Vine Street Brewing

What Vine Street Brewing does

Vine Street Brewing Co. is Missouri's first and only Black-owned craft brewery, founded in 2022 by Kemet Coleman, Elliott Ivory, and Woodie Bonds Jr. (with Annie McGinnis as co-owner and Director of Operations) and opened in June 2023 in a renovated 1850s public works building in Kansas City's historic 18th & Vine Jazz District. The brewery operates a single taproom at 2010 Vine Street serving a diverse portfolio of styles — dark lagers (Jazzman Black Lager), stouts (Bass Lady), pilsners (Mkeka), cream ales, IPAs, and collaboration releases — with flagship Jazzman Black Lager distributed in cans to nearly 100 off-site tap locations across the Missouri and Kansas metro area.

The company generates revenue through multiple streams: on-site taproom beer sales, packaged beer distribution, branded merchandise (apparel and glassware sold on-demand via Squarespace), ticketed events and Lunch & Learn programming, private event bookings in the Groove Room, and an emerging food vertical anchored by the Vine Street Chicken Co. partnership (Feb 2026) with rotating food trucks (Wolfepack BBQ, Go Chew Burger). Distribution uses direct-to-consumer at the taproom plus regional wholesale; payment processing runs on Square and Toast Tab. Pricing ranges from $5-$20 for ticketed events, $15-$56 for merchandise, and ~$20 for 4-pack Jazzman cans.

The company's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: live music in the Groove Room, cultural programming tied to jazz, hip-hop, Kwanzaa and Black history, running club meetups, and the Midwest's first hip-hop beer festival (Hip-Hops Hooray). Strategic positioning leverages cultural identity (McGinnis is President of the National Black Brewers Association), earned media across regional and national outlets, and a unique beer-to-whiskey innovation with West Bottoms Whiskey Co. Headcount is 1-10 employees and the only external capital is a $25,000 Kansas City G.I.F.T. grant.

Name

Vine Street Brewing

Legal name

Vine Street Brewing Co.

Website

https://vinestbrewing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vine Street Brewing Co. is Missouri's first Black-owned craft brewery, operating a taproom, distribution network, merchandise store, and live-event venue in Kansas City's historic 18th & Vine Jazz District. It serves craft beer enthusiasts, local Kansas City residents, and cultural tourists through beer, food partnerships, and event programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Breweries (312120), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbreweries & Craft Breweries (THAFALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA), Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG), Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF)

Keywords

• Craft beer production
• Taproom beverages
• Brewery distribution
• Event space rental
• Branded merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. On-site Beer & Taproom Sales: The primary revenue driver. Beer is sold directly to consumers at the taproom. The taproom also offers a merchandise store, event tickets, and gift cards through Toast Tab.
2. Food & Restaurant Revenue: Through the Vine Street Chicken Co. partnership (fried and grilled chicken) and rotating food trucks/pop-ups (Wolfepack BBQ, Go Chew Burger). Food is prepared and sold by partners operating within the same 2000 Vine location.
3. Off-site Beer Distribution: Packaged beer (Jazzman Black Lager in 4-packs of 16oz cans) sold at the taproom and distributed to nearly 100 off-site tap locations across the Missouri and Kansas metro area.
4. Merchandise Sales: Branded apparel including t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, hats, tank tops, and glassware sold through the on-site VSB Store and e-commerce storefront (Squarespace). On-demand merchandise production model reduces overproduction.
5. Ticketed Events & Private Bookings: Revenue from ticketed events such as the Lunch & Learn series, birthday celebrations (It Was All a Dream third-anniversary event), music performances in the Groove Room, and World Cup watch parties. Also includes private event space bookings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Vine Street Brewing operates a craft brewery and taproom in Kansas City's 18th & Vine Jazz District, producing a diverse portfolio of beers including dark lagers, stouts, IPAs, pilsners, cream ales, and seasonal/collaboration brews. The brewery sells draft beer on-site, distributes packaged beer (4-pack 16oz cans) to nearly 100 off-site tap locations across Missouri and Kansas, and offers event spaces including the Groove Room for live music and private bookings. The company also sells branded merchandise and partners with food concepts (Vine Street Chicken Co., Wolfepack BBQ, Go Chew Burger) to provide a full food-and-beer experience.

