Never in my wildest, most ambitious dreams could I have envisioned that the coffee company I was in the midst of dreaming up and building would occupy the same physical space where I managed a cafe when I first moved to San Francisco. A lot can change in 23 years!
In 2003, I managed the Torrefazione Italia at the corner of California and Battery in the Financial District. It was the busiest location of a small chain of cafes founded in Seattle by an Italian immigrant. As someone new to the city, it was an amazing place to spend my days. I took Bart to work, emerging from underground early enough that the sky was still dark. Inside the cafe, the rattling and ringing bells of the cable car intertwined with the burbling of steaming milk and hum of grinding coffee. And the Brown twins – the famous twins of SF would walk by every Thursday at lunchtime, walking in step in fabulous matching outfits. We had lines out the door, with bankers and lawyers who barked their orders at us. (We taught them manners over time).
Meanwhile, I was dreaming up my own coffee company. I spent my weekends walking up and down Valencia, all along the side streets, scouting for the perfect spot for my first location. But Monday through Friday, I was in the Financial District at my cafe at the corner of California and Battery. I couldn’t wait to take what I had learned managing cafes for this company in both Seattle and San Francisco, and create something even better.
One sunny spring day, my manager came by and said we needed to have a meeting. Over espressos (in hand-painted Italian ceramic demitasse cups, of course), he told me that he had big news: things were going to change, Starbucks had purchased our company. It made me so sad. All I could think about was that I was going to be working for the company that I had very consciously avoided patronizing, let alone working for and helping them grow! I had given persuasive speeches explaining to people why they should avoid going to Starbucks!
That was just the kick in the ass that I needed to make the leap to building my own company.
I had been writing the business plan, scouting locations, and doing my research. Outward, the Torrefazione Italia cafes retained their brand but behind the scenes, Starbucks was replacing our respectful, empowered, and entrepreneurial company culture with the Starbucks one. Experiencing this transition was both extremely helpful in motivating me to build my own company and enlightening about what not to do, how NOT to treat people if you want them to feel valued and respected. In 2004, I signed a lease and started building my first cafe (this would become Ritual on Valencia). In 2005, I made the leap and quit my final job working on someone else’s vision, in order to pursue my own.
Shortly after I left, my beloved Torrefazione Italia got turned into a Starbucks. For the past 20 years, it operated as a Starbucks. For the past 20 years, I’ve been building my own dream company – Ritual Coffee.
A few months ago, through what I can only describe as kismet, I signed a new lease for Ritual at 255Cal, the same building as my old cafe, the former Torrefazione Italia. I can still hardly believe this is happening. It’s an exciting moment for Ritual. It’s also an exciting time for San Francisco – that as national chains decide that SF isn’t their priority, companies that are committed to being here and enriching our city get to expand our footprint.
The Ritual team and I are honored to take everything we know about coffee and cafe culture and create an incredible coffee oasis, giving San Franciscans a reason to leave their offices (or perhaps to work from their office!) All in the iconic 255Cal building located at the corner of California and Battery in the Financial District of San Francisco. We can’t wait for you to experience it. More soon. Opening is planned for October 2026!
CEO & Founder,
Eileen Rinaldi
