House of Koffee Sends 20% of Sarah's Blend Profits to Black Movie Hall of Fame

Twenty percent of tracked profits from Sarah's Blend, a new cinnamon coffee from Kansas City's House of Koffee, will flow to the Black Movie Hall of Fame under a partnership launched this fall. That is the concrete deal term at the center of a launch that its backers frame as equal parts commerce and community investment.

The product itself carries a specific price: a 12-ounce bag of ground coffee sells for $22 online, and a 30-count K-Cup box sells for $28. The blend is Colombian, with House of Koffee also working with partners to offer Ethiopian and Kenyan coffees. The company brands the broader concept "Coffee With Purpose," tying a daily ritual to entrepreneurship and community giving.

Who was Sarah Rector?

The coffee's name references Sarah Rector, a Black businesswoman born in Indian Territory, near present-day Taft, Oklahoma, in 1902. Oil was discovered on land allotted to her family — once enslaved by the Muscogee Creek Nation — after the Civil War, and Rector became one of the wealthiest Black women in the United States. She later built a home in Kansas City and hosted Jazz-era celebrities including Count Basie and Duke Ellington.

Her story reached a wider audience in 2025, when Amazon MGM Studios released "Sarah's Oil," now streaming on Amazon Prime. Reggie Harris, co-founder of House of Koffee, said Rector's example carries weight precisely because economic opportunities were heavily restricted for Black Americans of her era, particularly Black women.

The blend's defining ingredient is also deliberate, Harris said. "So that all is with intention," he said. "None of that's just by accident."

How did the partnership come together?

The deal grew out of House of Koffee's involvement with "An Evening with Sarah Rector: The Untold Story," a one-woman theatrical production staged this summer at the Boone Theater, 1701 E. 18th St., by The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City. Shawn Edwards, a direct descendant of Rector, produced the show and serves as executive director of the Black Movie Hall of Fame inside the Boone Theater.

Harris said a market gap caught his attention while walking the district. "Obviously, you've got the story of Sarah Rector, but as I started walking around and talking with people in that 18th and Vine area, there was nowhere to get a cup of coffee," he said.

The Black Movie Hall of Fame says it celebrates Black artists and filmmakers while preserving Black film history through events, storytelling, programming and community engagement. The 20% profit share applies only to eligible, tracked sales — a qualifier that leaves open how total sales volume and the actual donation will be measured. Neither partner has disclosed a fundraising target.

What comes next for 18th & Vine?

The project moved from idea to launch in under 90 days. Harris said development conversations about the district have run for years, and he wanted something tangible now. "The 8th and Vine area is a showpiece," he said. "We'd be remiss not to add to it."

House of Koffee is already exploring additional partnerships, including potential white-label coffee collaborations and a coffee kiosk in the district. A permanent House of Koffee location sits further down the roadmap. Near term, the focus is building the product, supporting community organizations and letting nonprofits use coffee as a fundraising tool.

The Hall of Fame partnership is expected to continue past the initial launch, with Sarah's Blend tied to future Boone Theater events, film festivals and other district experiences. Harris, who describes himself as a "sports guy," framed the ambition plainly: "I love the thrill of game day. I'm trying to replicate that rush with products."

His success metric is customer memory: "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." Whether a $22 bag can anchor a retail footprint in the jazz district will depend on sales figures the company has not yet published.