Henry and Hrag roasting the coffee beans
Henry’s House of Coffee is a family business. Third generation roaster and current proprietor Hrag learned the trade from his father, who learned the trade from his. There is a sense of pride in each cup of coffee that is served there, along with a profound history.
The business first began in Lebanon where Hrag’s grandfather began serving coffee in his bakery in the 1940s. In Lebanon at that time, if you wanted a cup of coffee you had to roast the beans yourself at home. Hrag’s grandfather quickly realized that he could roast the beans and serve coffee for his bakery customers, and with that his coffee business was born. Years later, driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, Hrag’s father decided to purchase House of Coffee in San Francisco. What began as a specialty food store quickly headed towards a focus on coffee, and by the mid ‘90s Hrag’s father had created the coffee shop that the store is today.
Today Henry’s House of Coffee focuses on the experience of coffee. “We want to show our customers honor similar to how my grandfather did in Lebanon. When you walk into Henry’s House of Coffee you are not just walking into a coffee shop, you are being welcomed into my house,” he said. Inside the store there are bulk coffee bins where you can choose how much or how little you would like to purchase. Look closely and you might find beans from Jamaica, Thailand, and the Galapagos Islands. While you are browsing you may even catch a glimpse of the beans being roasted, as the café and the beans are roasted in the same space. If you look closely at the walls you can see the marks where Hrag’s father measured his height when he was growing up, and where his father now measures his grandchildren’s height in the same way.
Henry and Hrag with the height chart at Henry’s House of Coffee
With the experience of three generations of roasters and a welcoming environment, it isn’t hard to see why seventy-five percent of Hrag’s customers repeatedly return to his shop. Hrag is proud to be manufacturing in San Francisco, and is extremely excited to be joining as a member of SFMade. He believes that there is a need to grown manufacturing here in San Francisco, with a focus on quality and supporting the people who make goods locally.
Next time you are in the Sunset district of San Francisco take a break and step into Henry’s House of Coffee. Enjoy the experience, the passion, and the culture of a third generation coffee shop. If you’re lucky you might even run into Hrag’s dad who is still there greeting customers and roasting the beans.
For more information on SFMade, visit www.sfmade.org. To apply to become a member click here.
Henry’s House of Coffee is located at: 1618 Noriega Street, San Francisco, CA 94122
To find out more about Henry’s House of Coffee, visit: http://www.HenrysHouseOfCoffee.com
For inquiries about SFMade programs, please contact: Brittany, Community Engagement Coordinator, at [email protected].