Giants Star Hunter Pence Plays Barista at Peet’s, Plans His Own Cafe

San Francisco Giants outfielders Denard Span and Hunter Pence were pinch hitting as baristas today at Peet's Coffee, with Pence serving drinks at the Ferry Building and Span making them on Chestnut Street from 11 to noon.

The promotion marked the launch of a new Peet’s Coffee roast the 2017 Giants Clubhouse Blend. 5 percent of proceeds from its sale are donated to underserved youth via the Giants Community Fund. Rather than pay them Peet’s hourly wages, the coffee company made donations of $2,500 to the players’ charities of choice.

Note that Pence in particular has developed a taste for coffee: He and wife Alexis, who was also working a shift at Peet’s today, are even opening their own café. That venture, a “gaming cafe” to be called Coral Sword, will combine their interests in, yep, gaming and coffee. It’s name is reference to a weapon in the Final Fantasy video game series.

"Coffee and gaming are two of my favorite off the field activities," Pence has said. "I'm most excited about creating a space that combines the two.”

But sadly for Pence’s Bay Area fanbase, that space is bound for Houston, Texas. “Incorporating new media into the coffee shop is an exciting way for me to bring a piece of San Francisco to Houston that keeps me feeling connected," the player says.

Coffee snobs need not worry about quality at Coral Sword. David Buehrer, a partner on the project, already runs acclaimed Houston coffee shops Blacksmith, Greenway Coffee & Tea, and Morningstar. Maybe Pence will be popping up as a barista at those destinations next.

• Peet’s brews Giants coffee blend (Your baristas? Hunter Pence, Denard Span) [Mercury News]
• Here's the scoop on Hunter and Alexis Pence's new coffee and game shop, Coral Sword [SFGate]