Houston Black-owned business selected to receive $25,000 grant

HOUSTON - A program founded by American Express and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to promote Black-owned small businesses has selected a young Houston company among this year's recipients. 

The recognition is helping Three Keys Coffee find a greater circle of customers.

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In Houston's Finn Hall downtown, the smell of fresh-brewed coffee is new. Three Keys Coffee is the latest tenant in the food hall, offering a Houston roasted 'pick-me-up' to downtown diners. 

For owner Kenzel Fallen, the stand-alone coffee shop was a natural progression for the three-year-old business she started with her coffee-roaster husband. 

"This was a way for us to be able to say, 'This is how our coffee should be tasting,' and to be able to give customers that experience without having to go through the legwork and effort of having to figure that out at home," she says.

Prior to their own coffee shop, Three Keys Coffee was focused on online sales, a deal to supply the Trader Joes grocery, and other coffee shops. Along the way, Food & Wine magazine named them the best coffee roaster in Texas. 

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Their latest expansion was possible through a $25,000 grant from the Coalition to Back Black Businesses, which was started in 2020 to help struggling businesses survive the pandemic. 

In a statement CBBB says, "Our goal is to drive meaningful change within the Black small business community by offering them the support they need to thrive and unlock new opportunities."

It's a helping hand that Kenzel Fallen says can be difficult for Black-owned businesses to find, affordably, on their own. 

"Having this opportunity to have grant-funding, to be able to have that investment, is something that is really critical and needed for Black-owned businesses to see them thrive and succeed," says Fallen.

Three Keys Coffee is one of 14 recipients awarded grants this year across the country, and the only one in Texas. The program also offers resources like business coaching and mentoring, to help enable their long-term success.