Blue Bottle Coffee

Blue Bottle Coffee, Inc.
Subsidiary
Industry Coffee industry
Founded 2002 (2002)
Founder W. James Freeman
Headquarters Oakland, California, U.S.
Area served
 United States
Key people
 W. James Freeman (CEO)
Parent Nestlé (2017–present)
Website bluebottlecoffee.com
Blue Bottle's facility in Oakland
W. James Freeman, CEO of Blue Bottle Coffee, in 2014

Blue Bottle Coffee, Inc. is a coffee roaster and retailer headquartered in Oakland, California, United States. In 2017, a majority stake in the company was acquired by Nestlé. It is considered a major player in third wave coffee.[1] The company focuses on single-origin beans.[2]

Locations

The company while based in Oakland, California soon expanded to other areas around the country. Blue Bottle first expanded to several cafés in locations around San Francisco, including the Ferry Building and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's rooftop garden.[3] The company operated 29 stores in 2016, and it anticipates having more than 50 cafes open by end of 2017 in California, New York, Washington, Miami and Tokyo.[4]

History

W. James Freeman founded Blue Bottle Coffee in the early 2000s in Oakland, CA, borrowing the name from one of Europe's first cafes, The Blue Bottle Coffee House. His intention was to roast coffee in small batches (6 lbs. per roast) to sell within 24 hours of roasting, initially as a home-delivery service. Blue Bottle soon ceased deliveries and opened as a traditional cafe.[5]

Blue Bottle opened additional locations in San Francisco and elsewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area, and then opened its first New York location in 2010.[6] The company-owned stores carry off-menu items such as the "Gibraltar", a form of cortado.[3]

In 2012, Blue Bottle received $20 million in venture capital investment.[7]

In January 2014, Blue Bottle raised $25.75 million in new round of funding.[8]

In 2015, Blue Bottle completed a venture capital round in which it raised $70 million+ from investors led by Fidelity.[9]

Since its inception, the company has raised $120 million from investors.[10]

In September 2017, Nestle S.A., the world's largest food and drinks company, acquired a majority stake of Blue Bottle.[11] While the deal's financial details were not disclosed, the Financial Times reported "Nestle is understood to be paying up to $500m for the 68 per cent stake in Blue Bottle".[12] Blue Bottle expects to increase sales by 70% in 2017.[13] In September 2018, Blue Bottle Coffee opened its first location in Kobe, Japan.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Peet's rides coffee's 'third wave' with stake in Intelligentsia". Reuters. October 30, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  2. ↑ Roush, Wade (June 7, 2013). "Coffee Goes from Folger's, to Starbucks, to Tech-Driven 'Third Wave'".
  3. 1 2 "Blue Bottle: The best coffee you may ever drink", CNN Money, September 2011, archived from the original on December 14, 2012
  4. ↑ Geller, Martinne; Baerlein, Lisa. "Nestle buys majority stake in Blue Bottle Coffee". uk.reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Blue Bottle Coffee - Who We Are". Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  6. ↑ Morabito, Greg (February 23, 2010). "SF's Blue Bottle Coffee Co. Hits The 'Burg This Week". Eater NY. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Blue Bottle Cashes in on Coffee Authenticity", Wired.com, October 16, 2012
  8. ↑ Merced, Michael J. de la. "Blue Bottle Raises $25.75 Million, Including From High-Powered Friends". DealBook. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  9. ↑ Tim Bradshaw, Blue Bottle Coffee turns from start-up to upstart with $70m deal, Financial Times (June 4, 2015).
  10. ↑ Atkins, Ralph; Bradshaw, Tim. "Nestlé breaks into US hipster coffee market with Blue Bottle deal". ft.com. Financial Times. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  11. ↑ Gretler, Corinne. "Nestle Buys Majority Stake in U.S. Coffee Roaster Blue Bottle". bloomberg.com. Bloomberg News. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  12. ↑ Atkins, Ralph. "Nestlé breaks into US hipster coffee market with Blue Bottle deal". ft.com. Financial Times. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  13. ↑ de la Merced, Michael (September 14, 2017). "Nestlé Targets High-End Coffee by Taking Majority Stake in Blue Bottle". New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Blue Bottle Coffee Opens First Cafe in Kobe". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
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