About Us

Dogpatch Biofuels is San Francisco's first and only public, retail, B100-only biodiesel filling station. It is owned and operated by San Francisco residents Michele Swiggers and Robin Gold.

We conceived this idea because no one else in San Francisco was doing it, and like all local biodiesel users, we were tired of driving 20 miles out of town just to fill up! We believe that local is part of the definition of sustainable, and San Francisco desperately needed its own station, serving the local community. Now we look forward to many happy years of serving our fair city's current and future biodiesel drivers.

The biodiesel we sell is as local and sustainable as possible, meaning that we buy from the closest possible producers-- most are located in California, and some are right here in the Bay Area-- who are producing high-quality biodiesel from sustainable feedstocks. Whenever possible, our biodiesel is made from recycled waste oils.

We have been using biodiesel in our own vehicles for a number of years, including a 1976 Mercedes Benz 300D, a 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle TDI, and a 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins diesel truck. Please see our page on Using Biodiesel to learn more about getting started with biodiesel for your own diesel car or truck. Diesel vehicles are great because they get much better fuel economy than gasoline engines (our Beetle consistently logged better than 40 MPG), and they are built to last. Old Mercedes diesels and trucks like our Dodge Cummins often run for half a million miles or more, if treated properly. Biodiesel can help engines last longer, too! Don't miss our Benefits of Biodiesel page for more information on all the great benefits of using sustainable, cleaner-burning biodiesel.

Even though biodiesel is a great fuel alternative, we believe that one of the best things we can do for the environment is to only drive when it's truly necessary. We ride our bikes, take the bus or BART, and use our own two legs whenever possible. We also try to live as sustainably as we can in other ways. That's why we are so happy to have the Dogpatch Biofuels eco-store, to sell products supporting a healthy, environmentally-friendly lifestyle. We sell fair trade and organic, healthy snacks; goods made by local artisans; compostable biobags; non-toxic cleaning supplies; reusable water bottles; and more.

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