Meet Amy Vito of Beloved Cafe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Vito.

Hi Amy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We started Beloved Cafe in 2016 in San Francisco’s Mission district. At the time, and still to this day, few restaurants cared about sourcing organic ingredients and considering how food was prepared for health and wellness. Beloved Cafe reflects our values for organic and sustainable food prepared in a way that nourishes your well-being. We wanted the cafe to be a portal that transported people into another space and time. Outside was San Francisco, and inside was a tiny piece of heaven where you could have a delicious plant-based meal, raw cheesecakes, fresh juices, and incredible teas. Beloved Cafe became a gathering place for the community and continues to be an offering to the community. We celebrated musicians and artists and held music and story nights that showcased artists and brought people together. In 2021, Beloved Cafe was recognized as one of four Anchor Businesses in San Francisco’s Mission. We felt proud to contribute to the culture and vitality of the neighborhood and to have created a place that the Mission district truly felt represented their diversity. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Beloved Cafe was started by my husband and me; we were only two people trying to make this dream a reality. We are grateful to have an incredible team of alchemists who have operationalized our vision. There were many growing pains in the beginning as we worked towards establishing the operation and making it lean and sustainable. During the pandemic, San Francisco and the Mission district were hit hard. Many of our customers moved out of the area, prices for raw ingredients and supplies increased exponentially, and we saw increased violence in the neighborhood. Many of our fellow small business owners left our neighborhood, but we were determined to continue. We knew how much this cafe meant to people. Frontline workers love our food and drinks, and one medical professional told us in tears that Beloved Cafe sustained her and kept her healthy during the most stressful and demanding times of the pandemic. Beloved Cafe is a lifeline for busy professionals and people who don’t have time to prepare nutritious meals for themselves. It is one of the few places you can trust in the quality and nutrition of everything you order. You’ll walk out feeling better than when you came in. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Beloved Cafe is a plant-based organic eatery and juicery in the heart of San Francisco. We specialize in healthy organic meals prepared with nutrition and wellness in mind. We source ingredients locally whenever possible and infuse the healing qualities of spices and herbs into our foods and drinks. We have an extensive fine tea menu, each tea hand-selected for its quality and taste. Our signature drink, Beloved Golden Milk, is available in over 50 stores across 30 states and is available online and on Amazon. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.belovedcafe.com
• Instagram: @belovedsf