Ferry Building welcomes new Red Bay Coffee spot

Red Bay Coffee, a growing Blackowned roasting company based in Oakland that’s as known for its coffee as it is for its inclusive ethos, is opening a new cafe in San Francisco’s Ferry Building next month.

Red Bay will take over the former Peet’s Coffee space, a prime spot that was typically bustling with morning commuters prepandemic. It’s the second San Francisco cafe for Red Bay and the roaster’s fourth Bay Area brickandmortar. The coffee company is known for its inclusive hiring practices, promoting diversity within the industry and serving popular seasonal drinks like candied yam lattes and vanilla charcoal lattes, which get their striking gray hue from incinerated coconut shells.

The news comes just days after Cowgirl Creamery announced it would leave the famed marketplace after 18 years. With seven other vacancies, the Ferry Building is clearly in a period of transition that’s been exacerbated by the pandemic. Red Bay owner Keba Konte said he knows it’s a risky time to enter the Ferry Building, but he’s thrilled to open a cafe in such an important landmark — especially as a San Francisco native.

“It feels really exciting. It feels like we’re part of the rebirth of the San Francisco retail community,” he said.

When the new Red Bay opens in April, it will primarily serve coffee and pastries for takeout, though the cafe may allow some indoor seating. There’s also ample waterfront outdoor seating, shared by other Ferry Building tenants.

Besides its famous location, this Red Bay will stand out from the others with new coffee classes and a snazzy, hightech espresso machine: the Opera 2.0 from Italy’s Sanremo.

The store also has a different layout: It will be centered on bagged coffee beans, with each shelf dedicated to one particular coffee and its story. For example, Red Bay’s East Fourteenth, a dark roast from Tanzania, will be showcased with instructions on how to best prepare that coffee, as well as video of the coffee producer, David Robinson, son of legendary baseball star Jackie Robinson.

During the pandemic, Konte said he’s seen huge demand for athome coffee equipment as more people work from home and enjoy more leisurely mornings. That’s why he plans to launch regular instore demonstrations and classes as well. For those who can’t make it to the Ferry Building, the company will have an educational video series on YouTube, too.

“Hopefully, we’ll coach you on how to get the best results out of those techniques and tools,” he said.

Red Bay Coffee: Opening in April. 1 Ferry Building, Shop 43, San Francisco. redbaycoffee.com