These are exciting times for Ritual Coffee Roasters, the seminal San Francisco specialty coffee brand founded in 2005. They’ve spent the last 21 years going from strength to strength whilst leading from the front, and now they’re opening a brand new cafe in the San Francisco Financial District. Let’s learn more!
The 2026 Build-outs of Coffee is presented by DONA, Pacific Barista Series, and La Marzocco.
As told to Sprudge by Eileen Rinaldi.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
In 2005, when corporate coffee dominated American culture, Ritual unknowingly started a fun and exciting revolution that would ultimately help launch the new specialty coffee movement. By prioritizing sustainability and quality in our buying practices, we ensure we get our hands on the best beans in the world, but more importantly, that coffee farming remains a profitable business for coffee producers. Now a bona fide San Francisco original, we’ve also earned our iconic status as one of the best coffee roasting companies in the world. The mission of Ritual Coffee is simple: to make people happy by giving them the best coffee experience they’ve ever had. Ritual roasts in SoMa, and has cafes in San Francisco and Napa.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
Our new cafe is a large, light-filled corner location in a gorgeous mid-century modern building in the Financial District. The location is iconically San Francisco, as it’s right along the California Cable Car line. We took inspiration from classic Italian coffee bars, our neighbor the Tadich Grill, and Edward Hopper’s painting “Nighthawks” to create a coffee oasis.
Fun fact! It’s the very same cafe where owner Eileen Rinaldi was dreaming up Ritual and managing a cafe there 23 years ago!
What’s your approach to coffee?
We want to give people an experience that will change the way they think about coffee. For us, there’s no better way to do that than to introduce them to some of our favorite coffees in a brewing method they enjoy. Our coffee program focuses on single-origin coffees (and one seasonal espresso blend!) sourced from small-holder producers, cooperatives, and coffee growing communities. Our cafe menus rotate often to reflect the seasonality of coffee, and we provide different flavor profiles for batch brew, pour-over, signature-beverage, and espresso options.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
Pour-over bar featuring V60s, and coffee for two, via Kalita plus a La Marzocco espresso machine.
How is your project considering sustainability?
For this project, we looked primarily at sustainability through the lens of selecting materials that will be durable and age well with high volume. Having the experience of several other cafes under my belt, there are certain materials that are now go-tos for the cafe environment. We purchased as much of those products and materials as possible, using Heath Ceramics tile, for example. Additionally, we’re in a LEED Gold certified building, so there is an additional layer of ensuring that we’re meeting that as a minimum standard, in terms of energy usage, ventilation and air quality, etc.
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
Grand opening is slated for Thursday 10/22.
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
Yes! Seth Boor—Boor Projects—he’s the brilliant architect behind many amazing coffee spaces, in the Bay Area and beyond. What I love about working with Seth is that he can translate the desired vision for a space into the architectural concept. I first worked with him back in 2007 on our second location, and it’s such a joy to get to work with him again on this and to see how his creative process has evolved.
Thank you!
Thank you!
The 2026 Build-outs of Coffee is presented by DONA, Pacific Barista Series, and La Marzocco.
