Kansas City small businesses whipping up World Cup flavors and merch for fans this summer

OSBORN, Mo. (AP) — When fans of defending World Cup champion Argentina and Algeria arrive in Kansas City to open the tournament on June 16, they can find a taste of home if some local businesses get it right.

Hen House Markets and Betty Rae's Ice Cream are just two of the dozens of small businesses hoping to boost their bottom line — and have a little bit of fun — when Kansas City helps to host one of the world's biggest sporting events.

In the case of the grocery store chain, that means taste flights inspired by the nations coming to the Midwest this summer, while Betty Rae's has concocted some unique tastes with an eye on fans of teams that will not only play at Arrowhead Stadium but be based in the area.

“I mean, anything that puts Kansas City on a stage is exciting for us. If Kansas City wins, we feel like we win,” said Matt Shatto, the owner of Betty Rae's, which has been voted the city's top ice cream shop for most of the past decade.

“There's a lot of thought and conversation about how many people are going to come, and for us, it's not about the people that are coming, necessarily,” Shatto said. “Our job at the end of the day is to take care of our customers. For those that can't go to the World Cup games or FanFest, we want to bring those festivities to them in their local neighborhood through our scoop shops.”

For Lionel Messi fans, that mean offering a cold, creamy riff on alfajores, the biscuit-like confection popular in Argentina. The ice cream version from Betty Rae's features a dulce de leche base with pieces of the traditional pastry mixed into it.

Argentina's counterparts from Algeria? They can indulge in a take on baklava with honey ice cream, phyllo dough and almonds.

“We have a number of interesting flavors that we're going to be bringing out,” Shatto said.

Local businesses always try to capitalize on major sporting events that bring fans from around the country or around the world, from the Super Bowl to the Olympics. The World Cup dates to 1930, but this version is unique in that it is hosted by three nations, the U.S., Mexico and Canada. FIFA expects to generate a record $11 billion-plus in revenue thanks in part to an expanded 48-team format, ticket sales, sponsorships and licensing agreements.

In Kansas City, local organizers have said they expect more than 600,000 people to visit over the course of the summer. It's a chance for businesses big and small to cash in.

Hen House, which also has some official World Cup merchandise in its stores, and Betty Rae's chose the to offer flavors inspired by the nations playing in the tournament. So did Shatto Milk Co., which still makes weekly porch deliveries to customers in traditional glass bottles, and has revealed nine commemorative flavors for teams making their way to the Heartland.

Orange chocolate for Curacao, for example, chai latte for England and butter pecan for the Netherlands.

“The restaurants and grocery stores are really on the bandwagon, and other people and other companies want to join in the fun,” said Barbara Shatto, whose family runs the century-old fairy farm that serves as the backbone of the company. She is Matt Shatto's mother.

“To have the World Cup being in Kansas City is tremendous for the economy,” she said, “but more, we can meet new friends from other countries and share things that we do in America. For just a little farm like us, they can learn how we make milk, butter, cheese and ice cream, and we can celebrate and learn from them."

Sandlot Goods, which produces apparel and other vintage-style offerings in Kansas City, has unveiled its Summer of Soccer line of shirts emblazoned with “Kansas City” across the front but in the colors of Argentina, Algeria, England and the Netherlands, the four nations that have base camps in the area.

Three KC may best epitomize the mom-and-pop shops leaning into the World Cup fervor, though. A math teacher by day, Brendan Curran runs the apparel company as a sort of one-man band, and his soccer-inspired designs first available on his online store have been picked up by several brick-and-mortar shops throughout the area.

“Shops were pretty pleased with the first run of shirts and they have ordered more, so that bodes well as the World Cup approaches,” Curran said. “I would love for visitors to pick up a piece of Kansas City while they are here.”

AP video journalist Nick Ingram contributed to this report.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer