Blue Bottle Coffee

The legend of Blue Bottle Coffee began in 1683, when the Turkish army, occupying much of Central and Eastern Europe, laid siege to Vienna. In a desperate move, Franz Georg Korsitsky, fluent in Turkish and Arabic, disguised himself in a Turkish uniform and broke through enemy lines to request reinforcements from Poland. After the Turks were repelled and their supplies left behind, Korsitsky discovered a bag of beans, thought to be camel food. Recognizing them as coffee beans, he used his reward money to open the first coffee house in Central Europe, The Blue Bottle, introducing coffee culture to Vienna. Fast forward to the early 2000s in Oakland, California, when freelance musician and coffee enthusiast James Freeman, tired of overly roasted, generic coffee, decided to roast his own beans. Using a small 6-pound roaster, he committed to offering only the freshest, highest-quality coffee beans during peak seasons. This commitment to flavor and quality led him to honor Korsitsky’s legacy by naming his new venture Blue Bottle Coffee. In the 15 years since, Blue Bottle has grown significantly, developing multiple cafes and expanding its reach. The initial business model—delivering freshly roasted coffee directly to customers—may have been small-scale, but it set the foundation for the company’s core values: sourcing sustainable beans directly from farmers, roasting to highlight optimal flavor, and serving coffee at its peak freshness. Today, Blue Bottle continues to honor its roots, offering exceptional coffee to customers with a dedication to quality and sustainability.

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