What took a couple of Missouri kids and their bright-eyed child from the Midwest to the cloud forests of Ethiopia, the coffee farms of Peru, and beyond?

Michael and Emily McIntyre met in 2008 in a Kansas City coffee shop and immediately began building coffee businesses together. Bright Idea Espresso Catering by KC Coffee is a reprise of the espresso catering business they began in 2009, before they built international coffee businesses all over the world.

After more than a decade living in Portland, OR and traveling the world to coffee sites months out of the year, the McIntyres have returned to the broad streets and red-gold glow of their beloved Kansas City. From their West Bottoms warehouse, they run Swift Coffee Sourcing; Bright Idea Espresso Catering is a fun way for them to bring the joy of specialty coffee to Kansas City without opening a retail location.

But Bright Idea Espresso Catering is more than just a fun side hustle. 13-yo Eire McIntyre wants to go to an art school in Paris when they graduate high school in 5 years; a good portion of the profit from every event the family cater goes straight to their college fund.

Back in 2010, double-teaming it on an old Rio 110 espresso machine, Emily and Michael had a blast serving folks all over the Metro area. Now, with a 13-year old barista-in-training as gofer, they are bringing espresso drinks into high-end event venues and culture-forward corporate environments throughout the Metro area.