philz

Philz Dedicates New Coffee Blend to SF's Outlaw Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Sheriff Ross “Mugshot” Mirkirami is finally getting the recognition that he deserves, and it's not in the form of an impeachment hearing all about him either.  VC-funded startup Philz Coffee has just dedicated their latest brew to the Sheriff's Department.

Called “Ten-Eight,” the police code for “in service,” we're told the blend packs a mean punch when taken straight.  And for the real Ross special, you order two 10-8s, thus making a 10-16 — the code for “domestic disturbance.”

UPDATE: Phil writes us denying this was specifically named after Mirkirami, telling us the blend was made with “no one particular person in mind.”

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Philz Coffee Raises $15-25m, Becomes a "Startup"

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Whenever I read about local coffeeshop news in TechCrunch, I generally expect the news to not be good.  But in Philz' case, it might not actually be so bad.

According to TechCrunch, Philz raised over 3.75 million cups of Tesora worth of money to expand the 13-shop operation outside the Bay Area:

Today, Philz Coffee is adding some growth capital of its own. Although the company isn’t ready to disclose the exact amount, [Phil] Jaber says that the company has raised an eight-figure round that’s on the lower end of the spectrum. From what we can gather from sources, it appears to be in the $15 to $25 million range. The lead investor in the round is Summit Partners, and as a result of the firm’s investment, Summit Managing Director Greg Goldfarb will be taking a seat on the startup’s board of directors.

It's been a helluva story for Phil and his emerging startup.  Founded 25 years ago as a modest corner store at 24th and Folsom, he spent decades perfecting his secret coffee blends. Then in 2003, after decades of limited growth in the corner store market, Phil pivoted the company launched Philz Coffee in the same location.  Philz soon brought on rockstar Silicon Valley CEO “his son”, opened over a dozen more stores, and cemented partnerships with Virgin America and Facebook, giving the small neighborhood coffee house the totally reasonable $40-70 million dollar valuation they have today.

Of course, one of the best features of Philz was never the coffee itself, but rather his shop felt like the kind of welcoming, worn-in den that only an old artist would open.  How they'll be able to replicate that freewheeling culture which they've become know for across hundreds of stores remains to be seen.

[Photo by Ed Schipul]

Lazer Cat Mural Lives On At Philz

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

While it may not be as badass as the original, it is neon, floating in the middle of outer space, and has lensless Ray-Bans.  All that's left to do is beat this kid up under the cover of darkness, spraypaint a picture of cattle or other various farm animals over his shirt, and steal his lunch money.

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Philz: Stepping Up the Bathroom Graffiti

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Philz is my favorite spot to nurse off the tit of free wifi in the Mission because I don’t drink coffee and their tea is off the charts.  The only drawback is that there was nothing particularly interesting to look at in the bathroom as you unkink the hose/collapse on the floor in a nervous fit because you’re worried that the hella cute Jewish girl is going to jack your laptop while you’re busy taking pictures in the bathroom with your shit cellphone (true story/I’m an obsessive liar).  Anyways, the Philz bathroom has really been taken up a notch since I last visited in November.  Of course, someone half-heartedly tore down the “Boycott Israeli Apartheid” sticker, but it’s still generally a solid scene now: