Souvenir Coffee Co. will open a fourth location in Old Oakland in March. Photo: Sarah Han
Jeremy Bled, owner of Berkeley-based Souvenir Coffee, is on the brink of opening his fourth location. In March, he’ll take over the former Coloso Coffee at Swan’s Market in Old Oakland, which has been out of commission since the lockdown in March 2020. But before that, on Feb. 1, Bled will celebrate a grand opening at his third Souvenir Coffee outpost in San Francisco, which he softly launched in August.
Given this rapid expansion, especially in the midst of a pandemic, you’d think that Souvenir must be doing brisk business. But Bled said his company like most other food retailers is not doing better than before COVID-19 hit and that’s part of why he’s expanding.