The powerhouse that is Nestlé has made a bee line for speciality coffee roastery Blue bottle this week with announcements confirming a majority stake holder deal of up to $500 million. Founded in 2002 Blue Bottle has been a go to coffee brand for many Americans with hipster cafes scattered from the west to east coast and spanning as far as Japan it speaks volumes for its success and reputable image. Founder James Freeman is no doubt expecting big things with sales planned to jump 70% within the year from the takeover, but what does this all mean for speciality coffee?
As someone who’s had the pleasure of visiting the NYC Blue Bottle roastery, where some may frown as they get hit with the corporation stick I think this is a great move for Blue Bottle and Speciality coffee in general. Ultimately speciality coffee gets more limelight and moves one step closer to becoming the norm which here at Long and Short is a goal we strive to reach in the UK.
First and foremost it confirms the love for Speciality coffee is real and that its a trend here to stay but secondly, we’re a threat to coffee giants and its big business! Starbucks has already made steps with high end roasteries popping up to compete with trendy coffee spots with a statement highlighting speciality coffee shops are the real threat to commercial coffee giants. If this would be the case we should expect to see a showdown between Starbucks and Blue bottle in the not so distant future…Espresso shots fired!