Product overview

Vine Street Brewing Co. is Missouri's first Black-owned brewery located in Kansas City's historic 18th & Vine Jazz District. The company operates a taproom serving freshly brewed craft beer alongside a full merchandise store featuring branded apparel. The brewery offers event spaces including the Groove Room for live music performances and private bookings. Food service is provided through a partnership with Vine Street Chicken Co. offering fried and grilled chicken. The beer portfolio includes flagship varieties like Jazzman Black Lager, Life of the Party, and Mkeka (a Kwanzaa-inspired low-ABV pilsner), as well as seasonal releases and collaboration beers with other breweries. The merchandise line includes t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, hats, tank tops, and accessories sold through an on-demand online store. Event programming includes concerts, trivia nights, running club meetups, and the annual Hip-Hops Hooray beer festival.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Jazzman Black Lager available at nearly 100 tap locations across Missouri and Kansas metro area in cans
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• West Bottoms Whiskey Co.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026Vine Street Brewing and West Bottoms Whiskey Co. collaborated on the 'Boilermaker Revival' program — a beer-to-whiskey innovation where Vine Street beer is transferred to West Bottoms Whiskey Co., distilled and aged in 5-gallon barrels into barrel-aged whiskey. The May 28 Lunch & Learn event featured guided conversation with Elliott Ivory and Alex Lindsey, tasting components, and bottle pre-orders for the resulting Boilermaker Revival whiskey. This represents a unique cross-category collaboration that bridges Kansas City's craft brewing and distilling scenes.
• Bullhouse Brew Co.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Kansas City artist Kemet Coleman's music project 'Two Ships in the Night' extended into a collaboration beer with Bullhouse Brew Co. in Belfast. The Belfast-version of the East 71 Cream Ale was brewed by Bullhouse, featuring KC water profile emulation, Lorien hops, and German pilsner malt with flaked maize and rice. Kemet's original artwork adorned the cans.
• Out of Office BreweryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Part of the Three-brewery collaboration with Bullhouse Brew Co. and Vine Street Brewing for the 'Two Ships in the Night' Belfast beer release. Out of Office is based inside the Ulster Sports Club in Belfast, providing the physical home for the collaboration beer's release alongside Kemet Coleman's live performance.
• Vine Street Chicken Co. / Chef Justin ClarkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Vine Street Brewing partnered with chef Justin Clark to open Vine Street Chicken Co., a fried and grilled chicken restaurant at the 2000 Vine Street address. The soft launch coincided with Black History Month 2026. This partnership reunites food and beer under one roof — filling a gap left when a previous restaurant departed over a year earlier. It marks the return of a full food offering and positions the brewery as a true neighborhood hub with two Black-owned businesses sharing the same address.
• BKS Artisan AlesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with BKS Artisan Ales to create 'Houblon Moderne,' a Belgian-style hazy IPA combining white grape, tropical fruits, subtle spice, and grassy undertones. Cans released in limited quantities at the Vine Street taproom in December 2023.
• Beer is ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Beer is Art, a South African non-profit that champions beer education and entrepreneurial opportunities for young adults. Created 'Mkeka,' a 5.3% American Pilsner celebrating Kwanzaa and African heritage, with proceeds supporting the organization's mission. Obakeng Malope, Beer is Art's founder, noted Vine Street's Black heritage and their shared identity.
• National Black Brewers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVine Street Brewing partnered with the NBBA for the 'Black is Beautiful Vol. 2' beer and album release — a collaboration beer tied to a musical album by co-founder Kemet Coleman. Vine Street hosted a two-day event with Fredcasts and Beer with Nigel featuring the 'One Pint at a Time' documentary screening, panel discussions with Black brewers nationwide (Crown & Hops, Barrel & Flow, Rhythm Brewing, Cajun Fire Brewing), and a bottle share. Proceeds benefited the NBBA, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and American Jazz Museum.
