Painted Leopard, sebuah pop-up kopi dari Bay Area yang mengkhususkan diri pada biji kopi El Salvadoran, telah meluncurkan kafe permanen pertamanya di dalam toko unggulan The RealReal di Union Square, San Francisco. Kafe ini saat ini buka di akhir pekan, dengan rencana pembukaan besar-besaran dan jam operasional yang diperluas pada awal April. Dimiliki oleh tiga warga Amerika keturunan El Salvador, bisnis ini bertujuan memamerkan kopi unik dan ceritanya di pasar lokal yang kompetitif.
Painted Leopard, penyangra kopi satu-satunya di Bay Area yang fokus sepenuhnya pada biji kopi El Salvadoran, memulai sebagai pop-up keliling pada 2021. Pendiri Claudia Campos dan Daniel Ortiz, yang merupakan sepupu, mulai merancang bisnis ini pada tahun itu setelah mengunjungi keluarga di wilayah Osicala, Morazán, El Salvador, tempat ibu Campos tinggal. Mereka kemudian bermitra dengan Octavio Vargas, yang menangani penyangraan di fasilitas 444 Collaborative di East Bay. Merek ini secara resmi diluncurkan di SF Coffee Festival pada November 2023 dan telah tampil di tempat-tempat seperti taman Tunnel Tops di Presidio, Dolores Deluxe di Mission District, dan Local Economy di Oakland. Dikenal dengan desainnya yang edgy dan ramah media sosial, Painted Leopard mendapatkan biji kopi dari koperasi di daerah Monte Cacahuatique, Osicala. The new cafe opened this month at 253 Post Street inside The RealReal's two-story flagship store, which reopened after a nearly three-year closure. The RealReal selected Painted Leopard, a San Francisco- and woman-owned company, as its official coffee partner. For now, the cafe operates Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with pour-overs, cold brew, and rotating specialty drinks to be added after the grand opening in early April, when service will expand to seven days a week. The menu currently features espresso drinks, including the signature brown sugar latte made with housemade brown sugar and Dulzura beans, which offer notes of Fuji apple and cacao nib. Experimental offerings like the anaerobic-processed Cometa, best as a pour-over, and the honey-processed Abejas single-origin, with tamarind and wine flavors, will gain more prominence in the fixed space. Pastry partners are planned to complement these, focusing on pairings that highlight tropical notes. The cafe integrates with the store's local art, high-fashion racks, Wi-Fi, plants, couches, and tables. 1We saw an opportunity to tell our story in coffee,2 Campos said. The owners envision Painted Leopard as a central hub for El Salvadoran coffees, supporting farmers. 1We truly want to help the farmers, as they put a lot of work in,2 Campos added. This opening occurs amid Union Square's mix of global brands and local businesses.