Many people don’t realize that there are
a significant number of coffee chains around
the world. We always think of the big 3 - Starbucks,
Dunkin Donuts and McDonald’s McCafe. This
is understandable they are accessible throughout
most of the world. But, many people forget
that there are other chains making waves,
some that we in North America have absolutely
no access to. We can always hit up Starbucks
or Mickey D’s but what else are we missing
out on? Let’s get those baristas working
overtime and check out the 10 best coffee
chains in the world.
Gloria Jeans
Known as one of Australia’s best places
to grab a cup of joe, Gloria Jeans is a full-blown
franchise. There are over 1000 Gloria Jean
coffee shops across Australia and U.S. and
Puerto Rico. It was created in the United
States way back in 1979 in Chicago of all
places. It was a gift shop that sold a pretty
amazing cup of coffee. Word got out and by
1995 two new owners took over; Nabi Saleh
and Peter Irvine. They brought the business
over to Australia and there was no looking
back. The duo eventually turned this company
into a franchise by 1998 and they began popping
up all over the world. Of course, the company
isn’t without drama. They’ve had a few
call outs and court battles. They were called
out for the sugar content found in their drinks.
95.5 grams of sugar was a staple in their
Mocha Chiller Coco Loco. Keep in mind this
was the regular size. This is just way too
much sugar for anything. They also had to
battle it out in court with 22 former employees
for underpayment of wages. They were charged
with paying employees with less than half
of the minimum wage. As for their coffee,
it has some pretty rave reviews.
Caffe Nero
Founded in 1997 by Gerry Ford, not to be mistaken
with Gerald Ford the former US president,
Caffe Nero is booming in the UK. it’s very
popular in Turkey, UAE, and Cyprus just to
name a few. The sophisticated look of the
cafe is what has fans flocking to it but eventually,
they stay for the tasty coffee and food. They
offer vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, wheat
free and nut free options for their desserts
and foods. The founder, Ford was so serious
about his coffee that once his company started
to get going he opened his own Roastery and
“created a unique award-winning coffee blend”.
They continue to use this roastery on a regular
basis to create new blends that continuously
win awards. On the website, they also mention
that their baristas go through special training.
“We set up our espresso training school
– where all our Baristas master the art
of coffee making”. The company is still
family owned and operated and has expanded
to more than 800 coffee shops around Europe.
In 2017 they won their latest award; Best
Store & Best Menu from Sweets & Coffee Awards.
One of the more unique things about this company
is that it is not franchised. Many people
believe it is because of the number of locations
around Europe but all the stores are operated
by the company.
Caribou Coffee
Caribou Coffee’s actual slogan is “Life
is Short, Stay Awake for it”. Not only is
this slogan clever, it’s also all business.
Right off the bat, you know what you’re
in for with Caribou Coffee. They’re here
to keep you awake and help you tolerate all
those crazy days at the office. This company
has been around since 1992. They originated
in Minnesota and quickly became a local favorite.
The now have over 600 stores around America.
In fact, they are said to be the second largest
coffee chain in America after Starbucks (of
course). They have been lucky enough to stay
pretty scandal-free besides a small data breach.
In December 2018, the company’s data was
breached releasing credit card numbers and
CVV numbers. This forced thousands of people
to have to replace their credit and debit
cards. Besides that, Caribou Coffee has been
on the up and up. They were acquired by JAB
Holding Company and in 2019 they put a new
CEO in place. They’re in good company as
JAB Holding Company owns several other coffee
chains including Peet’s Coffee & Tea, and
several other lucrative brands. We may start
to see more Caribou Coffee shops opening up.
Tim Hortons
Known for its coffee and donuts, Tim Hortons
has become so much more. It is the biggest
coffee chain in Canada. Locations continue
to pop up on every corner and their menu continues
to expand. While they still hold their outstanding
reputation for a great cup of coffee, you
can now enjoy a soup and sandwich combo.They
have even gotten themselves into the cold
drink business with their fan favorite Iced
Cappuccino, Iced Coffee, and their popular
summer fruit smoothies. Their coffee is so
loved by locals and tourists that there are
a few US locations and one in England. They’ve
even expanded to Europe, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait,
Spain, and Qatar, just to name a few. There
seem to be no signs of slowing down. The company
merged with Burger King and operates under
Restaurant Brands International. 2020 will
mark 55 years of service for the company.
We can only imagine what tricks they could
possibly have up their sleeves. In the past,
they’ve celebrated holidays and big events
with speciality donuts and drinks. They also
recently added a kids menu to appease to all
family members. This company is certainly
headed in the right direction.
Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee has been dubbed the largest and
fastest growing coffee shop chain in the UK.
Not bad for a family owned and operated company.
What started out as a supply company for local
vendors and caterers has moved on to be one
of the most popular spots to meet up with
friends and chit chat over a nice cup of joe.
They have even expanded their menu to cakes,
pastries, sandwiches, soups and more. This
company is so serious about the quality and
taste of their coffee that they did something
kind of insane. They employed Gennaro Pelliccia.
To us this a nobody but to coffee franchises,
this guy is a god. Pelliccia is known as a
master of coffee. He even has his tongue insured
by Lloyd’s of London for 10 Million Pounds
in case anything happens. We can only assume
they are paying him a pretty penny to keep
him on staff. Costa Coffee has several locations
around the globe. At one point they even had
their Express Costa brand in Shell gas stations
around Canada. As of January 2019, they were
bought out by Coca Cola and are planning on
expanding into hospitals, universities and
transit stations.
