Our San Francisco Store is Closing

It’s with very mixed emotions that I have to announce the closing of our San Francisco store in the Ferry Building Marketplace.

It’s been an incredible experience and I wouldn’t change a minute of it. I grew up in the Bay Area – having a shop in the landmark building was a key goal of mine as a food entrepreneur.

As we made the transition from a vending stall at the CUESA farmers’ market to a storefront in the ferry building, Rancho Gordo also became a national brand, in no small part thanks to our Ferry Building store. Having a shop in the marketplace provided exposure and an opportunity to forge new partnerships. Where else in San Francisco can you see Diana Kennedy casually shopping?

Our business has been slowly shifting towards online sales and wholesale to restaurants and retailers for years and we feel this is where we need to focus our energies.

Published by

Steve Sando

I dig beans.

25 thoughts on “Our San Francisco Store is Closing”

  1. Sorry to hear this, as it was a visit to this store two years ago that brought Rancho Gordo into our lives. As a California transplant to Vermont more than 30 years ago, I still love beans and chiles, and was thrilled to discover the heirloom beans available through Rancho Gordo. We will continue to order online!

  2. Just don’t ever, ever go out of business! I am addicted to the goodness that is Rancho Gordo beans. Incomparable. Have turned many friends on to them. My current favorite: Royal Corona. The Royal Corona Beans in a Creamy Tomato Sauce recipe sounds sooo yummy. Thank you for all the work that goes into this fabulous business, appreciate it immensely. And thanks for showing me what really good, lovingly grown and cherished beans can taste like!

    1. “That’s great to hear. We have a full time person dealing with wholesale. Let us know if there’s a store we should approach.”

      I’ve often wondered why your wonderful beans are not in Trader Joe’s. Seems it would be a perfect fit, plus Trader Joe’s are everywhere. Another plus? I have a nearby Trader Joe’s.

      And Whole Foods. Although I don’t often shop there, I would for your beans.

      1. Great points. We’ve talked with both. Trader Joe’s is really focused on price and volume and it’s not an arena where we can compete. The good thing about heirlooms is that they have incredible flavor but the downside is they are much more expensive to produce. This isn’t a snob thing as I’m a regular shopper there, it’s just not the right fit.
        Whole Foods is more problematic. They buy locally, regionally and nationally. We are in some, mostly the Pacific Northwest.

  3. Sorry you’re closing this store, which I’ve enjoyed visiting when I’m in San Francisco. However, your beans have been showing up in Southern California, where I live, and it’s nice to know I can order them online as well. My favorites are the Royal Coronas, which I love using in soups and salads. (I posted a recipe that I still make at http://ruthtalksfood.blogspot.com/2015/01/an-elusive-but-very-big-bean-and-soup.html). I also like the Ayocote Negro beans, which are great in chili, tacos and quesadillas, among other things. I hope to try some other varieties soon. Thanks for your excellent products and for posting so many tempting recipes over the years.

  4. Steve, I understand the business decision, though I will always treasure the sense of discovery I always felt shopping in the Ferry Building store – it was instrumental in leading me to commit to a healthier, more veg- and legume-centric diet, with your legumes in particular. (And all those bags of beans in my checked luggage back to Boston too!) My hope is that you will find other ways for all those who need to know your beautiful product, itself an agent for dietary change for many, to discover it as I did in that store in the Ferry Building. Vale et excelsior!

  5. Oh no! We love shopping for your beans in the Ferry Building. We’re so sad, but understand it is a business decision that makes sense for you, and we want your business to thrive. When is the closing date?

  6. We first discovered RG beans at the Ferry Building many years ago, and since then we’ve ordered online and have dog eared copies of your book. But today we were actually at the Ferry Building at the RG store, admiring the beautiful beans, but we did not buy any because we j ew it was easier to order them online to ship to home in Seattle rather than pack them in our suitcase. We LOVE RG products and will continue to to buy them from your website.

  7. Steve, I wonder if you might consider asking your clientele to share “out of this world/killer” recipes of your beans and hominy that they have developed? I love all of your recipes at website and blog. Just thinking people could get pretty enthused about this and I would have more recipes to slobber over. Thanks!

  8. I think the next practical step would be to open a store here in Hawaii, don’t you????
    I know you will have great success in whatever areas you choose to sell–good for you!

  9. I am heartsick, as the information I’ve learned from the staff at the Ferry Building location has helped me choose varieties to try and ways to prepare them. I never visit our SF kids without lugging several pounds of Rancho Gordo home to try. Always one of my favorite stops!

  10. Hi there! Sorry to hear that the store is closing, but glad that we can still order online! I work close to the Ferry Building and would love to pop over there again before closing. When is the close date?

  11. I worked in the neighborhood for several years, until about a year and a half ago. I used to stop by almost weekly to pick up beans. And the popcorn made great Christmas presents. Though I am no longer working in the neighborhood and don’t get there often, I’ll miss it for sure on my visits.

  12. Just walked by the RG empty stall and my heart dropped. Didn’t know you were closing. Honestly I used to walk by RG years ago and wonder how a bean shop could survive. One day we stopped and tried them. Life hasn’t been the same since. Great to hear you are thriving online!

    1. I’m sure it was a shock! Sorry about that.
      Hopefully you can find us in a lot of other stores in the city.
      It was hard with a $6 specialty item to make it with that rent, especially as the beans became available in other stores in SF. But it was great for meeting people like you!

  13. I understand, but I’m bummed. I’m an American living in the Netherlands. I read about Rancho Gordo a few years ago, and then got to sample some of your beans on a trip to the Bay Area to see family. Your Ferry Building shop went right to the top of my list for necessary stop offs when coming back, which I do frequently. Damn…and shipping to Europe is unaffordable. So I guess I have to have your stuff sent to relatives and friends for me to pick up or have them bring. Very sad…but best of luck.

    1. I bet we’re somewhere close to your travels in the city. BiRite Market, Rainbow Grocery, etc. Our availability in San Francisco is what led to the decision, in part.
      Best would be if you could take a field trip to Napa. We’d love to see you in the north bay.

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