A new café in North Kansas City is betting that coffee lovers also want a good book nearby. Provis Coffee Roasters, founded by Jesse Worcester, Ronni Kurtz and Josh Brown, fills its shelves with fiction and poetry handpicked for the space and takes its name from a character in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations.
The shop is built around four core values, according to the Pitch: craftsmanship, hospitality, beauty and storytelling. Kurtz described the intended atmosphere as a place where people can slow down, enjoy coffee and connect with others, and he has said that coffee longevity comes from a love for people. Kurtz and Brown trace their own love of specialty coffee back to Sump Coffee in St. Louis, where they first fell for the craft.
Books Sourced the Hard Way
The café's literary bent goes beyond its name. Every book on the shelves is either fiction or poetry, each one handpicked to fit the space, per the same report. Kurtz and his wife gathered many of the titles by driving to Ohio and browsing two-dollar bookstores, building a collection meant to feel curated rather than decorative.
The café's look carries its own point of view. Per Provis Coffee's own about page, the Dickens reference anchors a brand built on storytelling as much as espresso technique. The shop's equipment reinforces that design choice: its espresso machine, grinders and Poursteady machine all carry custom powder coating in a dark green finish rather than standard factory colors.
A Dark-Academia Answer to Minimalist Cafés
That aesthetic was a deliberate departure from what else is on the market. As reported by Axios, owner Ronni Kurtz said the dark-academia look was a response to the minimalist concrete and metal designs favored at other coffee shops. Axios also noted that Provis fills a gap in the neighborhood: North Kansas City hasn't had a specialty coffee roaster since Post Coffee Company closed its Armour location in 2023.
On the coffee itself, the shop stretches from familiar to experimental. Provis offers options for everyday coffee drinkers alongside rare geisha coffees and beans made using experimental processing methods, including co-fermentation, the Pitch reports. Axios noted that ten coffee selections ranging from Africa to South America list the bean varietal and process for customers who want that level of detail.
Roasting in Riverside, For Now
Behind the counter, head roaster Randall Buchanan handles green coffee buying and roasting in-house after spending 15 years in the St. Louis coffee scene. According to Daily Coffee News, Buchanan currently roasts the company's coffees on Probat equipment at the StoneX Specialty Coffee facility in nearby Riverside rather than at a dedicated Provis roastery. The team is working on a full food program, exploring unique coffees with producers and looking for a long-term home for its own roasting operation, the Pitch reports.
Part of that expanding food program includes a plan to move beyond pastries. Daily Coffee News reports that Provis plans to add made-to-order sandwiches and light bites developed by culinary director Caleb Wattenschlager. In the meantime, the café offers a rotating selection of vegan and gluten-free baked goods from Mud Pie Vegan Bakery, and it serves alternative milks without an additional charge.
The founders have broader ambitions for the brand, too. The owners hope to eventually represent Kansas City in national coffee competitions, according to the Pitch, while also building Provis into a neighborhood gathering spot. The company has said it supports its employees through pay, time off and what it describes as a positive workplace culture.
For now, Provis is reported open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The address has been listed slightly differently across outlets — the Pitch cites 2914 Buchanan St., North Kansas City, MO 64116, while Daily Coffee News lists it as 2914 N. Buchanan St. in North Kansas City.
