Bill Kennedy in 2020. Roast / Daily Coffee News photo.
San Franciscan Roaster Co. announced the death of owner, president and CEO Bill Kennedy, a former school principal who later championed small roasters and U.S. manufacturing.
“The loss of Bill is beyond words,” the company said in an announcement yesterday. “He was not only a leader in our industry, but a true legend. His passion, craftsmanship and deep knowledge shaped countless roasters and coffee companies — our own included.”
Kennedy, who was based in Carson City, Nevada, is survived by his wife and six children. He passed away unexpectedly this week, DCN has confirmed.
San Franciscan Roaster Co. said it plans to honor Kennedy’s life by “carrying on what he built — continuing to craft artisan roasters as he would expect.”
Education Meets Engineering
Before entering roaster manufacturing, Kennedy spent roughly two decades in public education, first as a teacher then as a middle school principal. He studied industrial management at LeTourneau University, graduating in 1985, a background that later informed his approach to both engineering and running a small industrial business.
Kennedy purchased Coffee PER Inc., the manufacturer of San Franciscan roasters, from San Franciscan founder Sherman Dodd in 2008.
Under Kennedy’s leadership, the company emphasized simplicity and durability in its machine design, boasting mild-carbon steel drums, U.S.-mined and -milled sheet metal, and U.S.-sourced bearings, motors and electrical components. Kennedy led the expansion of the manufacturer’s product line beyond the SF-1 and SF-6 machines to the larger SF-10, SF-25 and SF-75.
During that time, Kennedy also developed a reputation among clients and industry colleagues as a kind and willing educator, and fierce champion of small roasting companies.
“I had the pleasure of knowing and working with Bill since he acquired San Franciscan Roasters. His relentless support of the industry and his pursuit to help anyone and everyone will be his lasting legacy,” Roast magazine founder and publisher Connie Blumhardt said. “Always towering high above me and everyone else, his big personality, his big smile, his genuine kindness and his amazing laugh will always stay with me.”
Supporting the Industry
One example of behind-the-scenes support that cemented Kennedy’s reputation as a mentor as well as a manufacturer came in 2016, shortly after the headquarters of Bald Guy Brew in North Carolina was destroyed in a fire. Kennedy then offered to pay for Bald Guy Brew Owner Don Cox’s pursuit of Q Grader certification during the downtime as the company’s roastery was rebuilt.
“He’s a quality guy who will walk with you through thick and thin,” Cox, who developed a training curriculum with Kennedy and now operates a fleet of San Franciscan machines, told DCN. “He loved the lord, loved his family, loved people and he loved coffee. It was never lost on anybody where his heart was. He led with it.”
Within the industry, Kennedy was known as being readily accessible for service, support and guidance.
“Two long key chats in Bill’s office gave me the confidence, swagger and excitement to take the huge step of going all in on roasting and relaunching a legacy brand,” Steven Horn, the owner of an SF-25 machine and Laughing Cat Coffee in Reno, told Daily Coffee News. “Bill’s calming, quiet and often hilarious guidance was always embraced, appreciated and valued well beyond the words. He had a way of making you feel seen, heard and somehow even protected.”
In 2025, Kennedy combined numerous professional passions as the host of San Franciscan’s Coffee Roasting Legends podcast, billed as a series in which a “coffee industry veteran” interviews figures who have “shaped the coffee roasting industry.”
As the coffee industry mourns Kennedy’s death, the many lessons he shared are certain to live on in roasteries all over the world.
“He had a rare gift for teaching, whether it was the art of roasting or a lesson pulled from history, always shared with warmth, curiosity and purpose,” San Franciscan wrote. “His wisdom, generosity and unmistakable laugh touched everyone fortunate enough to know him.”
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