The Boy & The Bear, a Los Angeles-based coffee roaster known for its rare and carefully curated Colombian coffees, is expanding into San Diego with a new location at 801 W. Hawthorn Street, Unit #110a.
This will be the company’s eighth store and its first outside of Los Angeles, according to documents submitted to the San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality. The new cafe will open on the ground floor of Hawthorne Place, a new retail development in San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood. The development is also expected to welcome other tenants later this year, including Grab & Go Subs. An official opening date has not been announced yet. The Boy & The Bear also has locations in Culver City, Pasadena, Westchester, Redondo Beach, and Sherman Oaks, with additional sites coming to Terracotta and Gardena.
Founded by Andres Piñeros in 2012 as a pop-up shop in Villavicencio, Colombia, The Boy & The Bear was created to serve Colombian coffees exclusively. Piñeros moved to Los Angeles in 2013 to establish the brand in a city with growing interest in specialty coffee. The first storefront opened in Redondo Beach in 2016, followed by locations in Culver City and Westchester. The brand is known for building direct relationships with Colombian coffee farmers to ensure quality and transparency.
The company’s roasting facility is based in Redondo Beach, where it carefully roasts coffee beans sourced directly from Colombia. The Boy & The Bear aims to deliver what it calls the best cup of coffee, while also fostering a welcoming environment that reflects Colombian culture and hospitality.
The design of The Boy & The Bear stores incorporates metallic copper and natural weathered wood, inspired by Colombia’s flora, fauna, and rainforests. The brand’s logo, featuring a copper color, is inspired by a Swedish folk story symbolizing friendship and connection, reflecting the company’s goal of creating a space where diverse people can come together over coffee.
The San Diego location is expected to continue this approach, offering customers a specialty coffee experience rooted in Colombian culture and quality.
