Organic growth

JEN BERLINER • Patagonia Provisions

WORK • Wednesday Routine

JEN BERLINER • head of brand and innovation • Patagonia Provisions
Neighborhood you live in: Outer Richmond

It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Most Wednesdays start at our light-filled office along the Sausalito waterfront. Depending on the fog, the windows are usually open, with a breeze coming in off the Bay. It’s a mix of calm and momentum, with a few of my colleagues’ dogs happily zooming around, too. I’m always drinking matcha — Wild Orchard has an incredible Regenerative Organic Certified version — and doing my best to focus on my top priorities for the week.

What’s on the agenda for today?
On the product innovation front, we’re talking about scaling up a new line of sardines and beans tinned by our partner (a family-run fishery in Galicia, Spain) and on a call with Edacious to review nutrient-density test results for our smoked wild-caught salmon. As part of the brand marketing side of my role, I’m also reviewing packaging for our new non-alcoholic brew.

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
If my husband and I can sneak away on a Friday evening, we’ll likely be at The Anchovy Bar (a long-time fave… stay tuned for an upcoming collab we’re working on with them) or Pearl 6101 (for the roasted cauliflower with black tahini). If it’s the whole family, we’re picking up pizza down the street at The Laundromat and swinging by Slake for something fun to drink on the way home. On Sunday, if we aren’t back at The Laundromat for bagels, then we’re at Iggy’s Place for latkes and eggs — the owners are lovely, and I appreciate how they prioritize organic and local in a way that can be rare for casual spots.

How about a little leisure or culture?
I have three- and five-year-old boys, so our weekend leisure often takes the form of pre-K soccer games, Hook Fish picnics at Ocean Beach, and chasing them on scooters around the Outer Richmond. We live very close to the Legion of Honor, so I love to pop in there for an hour when I have time. There’s a Matisse exhibit right now I hope to visit soon.

Any weekend getaways?
We love spending time in Truckee — especially in summer, though my boys are learning to ski this winter, which has been very cute. Great Gold is five minutes from our house. The pizza there is amazing, and their homemade gluten-free pasta is sneaky good, too. New Moon Natural Foods is another favorite stop.

What was your last great vacation?
I spent a week in Copenhagen last year, and since I’d previously done most of the larger attractions, it felt like I was really able to get to know the city. Some of my favorite meals were at Admiralgade 26, Kødbyens Fiskebar, Sixteen Twelve for brunch, and, of course, Noma. I also loved drinking matcha lattes and people-watching at the Louise Roe Gallery café and taking the train up the coast to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.