Dutch Bros
Dutch Bros coffee has been “Roastin and
Rocking” since 1992. It was founded by two
brothers with Dutch heritage. However, the
family didn’t start out in coffee. They
were in the dairy farming business but were
pressured by government regulations to sell
their cows. The family kept the barn though
and used the space to experiment with coffee.
They started with one small espresso machine.
The brothers literally set up a pushcart by
the railroad and began selling their brew.
Fast forward to today and this company has
over 300 locations in seven states and have
employed over 7,000 people. They have the
title of being “the country’s largest,
privately held drive-thru coffee company”.
Because the company is not franchised out,
they can still maintain the same integrity
and control that they started with. For the
brothers, this means giving away as many free
coffees as they would like and continuing
to expand to places that they believe is best
for their customers. The brothers maintain
that their only missions is, “spreading
the Dutch Luv.”. Unfortunately, one of the
brothers passed away in 2009 of Lou Gehrig’s
disease. This has prompted the company to
partner with charities and now give away over
$2 million a year to local charities and nonprofit
organizations.
McDonald’s McCafe
McDonald’s wasn’t happy about not having
a piece of the coffee pie so they did something
about it. They upgraded their coffee and hit
the ground running. They even gave their coffee
and treats menu a new name; McCafe. McCafe
was first launched in Australia back in 1993.
It consisted of a cafe-style McDonald’s
that didn’t sell any of the delicious food
but a great cup of coffee and some treats.
It did so well that they began to expand throughout
the US, France, Costa Rica and so on. Now,
it’s basically everywhere - one even opened
in Belarus in 2018. Of course, the company
had a great reputation behind it, giving it
that boost that it needed to be great. In
Canada and the United States, there are now
standalone McCafe restaurants that sell completely
different food from their sister company McDonald’s.
Things like Affogato (espresso over ice cream),
paninis and sandwiches and specialty and seasonal
drinks like peppermint mochas, and smoothies.
So, what was the point of McCafe? McDonald’s
realized that some people just wanted to pop
into the fast food joint for a cup of coffee
but they had to withstand long lines. McCafe
gives you the opportunity to go in grab your
coffee without having to wait for other people’s
whole meals to be made.
LavAzza Cafe
Dubbed Italy’s favorite espresso, LavAzza
has certainly made their mark in the coffee
world. Most people know LavAzza through their
take-home coffee that you can brew or grind
yourself. However, this is an actual cafe
in a few European countries. Their coffee
is strong, dark and robust. How does LavAzza
keep producing such an amazing blend of coffee?
They have apparently been using the same brewers
for decades. They found that one blend that
was so good that they rarely change things
up. The company started in 1895 by Luigi Lavazza.
He was one of the first people to discover
that coffee could have different blends and
tastes. Because coffee is such a big deal
to this company as soon as they began to see
profit and riches from their business they
began investing in saving rainforests and
local agriculture. This was their effort to
protect their business. It has paid off and
the company remains one of the most go to
cafes in Europe. It’s even more important
than Starbucks, but most importantly, they
have expanded to owning other companies. They
currently own 21 other companies (not all
coffee related). They also own 4 manufacturing
plants where they manufacture their own brand.
So everything is done in-house.
Starbucks
As much as some people love to hate this coffee
chain, they have to admit that it is one of
the more convenient places to grab their daily
coffee. We all know Starbucks backstory since
its humble beginnings in Seattle. The company
now owns over 28,000 stores worldwide and
are only adding more. Since opening in 1971
the company has kept up with the times and
always has something to offer Starbucks newbies.
The company has quickly become the go-to stop
for a quick cup of coffee. But let’s not
forget that they have really upped their food
game. They offer treats and food that range
from being keto friendly to vegan and everything
in between. Starbucks really knows what they
are doing when it comes to pleasing their
customers. The company has benefited from
not franchising but not everyone can have
a company that can sustain itself without
having to franchise. What is the Starbucks
secret? People have bragged about having better
coffee but yet they continue to be the popular
crew in the coffee world. This coffee chain
is one that can officially sustain itself
with little to no effort. Truly, where else
can you get unicorn frappuccino, several variations
of iced coffee and sous vide breakfast?
Dunkin Donuts
Dunkin Donuts has had a pretty questionable
reputation. Many people say they have had
better donuts, many people say they have had
better coffee. Yet, they are one of the coffee
shops that is making bank in revenue. It is
dubbed the 8th largest fast food chain in
the world. 8th may seem like a crummy place
to be in but think about how many fast food
chains we have in this world. 8th means top
notch. Dunkin Donuts can thank their marketing
and development team for that. What was once
a place known for a hot coffee and a donut
has now become a place where you can get so
much more. Their iced coffee is so bomb that
they sell it in stores now. They are coming
out with more unique, seasonal donuts that
people are running to try. Don’t forget
that they have invested in better blends for
their coffee meaning better quality and great
taste, and their parent company, Dunkin Brands
has so much more going on. They also own Baskin
Robbins and the very popular Japanese donut
brand Mister Donut. So clearly this company
isn’t hurting for anything. At the Mister
Donut locations, they have a churro donut
who doesn't want that? In America that is
a specialty donut but there, it’s just the
norm. Keep making ideas like that and they
will start to surpass dare we say every donut
joint in town? At the end of the day, no
matter where you get your favorite cup of
joe you can’t go wrong with one of these
coffee destinations. We know there are those
who prefer a cup from a mom and pop shop but
when it comes to coffee the call of a Venti
Mocha Frappuccino will eventually get you.
We’ve got more than coffee on our menu,
so stick around and tap on one of our other
great videos. And while you’re tapping around,
show us some love and tap that subscribe button
and that bell to join our notification squad.
