James Freeman, the compulsive perfectionist behind Oakland-based cult coffee purveyor Blue Bottle, once described a particular Brazilian blend as having a “beautiful brightness and layers and layers of flavors” that might cause its joyful taster to think about his or her “wedding day.”
Well, in a sort of restaurant-industry marriage that’s sure to send foodies and java junkies around the Bay Area into caffeinated convulsions, Blue Bottle is merging with Tartine, a small San Francisco bakery with its own cult of sweet-toothed supporters.
While Tartine Bakery will operate as a separate entity under the guidance of legendary bakers Chad Robertson and his wife, Elisabeth Prueitt, each company will offer the other’s products as they expand throughout the United States and overseas. Monetary details were not released, but Blue Bottle has raised nearly $50 million, some of it from big-name Silicon Valley investors, including Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom.
“To me, this is an ideal match,” said Jessica Battilana, a Bay Area food writer who helped edit Robertson’s latest book and is friends with Freeman as well. “Both are true artisans committed to high-quality products. And both have always invested in their employees, which is huge.
“I can’t think of better ambassadors for the Bay Area’s food scene,” said Battilana, adding that customers at Tartine’s planned outlets in New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo are in for double-barreled treat: “Any place that gets a Blue Bottle or a Tartine is really lucky.”
The popular Bar Tartine, just a couple of blocks from the Guerrero Street bakery in San Francisco’s Mission District, will not be part of the merger, but instead will be sold to its head chefs.
The merger brings Robertson and his wife, and their mouthwatering breads and sweet and savory breakfast treats, together with Freeman, an old friend and legendary prophet of the so-called “third wave of coffee.” This artisanal movement that has been percolating around the globe since the early 2000s, side-by-side with the explosion of handcrafted beers, wines and even chocolates and cannabis. Blue Bottle has 19 outlets, while it roasts its beans in Oakland, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Brooklyn.
Neither Robertson nor Freeman returned calls Monday, but according to Battilana, Tartine’s first satellite bakery could be in Tokyo’s hip Daikanyama neighborhood. And she said that the bakers plan to have Japanese colleagues train in San Francisco while keeping a San Francisco team member on site in Tokyo.
The expansion, for both Blue Bottle and Tartine, comes with its own set of challenges, says Kate Sullivan, a professor of hospitality management at San Jose State University. Keeping quality standards high while opening in new cities and countries is a tall order, “but you can manage all that. It’ll be fun to watch.”
Contact Patrick May at 408-920-5689 or follow him at Twitter.com/patmaymerc.
