Jerad and Jason Morrison, the owners of Sightglass Coffee, have transformed a tired old sign manufacturing shop into an airy retail and manufacturing facility. Boor Bridges Architecture, an Inhabitat favorite, played a major role in carrying out the Morrisons’ vision of providing coffee lovers with a totally transparent and accessible cafe experience.
This is, in part, made possible through the practice of Direct Trade. Jerad and Jason buy straight from growers in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and elsewhere. In addition to providing a fair price for small farmers and encouraging them to develop sustainable, ecologically responsible practices, building these close relationships affords greater control over the quality and consistency of the final product. Because in the end, it’s still about the coffee.
Click through the slideshow to see the subtle detailing of the industrial warehouse turned coffee shop and learn more about the cafe and roastery’s many unique elements – including a cast-iron coffee roaster from 1961, a hand-brushed zinc counter built atop a sloping concrete floor, reclaimed steel joists welded into light fixtures, locally sourced wood, and wood paneling fired in the Japanese Shou-sugi-ban style using a Weber grill to prove the concept and a roofing torch to finish up the project.
The Bay Area is considered to be at the epicenter of coffee roasting in the United States, and Sightglass Coffee is the latest microroastery to make the map. The SoMa-based cafe and manufacturing facility holds its own alongside Third Wave Coffee Four a
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Three-story windows invite curious passersby to peek into the shop.
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Jerad and Jason Morrison, the owners of Sightglass Coffee, practice Direct Trade. They buy straight from growers in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and elsewhere. In addition to providing a fair price for small farmers and
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The coffee bar and retail space is pulled apart from the production area. Its central location and oval shape give coffee drinkers the chance to see everything from the milk supply and steamers to the filters and espresso grounds.
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A view of the 7,500-square-foot converted sign manufacturing shop from the mezzanine level.
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Regardless of the lack of WiFi, San Francisco’s coffee drinkers can always be spotted tinkering away on their laptops. The custom light fixture in the foreground is one of several on site designed by Steve Valdez.
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Valdez is also responsible for the guard rails, antique sliding door, the 38 reclaimed steel joist hanger light fixture, and various other pieces of sustainable metal work.
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At the beginning of this building’s transformation it was completely gutted – just the skeleton remained. The industrial feel of exposed concrete is warmed up by locally sourced (and subsequently charred) Bay Laurel.
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Baristas hone their skills using top of the line Strada and Slayer espresso machines, glass Chemex pots and Hario V60 pour-over drippers.
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These tiny roasters in the Sightglass lab are capable of roasting a half pound of beans at one time.
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The half-century old cast-iron Probat roaster is on and operated four days a week. In the near future, Sightglass will roast every day of the week to keep up with growing demand. Jerad fired up the roaster for us and explained the benefits of cast-iron
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Seen from above, the roaster is buffered by burlap sacks of raw coffee beans. It is further delineated by a concrete countertop that is stocked for packing one pound bags of Sightglass coffee and fulfilling wholesale orders. Record players and terrariums from Crooked Nest further decorate the production space.
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Sightglass’ cafe and roastery came together after two years of planning, permitting, sourcing, and building. Attention to detail is an understatement. The zinc finish on the central bar was rubbed with cupric sulfite and took hundreds of attempts to get
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Attaining a perfect roast is Sightglass’ first priority. Jerad and Jason will continue to focus on roasting small batches in a mindful way. This year, they will make their first trip to Kenya and begin to develop relationships with farmers in Africa.
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