"COLD WAR" in HAYES VALLEY?

On the way to visit the signature Blue Bottle, Kiosk at HAYES VALLEY, something very interesting caught our attention: Red shipping container, Kiosk of Ritual Coffee Roasters.


Ritual Coffee at HAYES VALLEY??  
In 2011? 
It cannot be real…I doubted my eyes.

Ritual dominates Mission, not Hayes Valley.  Mission is for Ritual Roaster so that Blue Bottle would not step in.  It is the tacit agreement in Third Wave coffee industry in SF area which has never been broken.  James, the owner of Blue Bottle, respects the rule and silently follows so that he had never made decisions to open café’s anywhere might compete with other third wavers.
Here is now Ritual Roasters opened up Kiosk counter at Proxy 432 Octavia St., within 5min. walk from Blue Bottle Kiosk.  At least, they are not standing face to face.  Maybe, it is better for Ritual to stand face to face with Blue Bottle to find out the reality.  Behind Ritual, there is a new ice cream shop which graved attention of SF sweets lovers and this shop, actually the trash box of this shop, reveals reality.  The trash can was filled with Blue Bottle paper cups, not Ritual.  People buy ice-cream and Blue Bottle.

Can we prove it? 

Yes.  Sales of Blue Bottle at Hayes Valley has not been damaged nor shown any irregular decline since Ritual opened.  The fact amazed me even it was something could be guessed easily.  So far, “the cold war” between Blue Bottle and Ritual seems to end up with Blue Bottle’s triumph, about which Ritual may car about but Blue Bottle doesn’t.  Blue Bottle stays calm as the surface of a mirror reflecting truth of the world…

Ritual Coffee Roasters used to be the one of top runners which launched “the third generation” history in San Francisco coffee industry.  Ritual opened in 2005 with Seattle style, dark roast with storing body, but developed their own style and create uniqueness of SF coffee history.  Their eye catching package, Red with white symbol mark, appeal to the public as well as rich flavor of their coffee.  Ritual Coffee Roaster created history.  Ritual was the top runner…  Yes, “was”, in the past.  After Blue Bottle came in, the industry map was redrawn and repainted quickly; Red to Blue.  Blue Bottle was “Rising sun”.  Blue Bottle grew rapidly in the fast-growing market. 
Founded in Oakland, The Blue Bottle Coffee Company moved slowly but consistently with the vow of “48hrs policy”; Blue Bottle roasts beans good enough amounts to sell within 48hrs and uses the finest organic, and pesticide-free, shade-grown.  The company has kept the vow with enthusiasm and devotion to Coffee Beans since the beginning of their history.

It is loyalty to the customer that helps company grows.
It is honesty that keeps their customers loyalty.
It is enthusiasm and love that fascinates and influence the industry as well as the market.

This post is written totally on Blue Bottle side, so I understand there are series of counter opinion.  However, I still believe there is no counter on gentleman-ship as well as fairness of Blue Bottle.