I accidentally walked past a relatively new coffee shop on San Francisco’s Mission Street called nothing other than Coffee Shop. Small and tucked away without even a sign to draw people in, owner and manager Wilson Jones was jamming to songs from one of his umpteen Pandora playlists when I walked in.
With a cranberry juice in one hand and a bottled water in the other, I was less curious about tasting coffee that day and more curious about the shop itself and why I had never seen it before. After spending time in the world of technology as a web geek like so many people do or have done if they live in the San Francisco Bay Area, he opened this shop less than a year ago after getting laid off.
After chatting for awhile, Wilson insisted I try a Yerba Mate and a little organic coffee with some half and half served over ice. While I was still there, Ubuntu Coffee‘s Rich Soenksen walked in with a new batch of their locally-roasted, organic coffee from their Emeryville coop….their promise: Cooperatively Farmed, Cooperatively Imported and Cooperatively Roasted.
Above is Wilson on the left and Rich on the right. While they’re open to expanding, they currently source coffee from Colombia, Bolivia, Guatemala, Mexico Chiapas, Peru, Ethiopia, El Salvador and Sumatra, where coffee beans are offered to customers in a variety of light, dark and mosaic roasts and blends. Brew, Pour Over, Cold Process, Aeropress, and Espresso. YUM!!
Also on the list if you happen to pass by is Yerba Mate, various tea assortments, pastries, cookies, cakes, muffins and quiches from Emily Guzzardi’s BATCH Baking in Bernal Heights and chocolate by San Francisco’s TCHO. Did I mention the adorable and delicious vegan cupcakes?
They’re located at 3139 Mission Street in San Francisco.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
