Sightglass Coffee

Overview

Sightglass was founded in 2009 by Oregon-born brothers Jerad and Justin Morrison with a service cart in a SoMa warehouse, with early mentorship from James Freeman of Blue Bottle. The company name comes from the viewing window on a vintage Probat roaster. The flagship 7,000-square-foot SoMa roastery and cafe opened in 2011, and the Morrison brothers stepped down in 2024 with former Starbucks executive Sharon Healy taking over as CEO.

Known for

• Vintage Probat roaster as the brand's namesake centerpiece
• Flagship SoMa roastery-cafe with second-floor affogato bar and tasting flights
• Early Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey investment, plus later GingerBread Capital rounds
• West Hollywood (LA) flagship with bakery and all-day restaurant program
• Industrial-chic cafe aesthetic that became a third-wave reference point

Why it matters

Sightglass is one of the defining San Francisco third-wave roasters of its era and now also a case study in the post-founder phase of craft coffee — the Morrisons stepped away in early 2024 after roughly 15 years, with a Starbucks-veteran CEO and GingerBread Capital steering what comes next. How that transition lands matters for the rest of the cohort facing similar succession questions.

Production

head roaster

null

roaster machine

Vintage Probat

roastery location

270 7th Street, San Francisco (SoMa flagship)

Café

This roaster operates a café.

Recognitions

• Founded with mentorship from Blue Bottle's James Freeman
• Early backing from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey

Sources

• https://foodgps.com/interview-sightglass-coffee-founders-jerad-morrison-justin-morrison/
• https://sfstandard.com/2024/05/22/sightglass-coffee-founders-depart-new-ceo-joins/
• https://sprudge.com/founding-bros-step-down-from-sightglass-new-ceo-from-starbucks-appointed-239610.html
• https://dailycoffeenews.com/2024/04/18/sfs-sightglass-coffee-names-new-ceo-as-founders-step-down/
• https://www.joyridecoffee.com/roasters/sightglass
• https://www.goodeggs.com/sightglass