If you’re an essential worker living in San Francisco, you can grab yourself a free cup of homemade coffee from Ben Ramirez who has started an impromptu to-go coffee shop out his kitchen window.

Ramirez makes about 15 cups of coffee a day for local essential workers including nurses, doctors, and postal workers. To comply with social distancing, he hands the coffee out the kitchen window of his North Beach home with the help of an extended toy gorilla arm, a suggestion from his young son.

Ramirez is up at 6 am and brews coffee in his kitchen until noon. He says workers and neighbors swing by for a delicious cup of joe and a chat. His setup is complete with a small menu board and he even offers the choice between light and dark roast.

He works in tech but has always dreamed of opening a cafe, so he already had a kitchen scale and pour-over coffee makers at the ready. His streetside coffee set up is letting him live out his cafe dreams, but he says the real treat is the community bonding that comes out of his little setup. 

In a time of social distancing, the simple joy of providing essential employees with a free cup of coffee and hosting morning conversations with his neighbors is a win-win for everyone.