A popular San Francisco coffee shop that raised $75 million could be the next Blue Bottle

Almost as soon as Nestlé spent $425 million to buy a majority stake in hip coffee chain Blue Bottle in September, the search for the next hot coffee brand was underway. 

San Francisco has a contender in Philz Coffee, a family-run coffee chain known as a darling of the tech industry. The company, which passed hands from father Phil Jabar to son Jacob in 2005, has grown from one cafe in the city's Mission District to over 40 locations in California and Washington, DC. Tech investors have poured $75 million into the chain to date.

Philz has the cash to fuel an expansion and a key ingredient to become the next Blue Bottle: individuality. It looks nothing like a cookie-cutter coffee chain. At Philz, a diverse set of customers sit around mismatched pieces of furniture and drink coffee brewed one cup at time. Employees are encouraged to express their personality through interactions with customers. 

We spoke with Phil and Jacob to see why Philz has become a beloved institution.