of developmental new coffees, enhanced training, and testing of new/experimental equipment.
The downtown location was selected intentionally to support recruitment, collaboration, and connection — placing assets in the most active and accessible part of the city. With an average daytime downtown population of about 126,000 people, the Power & Light District offers unparalleled visibility, transit access, and proximity to restaurants, residences, event venues, and cultural amenities, Paris Brothers said in a press release.
The Paris Family: Salvatore, Anthony, Sam, Joe, and Joseph
Joe Paris’ father and uncle opened their first roasting facility in 2006. Twenty years later, Parisi Coffee is the largest local and family-owned coffee company in Kansas City with cafe locations in Union Station, Overland Park, Argosy Casino, and the new airport terminal at KCI.
The roaster has grown into a diversified international enterprise serving hospitality, retail, and foodservice partners across the country and around the world. Its new headquarters will serve as a central hub for leadership, marketing, innovation, and collaboration across the company’s portfolio of specialty food and beverage brands.
Parisi Coffee is for those who want “high quality coffee the traditional way,” Paris told Startland News previously.
“Our quality in where we source our products and how we make the coffee is what sets us apart from other coffee shops,” he said. “Parisi is very sustainable in how we source our product; it is very important to us that we source directly from farms. As a family-owned company ourselves, we tend to work with family-owned farms. We try to buy from the same farms, so that their growth continues alongside our own. It is important to us to do these things the right way.”
The sprawling space at 1321 Baltimore Ave. set to become the new headquarters for Paris Brothers; photo by Austin Barnes, Startland News
By locating in the Power & Light District, Paris Brothers joins a growing mix of organizations choosing downtown for its walkability, amenities, and momentum, The District said, touting a mixed-use environment that creates daily activity and built-in energy that supports modern work culture and work-life balance.
“Our team works hard to create an environment where companies want to grow, and we’re proud to welcome Paris Brothers to the Power & Light District,” said John Moncke, president of the Power & Light District. “They are one of Kansas City’s great homegrown success stories, and their decision to locate downtown is another strong signal of the confidence businesses have in the future of our urban core.”
The headquarters announcement adds to continued momentum in the District, which has seen recent additions including Palm Tree Club KC, along with upcoming openings such as SWTHZ and other new concepts currently in development — reflecting steady, intentional growth and renewed investment in downtown Kansas City, Moncke said.
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