• Crown & HopsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between Vine Street Brewing and Crown & Hops (Inglewood, CA) — a highly anticipated brew released in 2024. Crown & Hops is a prominent Black-owned brewery and part of the broader Black brewer network.
• The PhantasticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKansas City music group The Phantastics collaborated with Vine Street Brewing on 'Phantastic Punch' beer and a new single release party, combining music and craft beer in a cultural event.
• Wolfepack BBQminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWolfepack BBQ, a renowned Kansas City BBQ restaurant, operates a 40-foot food trailer at Vine Street Brewing Co. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The partnership brings authentic Kansas City BBQ to the 18th & Vine neighborhood — the birthplace of Kansas City BBQ — complementing craft beer with food service.
• Go Chew Burger & SandwichminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGo Chew Burger & Sandwich, Kansas City's first and only Korean Fast Food concept, served from a food truck at Vine Street Brewing Co. every Thursday evening from 5PM to 9PM throughout April (ongoing), offering Korean-inspired burgers and sandwiches to taproom customers.
• Fredcasts and Beer with NigelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPodcast partners Fredcasts and Beer with Nigel co-hosted the 'One Pint at a Time' documentary screening event at Vine Street Brewing, featuring conversations with some of the biggest names in Black brewing (Teo Hunter of Crown & Hops, Day Bracey & Ed Bailey of Barrel & Flow, Alisa Bowen of Rhythm Brewing, Jon Renthrope of Cajun Fire Brewing).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cajun Fire Brewing: Black-owned craft brewery featured alongside Vine Street at the One Pint at a Time screening. Comparable as a culturally-rooted Black-owned brewery operating at similar small scale.
• Martin City Brewing Company: Kansas City-area craft brewery with taproom, distribution, and food partnerships. Comparable business model (taproom + wholesale) at a similar local scale to Vine Street.
• Casual Animal Brewing Company: Kansas City craft brewery with taproom focus. Directly comparable as a small-to-mid KC craft taproom competing for the same neighborhood and destination foot traffic.
• Crown & Hops: Inglewood, CA-based Black-owned craft brewery. Direct peer as a culturally-rooted Black-owned brewery collaborating with Vine Street on the Black is Beautiful Vol. 2 release and participating in the same national Black brewer network.
• KC Bier Co. Kansas City-based brewery operating a taproom and distributing across the metro. Comparable in operating geography, taproom-plus-distribution model, and packaged beer strategy.
• Rhythm Brewing Co. Black-owned craft brewery co-founded by Alisa Bowen. Comparable as another culturally-focused Black-owned craft brewery featured alongside Vine Street in the One Pint at a Time documentary panel and the broader Black brewer community.
• Stockyards Brewing Co. Kansas City craft brewery operating a taproom and distributing locally. Comparable as another small KC taproom-plus-distribution craft operator competing for similar on-premise and off-premise accounts.

Others

• West Bottoms Whiskey Co. Kansas City craft distillery and active partner on the Boilermaker Revival beer-to-whiskey program. Adjacent rather than competitive, but a relevant ecosystem partner given the cross-category collaboration.

Emerging players

• Barrel & Flow Festival: Pittsburgh-based Black beer festival and movement organizer. Not a direct competitor, but a peer organization operating in the same Black brewing ecosystem that Vine Street is part of and which shapes consumer awareness.

Broad incumbents

• Boulevard Brewing Company: Largest Kansas City craft brewery. Same metro market and overlapping distribution channels, but vastly larger scale and broader portfolio. Useful as the incumbent benchmark for shelf and tap share in KC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vinestbrewing
• Facebookfacebook.com/vinestbrewing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vinestbrewing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vine Street Brewing