General Info

Founded in San Francisco by J.E. Clarence Freed along with Harvey Teller, our first location was at 708 Cole Street in what became known as the Haight district, the edge of the City back then. We featured tea blending, coffee roasting, spices, herbs, rice, extracts, baking and cocoa powders and pure olive oil in our walk-in store and wholesale business. We supplied many of the city's most famous restaurants. Accounts were written with pen and ink, and deliveries were made by horse and cart. Soon thereafter, the company relocated closer into the downtown center on the 900 block of Post Street at Larkin, where the business continued to grow its carriage trade business, complete with multiple horse drawn teams for delivery to clients. We'd probably still be in the same location if our premises hadn't been razed in the earthquake and fire of 1906. ( We San Franciscans are a bit defensive about the '06. It was the fire that caused most of the damage. ) With our building razed, necessity drew us to nearby Polk Street to rebuild. Then called Polk Gulch it featured underground streams, brick paved streets, gas lights and a diverse community. Our Polk Street edifice served as our headquarters from 1908 to 1999. Well, things have changed a bit over the years. Since the fifties, younger members of the Freed clan have transformed the company's direction, first to a completely retail and mail order operation. While we experimented with occasional bricks and mortar expansion such as at the Embarcadero Center, our reputation was made at headquarters. Later, we developed as a virtual retail business to accommodate so many customers who moved away from the Bay Area and missed our service. However, the old traditions have remained the same. When history repeated with another significant seismic event called the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 our business had to change again. With our building sustaining sufficient structural damage that required a City Hall mandated building upgrade, one which we could not co-exist in while repairs were undertaken, the family carefully decided it was time to find another location that would allow us to continue on. That brought about our move to South San Francisco. For generations, we at Freed's have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to providing a comprehensive and value-priced selection of premium tea and coffee from around the world. Now from our new warehouse location in South San Francisco, we continue to offer you the highest quality specialty items and our first class customer service.