Old Thanksgiving Coffee Harbor Building

The Old Thanksgiving Coffee Harbor Building is one of the more distinctive surviving structures on the south side of Noyo Harbor.

Overview

Standing directly over the water on timber pilings, the long wooden building reflects an earlier harbor era shaped by fishing, seafood processing, storage, and other waterfront businesses.

For many years, it was associated with Thanksgiving Coffee Company during the company's early growth on the Mendocino Coast.

Location

The building stands on the south bank of the Noyo River.

Although it has a Fort Bragg mailing address, this portion of South Harbor Drive is outside the incorporated City of Fort Bragg and falls under Mendocino County land-use jurisdiction.

The property is part of Noyo Harbor's working waterfront, where buildings traditionally developed around direct access to boats and the river.

History

Thanksgiving Coffee Company was founded by Paul and Joan Katzeff in 1972, beginning as a small coffee-roasting operation in Mendocino.

In 1974, the Katzeffs acquired the South Harbor property from the Caito family.

The waterfront building became part of Thanksgiving Coffee's early Noyo Harbor operation as the company grew from a small local roaster into a much larger specialty-coffee business.

The structure was already an older harbor building when Thanksgiving Coffee arrived, tying the property to an earlier period of Noyo's fishing and seafood industry.

As the company expanded, its main roasting and production operation eventually moved to the larger Thanksgiving Coffee facility at 19100 S. Harbor Drive.

The old building at 19350 S. Harbor Drive remained behind as a reminder of that earlier chapter.

The building is no longer used by Thanksgiving Coffee. It still stands over the Noyo River, although its timber pilings and portions of the structure have deteriorated considerably.

The property changed ownership in 2026, and the new owners have discussed replacing the aging waterfront structure rather than attempting a complete restoration.

Plans discussed publicly call for removing the deteriorated building, installing new pilings, and constructing a replacement waterfront structure associated with a charter-boat operation.

The owners have also discussed salvaging usable wood from the old building for use in the replacement.

As of September 2026, the redevelopment remains proposed. I have not located a publicly posted final redevelopment approval for the property.

Because 19350 S. Harbor Drive is outside Fort Bragg city limits, major redevelopment would be handled primarily through Mendocino County and applicable coastal permitting agencies rather than the City of Fort Bragg.

Community Memories

For longtime Noyo Harbor residents and workers, the building remains closely associated with the early years of Thanksgiving Coffee on the waterfront.

Its weathered siding, long over-water footprint, and timber pilings also preserve the look of an older working harbor, before many of Noyo's waterfront buildings disappeared or changed use.

Timeline

1972 — Paul and Joan Katzeff establish Thanksgiving Coffee Company.

1974 — The Katzeffs acquire the South Harbor property from the Caito family.

Following decades — Thanksgiving Coffee expands, with its primary roasting and production operations eventually moving to the larger facility at 19100 S. Harbor Drive.

2026 — The 19350 S. Harbor Drive property changes ownership.

2026 — New owners discuss replacing the deteriorated waterfront building with a new structure associated with a charter-boat operation.

September 2026 — The Old Thanksgiving Coffee Harbor Building remains standing while plans for the property continue to develop.