Meet The Couple Behind Sunset Roasters

In our interview, in keeping with our theme, you will meet an incredible local coffee company, Sunset Roasters. Like many Bay Area founding stories, Sunset Roasters began in a garage. Phill Roliz, who is a firefighter with San Francisco Fire, was roasting coffee from his garage in the Outer Sunset. Phill and his wife Sara sold small batches, mostly to their friends. When more friends started asking for more, he and Sara officially formed Sunset Roasters. Read our interview to learn more about this company and the couple behind it.

Sunset Roasters officially got its start in 2018 once Phill found a five-pound coffee roaster in Vacaville on Facebook marketplace and enlisted his wife Sara, who has spent her career in operations at nonprofits, to co-lead the business. Along the way, Phil also started acquiring vintage vehicles and converting them into coffee trucks, think an old mail truck and International Metro Van (worth checking out on their Instagram).

When the pandemic hit, everyone started making coffee at home and Sunset Roasters’ at-home coffee delivery took off. Phill and Sara piled their kids into their truck and drove around San Francisco, dropping off their roasted coffee on doorsteps. In fact, that is exactly how we at The Westsider first met Sunset Roasters – Phill and Sara were the only new faces we saw (from a distance) every week.

Since then, Sunset Roasters has expanded. You can buy their coffee online, at the beloved neighborhood bakery Devil’s Teeth, you can find them every week at the Sunset Mercantile Farmer’s Market, and soon, you will see one of the new Sunset Roasters Coffee Trucks around San Francisco.

You all started in 2018, how did you start and how did you evolve to what you are now?

We unofficially started in 2013, and we launched in 2018. This September, we will celebrate five years as a real business. We used to roast coffee at home with my tabletop roaster. There's a place in Oakland where you can buy green beans in small quantities, like one to five pounds.

I began roasting coffee around 2008. It started off as a hobby – to learn more about roasting. It’s silly, I wasn't much of a coffee drinker, but I used to work at a cafe in college. I enjoyed making lattes and cappuccinos. After college I lost that for a bit, I shifted to social work for a few years then finally landed a job in the fire department. 

So, you’re a fire fighter for your day job?

Yes, I've been with the San Francisco Fire Department for 10 years. Before this, I went to UC Davis and then got a job with the Sacramento Fire Department. I was there for nine years.

During that time, I met Sara on a trip to San Francisco. I moved here but commuted back to Sacramento for work for years. When we talked about our future, I knew I didn’t want to be 110 miles away from family. I finally got the job here in 2013. We married in 2012 and bought a house in the Sunset. The goal was to start life here and to call it home.

We had a chance to buy my grandma's house in the Outer Sunset that had been vacant for a few years. My family was going to sell and the house meant a lot to our family. We decided to move to the Sunset because it’s a great place to raise a family. It’s a great place to own a home. The house was a nice family anchor. It already had a story. We kind of stumbled upon it, with a bunch of good luck.

Let’s start with coffee. I’m still learning the roasts. Can you talk about the difference between light, medium, and dark roast coffee? 

When I started, I had minimal coffee experience. My coffee preferences were basic, like burnt diner coffee. As I learned the craft behind it, I realized it's a genuine art.

Some theories suggest that the level of caffeine in coffee can vary based on its roast. Lighter roasts are denser and contain more caffeine by weight, as the bean retains its mass.

On the other hand, dark roasts often have a bolder flavor profile. Medium roast falls in between and is popular among many customers for its balanced taste. The majority of our inventory is medium roast.

You started by roasting coffee at home. What made you think about turning it into a business? 

Phill was roasting these small batches and just giving them to a friend here, a friend there. They would say, “Oh, this is pretty awesome. Can you do a little bit more?” and “I'll chip in for your next batch.” We did not think this was going to be a full fledged roasting operation. It was a great hobby that people were taking interest in.

Our transition from a casual hobby to a potential business wasn’t planned. During a trip to Disneyland in 2012, while browsing Facebook, we found someone selling a five-pound roaster. I was often looking for interesting finds online, so this coffee roaster caught my attention. We met the seller, he was enthusiastic and showed us the ropes, and we bought his roaster.

I was like, well I can roast five pounds at a time, so let's start a website. And then people could go to a website, we could take orders.

In San Francisco, there’s so much good coffee. A ton. I've met many coffee shop owners and roasters nearby. I often visit them and we support each other. I started doing roast-alongs.  A roast-along is like a one day internship where I'd visit and learn how they roast. When I wanted to get a bigger roasting machine, I asked local roasters if I could see how theirs worked. Most were open and helpful. Some didn't want to share, which is okay. I've learned from several in the area, and I also help others who want to learn about roasting.

What does the Sunset neighborhood mean to the company?

