7 Innovative Coffee Chains to Watch
The coffee industry is worth over $28B, with almost 200,000 businesses in action. But forget chain giants Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts, because there are some up-and-coming coffee franchises gaining traction fast. Here are seven to keep your eye on.
CEO: Bob Fish
Locations: Over 245
Headquarters: East Lansing, MI
This Michigan-based coffee franchise has been rapidly expanding throughout the nation and has a goal to open 300 stores by the end of 2015. Franchise Business Review has named it the best coffee franchise to own three years in a row.
CEO: Chris Eilers
Locations: 85
Headquarters: Minneapolis, MN
Focusing in specialty coffee, Dunn Brothers Coffee is in nine states. To help market itself to those tech-loving folk, the coffee chain just released a LevelUp feature so that users can purchase drinks through their phones.
CEO: Abol Helmy
Locations: 1,000
Headquarters: Irvine, CA
This coffeehouse is in over 39 countries, with 460 in Australia—that significant number may be because of the coffee chain's 2014 acquisition by the Australian Retail Food Group.
CEO: Travis Boersma
Locations: 246
Headquarters: Grants Pass, OR
People love convenience and coffee—this Oregon-based drive-thru coffee chain is the country's largest, having over 200 locations throughout seven Western states.
CEO: JoAnne M. Shaw
Locations: Over 120
Headquarters: Flushing, MI
This coffee company owns a 45k SF facility in Michigan that houses its production facility and warehouse, where beans are hand-selected, roasted and packaged to be brewed in its locations.
CEO: Sun-Kwon Kim
Locations: Over 1,200
Headquarters: South Korea
Started in South Korea, this coffeehouse chain is taking over Asia, with locations in China, the Philippines and Cambodia. In 2014, Caffebene announced plans to open its first drive-thru location in Little Falls, NJ.
CEO: Don Eckles
Locations: 120
Headquarters: Omaha, NE
A mom-and-pop brand, this drive-thru coffee chain recently teamed up with First Data and TruBeacon to improve its store's technology systems.
