James Freeman On His New Blue Bottle Cafe At Heath

Following news of Blue Bottle and Heath Ceramics joining forces in a loft at 18th and Florida, owner James Freeman dives into more detail on the collaboration: "We're just nuts about Heath. My wife, Caitlin, and I are hopelessly devoted to their products, and our house is filled with Heath seconds." Freeman says they didn't really have plans for a seventh Blue Bottle store, but when Heath expressed interest in partnering, they couldn't say no.

The coffee kiosk, designed by New York-based DCR, will take up roughly 300-square-feet and a shared seating area inside the existing Heath showroom. The design will resemble the cold-rolled steel facade and cabinetry at Blue Bottle's Manhattan and Brooklyn spaces, and the kiosk is being fully assembled in New York before it is shipped to San Francisco, pre-plumbed, pre-wired and ready for a quick assembly within the shop. "It'll take two weeks tops," says Freeman. The cafe should roll out around the middle of July.

Expect Blue Bottle's signature rotating single-origin espressos to be offered straight from a La Marzocco Strada EP, along with two pourover offerings daily. Naturally, everything will be served in Heath's ware, including the espresso demi-tasse Freeman helped them design. In addition to the usual pastries and granola at Blue Bottle, small batch food products such as Blue Chair Fruit Co. jams, Baia pasta, Bariani olive oil and Urban Cheese Craft DIY cheese kits will be available for purchase at Heath. Heath's owners are confident the cafe will join their retail store and ceramics factory viewing court to make a community gathering place. "There's a vitality here that we'll be great to be in the middle of," Freeman elaborates. "There are other places for coffee nearby, but I feel like the context we are offering coffee in is very different and will, hopefully, appeal to a different set of visitors."

Stay tuned for an exact opening date and peek inside as mid-July approaches. Once open, hours will be weekdays 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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