Tartine Manufactory, located at 595 Alabama St in the former Heath Ceramic warehouse in the Mission District of San Francisco, CA made its debut in August as Tartine’s long awaited second brick and mortar. While marking it as the latest bread mecca, the company has also established a coffee brand – Coffee Manufactory. We spoke with Maja Vojnovic and Chris Jordan, the team behind the venture.
Someone comes up to you on the street and says, “Hey, I’ve heard there’s some new bread/coffee place in town… Manufactory or something. What the heck is that?” How do you respond?
It’s Tartine Bakery’s new concept and location. The Manufactory is an idea and place that has evolved from Tartine’s dedication to flavor, craft, health and the human food experience. It’s a place to experiment and collaborate. You can get new Tartine products, baked goods and coffee. We will be introducing ice cream and dinner service soon. Also, you can get Tartine bread all throughout the day at the Manufactory.
It seems like the coffee manufactory crew has some serious experience and talent in the specialty coffee industry. What makes working for the Manufactory exciting?
We all used to work together, we are all friends. After we went our separate ways, we stayed in touch. Once the opportunity presented itself we all jumped on board. The exciting part about Coffee Manufactory is that stems from the Tartine ethos, which is a belief that through meaningful partnerships and collaboration, food can reach it’s highest potential. All our experience and backgrounds make Coffee Manufactory work. We try to think outside the box, see the larger picture. We want to partner with people with passions similar to ours, we believe in simplicity and accessibility of great product. That to us makes everything we do exciting.
We hear that you’re roasting in Oakland at a shared roasting space. Tell us more about that. Any plans to get a roaster in the new space?
We are currently roasting at Berkeley Co-Ro. It’s a shared roasting, production, cupping and training lab space. It’s been great place to meet other tenants who are a part of the Bay Area coffee community. It makes us feel already embedded within the community here. We currently roast for Tartine Bakery, Tartine Manufactory and our wholesale partners, as well as our newly launched online retail store.
We have plans of opening our own production and roasting space.
What would you say your “philosophy” is when it comes to roasting?
Let the coffee shine. Minimize roast. Create clarity, sweetness and maximize flavor.
What are your 3 top favorite places to get coffee in San Francisco?
