It will take some time to fully comprehend and integrate all that we learned and worked on and accomplished in 2025. For now, one lesson is really standing out: It takes time to build something great.
In 2020, I decided that as we rebuilt Ritual, we’d really rebuild. We examined every part of the structure of the company, we evaluated all the systems and processes. We revisited our values and our culture, we decided what parts of it we wanted to keep and what we wanted to let go of. Somewhere as we were coming out of that time, it might have been in 2023 or so, there was a set back. I don’t even remember now what it was. Perhaps a beloved employee deciding it was time to move on or uncovering a flaw in our assumptions on what would work. That day, I happened to open the newsletter of someone I would consider a mentor – Ari Weinzweig of Zingerman’s. He wrote about how long it takes to build something great. It was a salve for me that day, and provided a beacon.
When I reflect on 2025, what I see is the 20 years of Ritual that led up to this year, and the 5 years since we started redefining how we operate. 2025 was the year that all that we’ve been working on really coalesced beautifully in a new way.
Ritual has always attracted amazing people. The team we have now is incredible, and we are working so well together. We are building something that is greater because we’re putting ourselves into it and listening to one another and collaborating.
We are guided by the values that drove me to create Ritual over 20 years ago, and we are staying true to those while incorporating deepening skills around collaboration, intention and clarity.
Thanks to everyone on my team who made 2025 such a successful year. Thanks to my beloved customers who so deeply appreciate the hard work that goes into our delicious coffee. Here are some photos of our favorite moments of the year. We can’t wait to make next year even better. We have some amazing things in store for you!
CEO & Founder,
Eileen Rinaldi
