Bird and Bear Coffee

A Small But Mighty Coffee Roastery Runs Out of a Cole Valley Garage | Eater SF

"Operating out of a Cole Valley garage that the Streetmans opened in June 2020, Dan and Ella sell just-roasted specialty coffee bags directly to neighbors from a rolled-up garage door, creating what feels like the most grown-up lemonade stand: a Behmor 1600 roaster tumbles beans and fills the corner with thick aromatics, a grinder sits against the wall, homemade Paint House cards sometimes sit on the table, and mailers are taped to the Streetmans’ Subaru for shipping. Dan’s roughly 17 years in coffee informs the business — he sources beans through long-standing relationships (including Iris, Lourdes, and Ana Isabel, whose beans make the “Honduras Hermanas Alvarado” blend), and Bird and Bear currently offers eight varieties, blends, and single-origin coffees priced at $15 per pound as a statement of accessibility compared with many roasters charging $24. Because of local rules he only sells packaged bags (not prepared drinks), carries a California food manufacturing license, and acknowledges the operation sits in a regulatory “gray area” that may not be permanent; he plans to expand into grocers and cafes, host fundraisers like events for the SF-Marin Food Bank, and use the business to give back to the community. The pop-up walk-up hours are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 9 a.m.–4 p.m. and Thursdays 1–4 p.m., and the corner of Beulah and Cole Street remains infused with the dark aroma of coffee as neighbors stop by to buy beans and chat." - Paolo Bicchieri