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Peter Smith

Originally from Portland, Peter Smith moved to San Francisco to manage the wholesale operations for Sightglass coffee.

Photography by Matthew Brush @brush

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF

I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon—I’m a sixth-generation Oregonian, and I work as the director of wholesale operations and sales for Sightglass Coffee in San Francisco.

SOUNDS LIKE AN AWESOME JOB. WHAT DOES IT ENTAIL FOR YOU, ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS?

I head up the company’s wholesale program, and have the great opportunity to work with a diverse group of independent businesses who are all doing really interesting things—we work with a large variety of companies, from Chez Panisse to Twitter to neighborhood coffee shops.

DID YOU HAVE A BACKGROUND IN COFFEE?

Not in a million years did I think I'd be working in the coffee industry, but it’s been great. After high school I went to the University of Oregon and then worked for a design consulting firm in Portland. But I really wanted a different experience and eventually moved to SF. I've worked for a variety of companies, but places that have an entrepreneurial spirit are the common thread. When I left Portland, I was looking for a company where I could get entrenched into the start of something.

WHICH YOU CLEARLY HAVE A BACKGROUND IN, ACTUALLY. YOU AND YOUR BROTHER HAD A COMPANY WHEN YOU WERE KIDS. TELL US ABOUT THAT.

Right, my brother and I started a company when I was 12 and he was 10, called Two Brothers Chocolate Sauce—and did it for 12 years. It was a great opportunity to learn about business from a young age—but honestly, it was sort of a glorified lemonade stand [laughs].

WHAT IS IT ABOUT HELPING START SOMETHING THAT APPEALS TO YOU?

It’s very rewarding to help develop and shape the vision of something when it’s starting out. It can be a double-edged sword, but from my perspective the risks far outweigh taking a more conservative path.

It’s very rewarding to help develop and shape the vision of something when it’s starting out. It can be a double-edged sword, but from my perspective the risks far outweigh taking a more conservative path.

Peter Smith

WHAT'S THE CULTURE AT SIGHTGLASS LIKE?

My favorite thing about my job is being surrounded by people who are so passionate about what they’re doing, from the director of sourcing, who travels with our farming partners, to our roasters who approach coffee as an art form, and everyone else in between.

ANY ADVICE FOR SOMEONE WHO'S TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEIR NEXT STEP SHOULD BE?

An exercise I found very helpful when I was leaving Portland was I took a step back and I tried to identify all the qualities that I wanted to find in a company and a job, and I wrote it down. At first I tried making the list in my own head, but putting pen to paper was key. It was a living document. And at first when I thought about working in coffee, it didn’t seem right—but I went back to that list, and the job at Sightglass actually checked every box.

IF YOU DIDN'T LIVE IN SAN FRANCISCO, WHERE WOULD YOU LIVE?

New York City is always on the radar. And I also love the idea of going back to Portland in the future.

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FAVORITE BOOKS?

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron. And Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court, by John Wooden.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE NOT WORKING?

I have a 1976 Yamaha XS 360 motorcycle and ride it a lot. City league basketball. And cooking—I grew up around food and love it.

TOP SPOTS IN AND AROUND SAN FRANCISCO?

My favorite part of SF is actually how easy it is to escape the city. I’ve been going camping a lot, out to Kirk Creek in Big Sur. It’s on the water. The drive up just looks like a movie backdrop. Up north, I like going to Tomales Bay Oyster Company. You can bring wine, bread, and make your own picnic. And there’s an open-fire grill next to each table so you can barbecue the oysters.

YOU'VE BEEN WEARING WOOL&PRINCE BUTTON-DOWNS IN BLUE OXFORD, GREEN GINGHAM, AND NAVY PLAID. IS THIS THE KINDA STUFF YOU USUALLY WEAR? WHAT'D YOU THINK?

I love all three wool shirts for their quality, fit, and colorways.  Admittedly, I usually wear shirts without patterns such as chambray, oxford, or corduroy, but I have been wearing the W&P shirts, both casually and at work, especially on days when it’s a bit chillier outside. The shirts fit well for me, and look great untucked with rolled sleeves or tucked in, under a sweater if I’m going out to dinner. At work, we’re pretty casual—so I don't have to tuck in usually, but if I had a more formal meeting, it’s easy to polish things up in a split second.

Peter is 6 ft, 175 lbs, and wears a size M.


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