Oakland’s Black-Owned Coffee Roaster Red Bay Announces New Headquarters in Fruitvale Bank | Eater SF

"As one of the country’s few black-owned specialty coffee companies, Red Bay Coffee Roasters is moving into a major new headquarters in Fruitvale — a stately former bank at 3136 International Boulevard just around the corner from its existing Public Roastery production and coffee bar space and not far from where founder and CEO Keba Konte launched Red Bay out of his Fruitvale home in 2014. The three-story, 11,000-square-foot building, constructed in 1930, will include a cupping lab for coffee tasting, a design studio for the growing team, and the bank vault repurposed into “a space for community story exchange.” In its five years the company has pushed its mission to promote inclusion and diversity in specialty coffee, expanded to several locations (including a new roasting operation in San Francisco inside bagel bakery and creamery Daily Driver), and even serves as the primary coffee supplier for Facebook’s Menlo Park headquarters. Keba Konte said he’s excited to expand in the neighborhood and partner with mission-driven companies and sustainable farmers, and today local artist Angel Chavez spent the day painting a sign reading “Beautiful Coffee To The People” across the building while comedian Hannibal Buress posed with Konte in front of the new HQ." - Caleb Pershan