It’s a big question. We want our production to be in the Sunset and we are always looking for commercial space here. But finding the right spot is tough due to zoning issues. We're not sure if we have the resources to deal with these challenges. So, we're taking it slow and exploring our options. We just sort of dip our toe in every so often, like, could we do it here?

Our journey began with roasting coffee for our local community, a connection emphasized by our brand name. Our packaging has the 94122 zip code.

Early on, we started free delivery in the neighborhood, and we still do that. During the pandemic, these deliveries became more than just transactions; they were moments of genuine human interaction in a time of isolation. We popped the kids in the car, and we would drop off coffee at people's houses because that's all we could do.

How did your business change during the pandemic?

The Pandemic really sent Sunset Roasters into fast forward unexpectedly. As everyone started working from home, they missed their regular office coffee. More people started experimenting, doing home drinking. We stepped in with our home deliveries and shipping services. All these people were homebound, they really, really wanted their coffee and a little treat, a little delight for themselves.

We’re just this local business, and the first three months blew us away. We saw our sales grow tenfold. When COVID shut people in, and we instantaneously couldn't keep up with the demand that was coming in.

We decided we had to step up as a team because we were the only team. After we put the kids to bed I'd go in the garage and roast 30 to 40 pounds of coffee. Then, Sara and I would package until midnight and then label it and then out the door. 

In June 2020, Angie Petit from Sunset Mercantile recognized the potential in our coffee business and asked us to participate in the Outer Sunset Farmers Market. She had the vision for this market well before the pandemic and was actively scouting for local vendors as the world was changing. We were nervous but decided to join.

In July, the Sunset Mercantile farmers market started. We sold drip coffee, cold brew and bags of beans. People were showing up in their masks. People were buying tons of home roasted beans for their home brewing. We were all shut down for a couple of months, and then all of a sudden, we were able to be together outside and we all remembered how much we needed that community interaction. Like, saying hello to somebody you don't even know. It wasn’t just about selling coffee; it was a place where we reconnected with parents from our kids' schools and familiar faces from our neighborhood.

The farmers market played a vital role in establishing our brand, introducing us to people, especially as the community came out and felt comfortable in the open air.

You love coffee trucks and have several underway. Tell us more.

We purchased a vintage coffee truck two years ago that originally served coffee in New Orleans. With the help of a GoFundMe campaign and sales from a farmer's market, we managed to finance the truck. It’s now in Medford, Oregon, where we’re changing the engine. We've faced challenges in adapting the vehicle to meet California's strict health code standards for mobile food trucks.

Recently, we discovered another coffee truck listed for sale on Craigslist. Who searches for coffee trucks on Craigslist? We do! This truck was previously owned by Cafe Reveille. It was their primary business for nearly a decade before they opened brick-and-mortar stores. The brothers who own the cafe chain had a bunch of inquiries but chose us because we roast in the city. It felt like they were passing the baton to someone who would continue to serve the community.

The truck is almost ready to hit the streets. We'll focus on mobile service, especially in the Sunset. Our plan is to serve the community, starting with the farmers market and spots near the neighborhood, like Golden Gate Park, for foot traffic on other days.

We also have a mail truck, a Mailster, from the 1960s. I have a vision to put an espresso setup on the back, open the double doors, and sell coffee. It'd be like the parental ice cream truck – instead of 'ice cream, ice cream,' it's 'coffee, coffee, coffee.' We’ll keep you posted.

Sunset Roasters’ Perfect Westside Weekend

We ask every guest of The Westsider to describe their perfect westside weekend. We want to know where they spend their time and inspire you to explore new spots across SF’s expansive and magical westside. Phill and Sara share what they love to do with their kids in tow.

Coffee, Beach, Ferris Wheel

On the rare sunny days in San Francisco's westside, we take the kids out to enjoy the Ocean Beach. Sometimes, we drive and bring toys to relax in the truck if it's windy.

Our perfect day begins with Sunset Roasters coffee and breakfast sandwiches from Devil’s Teeth. I’ll probably get the breakfast sandwich special on sourdough, I love their sourdough. Our daughters also love the shark cookies there.

Afterwards, we go to Golden Gate Park between the California Academy of Sciences and the deYoung Museum. Hopefully, there’s live music in the bandshell area and we’ll also visit the ferris wheel area, which is a big hit with the kids.

Old-Timey Baseball, Seafood and Ice Cream

Our default place that we go is Pacific Catch on Irving. It's spacious and kid-friendly.

On Sundays, we might watch old-timey baseball games on 7th Avenue at Big Rec field in Golden Gate Park. (See more about Bay Area Vintage Base Ball)

For a treat, we visit Polly Ann Ice Cream on Noreiga or Marco Polo on Taraval for unique ice cream flavors. Polly Ann's has a fun flavor game, and I personally love their bubblegum ice cream. After our treats, we usually head home for a nap.