Blue Bottle Coffee

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 (68%). It is considered a major player in third wave coffee.[1] The company focuses on single-origin beans.[2]

Blue Bottle Coffee, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryCoffee industry
Founded2002 (2002)
FounderW. James Freeman
Headquarters
Oakland, California
,
U.S.
Area served
United States
Key people
W. James Freeman, Founder
Bryan Meehan, CEO
OwnerNestlé 68%, (2017–present)
Websitebluebottlecoffee.com

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 operates 91 stores as of January 2020, with locations in California, New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Seoul, Kyoto, Kobe, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Yokohama.[4]

History
W. James Freeman, CEO of Blue Bottle Coffee, in 2014

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 Williamsburg, Brooklyn 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 February 2015, Blue Bottle Coffee opened its first location in Kiyosumi, Tokyo, Japan[11]

In September 2017, Nestle S.A., the world's largest food and drinks company, acquired a majority stake of Blue Bottle.[12] 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".[13] Blue Bottle expected to increase sales by 70% in 2017.[14]

In May 2019, Blue Bottle Coffee opened its first location in Seoul, South Korea.[15]

In December 2019 Blue Bottle Coffee announced they would test eliminating disposable cups at some of their shops in an effort to increase sustainability efforts, with the goal being zero waste within one year.[16]

In April 2020, Blue Bottle Coffee opened its first location in Hong Kong. Amid COVID-19, the cafe opened from 8am to 5pm daily for takeaway only.[17]

See also

References
  1. Baertlein, Lisa (October 30, 2015). "Peet's rides coffee's 'third wave' with stake in Intelligentsia". Reuters. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  2. Roush, Wade (June 7, 2013). "Coffee Goes from Folger's, to Starbucks, to Tech-Driven 'Third Wave'". Xconomy.
  3. Copeland, Michael V. (September 23, 2011). "Blue Bottle: The best coffee you may ever drink". CNN Money. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012.
  4. "Blue Bottle List of Cafes". Blue Bottle. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  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. Tate, Ryan (October 16, 2012). "Blue Bottle Cashes in on Coffee Authenticity". Wired.com.
  8. de la Merced, Michael J. "Blue Bottle Raises $25.75 Million, Including From High-Powered Friends". DealBook. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  9. Bradshaw, Tim (June 4, 2015). "Blue Bottle Coffee turns from start-up to upstart with $70m deal". ft.com. Financial Times.
  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. "Blue Bottle Coffee offers a fresher brew". Japantimes. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  12. Gretler, Corinne; Giammona, Craig; Zaleski, Olivia (September 14, 2017). "Nestle Buys Majority Stake in U.S. Coffee Roaster Blue Bottle". bloomberg.com. Bloomberg News. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  13. Atkins, Ralph. "Nestlé breaks into US hipster coffee market with Blue Bottle deal". ft.com. Financial Times. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  14. 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.
  15. "Blue Bottle Coffee opens in Korea". Global Coffee Report. April 30, 2019.
  16. Ivanova, Irina (December 13, 2019). "Blue Bottle Coffee to test eliminating disposable cups and packaging". CBS News. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  17. "Blue Bottle Coffee Company". timeout.com. Time Out. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
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