House of Koffee: Launching 'Sarah's Blend' to support local arts

House of Koffee has launched a new cinnamon coffee blend called Sarah's Blend this fall. The product serves a dual purpose: it generates revenue for the Black Movie Hall of Fame and honors the history of Sarah Rector, a wealthy Black businesswoman from Oklahoma who spent her later years in Kansas City.

Reggie Harris, co-founder of House of Koffee, developed the blend after noticing a gap in the local coffee market. He spent time walking around the 18th and Vine district and found that residents and visitors had few options for purchasing a cup of coffee. He saw an opportunity to connect the area's resurgent jazz scene with a product that reflects its history.

The partnership stems from a summer production at the historic Boone Theater, located at 1701 E. 18th St. The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City presented a one-woman show titled "An Evening with Sarah Rector: The Untold Story." Shawn Edwards, a direct descendant of Rector and the executive director of the Black Movie Hall of Fame, produced the play.

Sarah Rector was born in 1902 in Indian Territory, near present-day Taft, Oklahoma. Her family had been enslaved by the Muscogee Creek Nation before the Civil War. After oil was discovered on land allotted to her family, she became one of the wealthiest Black women in the United States. She eventually moved to Kansas City, where she built a home and socialized with jazz legends such as Count Basie and Duke Ellington.

A film based on her life, titled "Sarah's Oil," was released by Amazon MGM Studios in 2025 and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. Harris noted that Rector's story offers a clear example of entrepreneurship during a time when economic opportunities for Black Americans, especially women, were limited.

The coffee itself is a Colombian blend. House of Koffee is also working with partners to offer Ethiopian and Kenyan varieties. The company brands this approach as "Coffee With Purpose," linking the daily habit of drinking coffee with community investment. Harris emphasized that the project involves intention, stating that none of the elements are accidental.

Customers can purchase 12-ounce bags of ground coffee for $22 online. A box of 30 K-Cups costs $28. Twenty percent of profits from eligible, tracked sales goes directly to the Black Movie Hall of Fame. The organization preserves Black film history through events, storytelling, and programming.

Harris completed the Sarah's Blend project in less than 90 days. He views the 18th and Vine area as a showpiece for the city and believes House of Koffee should contribute to its development. He is already exploring additional partnerships, including white-label coffee collaborations and the possibility of installing a coffee kiosk in the district.

A permanent House of Koffee location remains a future goal. For now, the focus is on building the product and supporting nonprofits. Harris hopes to connect the coffee to future events at the Boone Theater and local film festivals. He described his approach to business as similar to being a sports fan who prefers being behind the scenes and pulling the levers rather than just watching from the sidelines.

Harris wants customers to remember the quality of the coffee and seek it out again. He quoted a potential customer interaction: "I want somebody to say, 'That's really good coffee.' Then they say, 'Who's that coffee again?' And then they go looking for it."