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Most Famous Coffee Chains
Coffee has become a key part of our modern society. No matter the culture and in the majority of places around the world, you will find people who like to drink coffee. Check here all about some of the biggest and most popular coffee shop chains in the world.
Published March 10, 2022
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Daniel Hedlund
Coffee experts@The Coffee Lab
In the past, industrial minds recognized just how appealing coffee was, and over time, entrepreneurs have been grabbing the opportunity to turn coffee into a thriving business that they could profit from. These days, we can see the result of this in the best coffee chains that we all know and love around the world. Perhaps you are wondering what the most famous coffee chain is around the world or are looking to learn more about different coffee chains that you are not that familiar with. If that’s the case, keep reading to find out more about some of the world’s most famous coffee chains. 10 coffee brands you’ve probably heard of are:
1. Starbucks
Chances are that you are not surprised to see Starbucks at the top of this list. Go to any major city in the world and you will struggle not to see a Starbucks. This company is definitely at the top of the list when it comes to the best coffee chains around the world, with almost thirty thousand global locations and drinks that have even become household names around the world. Starbucks has set a standard when it comes to American coffee shops and changed the way that we enjoy coffee. The brand was founded in 1971 in Seattle and has since found its way all around the world. It’s hard to deny that Starbucks is one of, if not the biggest coffee companies USA and takes the top spot for the biggest coffee chains in America. It’s also one of the biggest coffee franchises, with many Starbucks run by franchisees.
2. Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is a brand owned by Coca-Cola and operates in Europe. It is quite similar to Starbucks, although it is a major competitor of Starbucks in Europe. In was founded in the United Kingdom in 1971, coincidentally the same year that Starbucks was founded. Despite the huge rise in Starbucks locations around the world, Costa Coffee is a popular choice in the UK especially, and has around 3,500 locations, mostly in European countries. While Starbucks is also one of the biggest coffee companies in the UK, Costa Coffee is also one of the most famous café brands.
3. Tim Hortons
A Canadian coffee company, Tim Hortons has over five thousand locations in the United States, Europe, China, and the Middle East. It is one of the best known coffee shop chains in Canada and is definitely getting bigger. It’s already one of the most famous coffee brands in Canada and is making a name for itself in other areas around the world too. The company has also recently started expanding further into the UK and opening new locations. If you are from the US, you probably think of Tim Hortons when you think of your Canadian neighbors, although you can probably expect to see more of their locations popping up around the states in the near future. Along with the coffee that has made them a popular brand in Canada, they also serve breakfast items, sandwiches, and donuts.
If you got curious about this coffee brand, don't forget to check the 10 Best Coffee Drinks At Tim Hortons.
4. Dunkin Donuts
Despite the brand name, Dunkin Donuts is probably better known for the coffee that it serves than for its donuts. The company has recently started to rebrand to be known as just ‘Dunkin’ as over the years, the coffee they serve and other menu items have become just as, if not even more popular than the donuts they offer. They are one of the largest coffee companies in the US with around one thousand locations. This famous coffee café offers a range of breakfast items, sandwiches, snacks, and other beverages alongside the famous coffee and donuts.
5. McCafe
While McDonald’s might be more well-known for its food items like the Big Mac rather than coffee, this fast-food giant is also one of the largest coffee chains in the world. They started the McCafe brand in 1993 as an addition to the fast-food restaurant, so compared to some of the other companies on the list, it’s quite new to the scene. McCafe was founded by Ann Brown and set up as a separate business venture to McDonald’s, offering rich-tasting coffee variations. Not every McDonald’s around the world offers the McCafe brand, but more and more are beginning to offer it.
6. Peet’s Coffee
With only two hundred locations, Peet’s Coffee has perhaps the smallest range of stores of the companies on this list. However, they are certainly one of the biggest coffee brands with their coffee sold in fourteen thousand stores around the world. Unlike many other companies that have shops and sell their products in various locations around the world, Peet’s is focused almost entirely on the US, with all but one of their stores located in America.
7. Lavazza
Lavazza is the oldest coffee company on the list but despite this, it does not have an empire of coffee shops or brick and mortar stores. One of the best known European coffee brands, Lavazza was founded in 1895 in Turin, Italy, and is certainly one of the most famous coffee brands around the world. Although you are unlikely to find a Lavazza branded coffee shop in town, you will definitely find this coffee served in thousands of coffee shops and cafes around the world. They do have some coffee shops worldwide, in ninety different countries. The brand remains popular today for its high quality and famous coffee beans and excellent coffee brewing equipment.
8. Tully’s Coffee
Tully’s might have been closer to the top of the list at one point. However, recent supply chain issues have had a dramatic impact on the success rate of this coffee chain. In recent times, Tully’s has been forced to close a large number of its locations, which has resulted in a much smaller presence worldwide. The good news is that due to their past success they are still a very famous and recognizable brand. And with over three hundred locations still open and operating around the world, there is hope for the future. Along with America, Tully’s still has quite a strong presence in Japan.
9. Gloria Jean’s
This Australian coffee brand has around one thousand stores in almost forty markets around the world. It is one of the best coffee chains in Australia. Despite the fact that they have a global presence, they are not as well-known as many other coffee chains and brands, mainly due to the fact that almost half of their locations are in Australia, where the brand is definitely better known compared to in the US.
10. Caribou Coffee
Founded in 1992 in Minnesota, Caribou has quickly grown to become a recognizable brand and a large coffee chain. Around the world, they have around six hundred locations currently. Like many other coffee shops, they also offer a range of other beverages, snacks, and baked goods.
A History of the Coffee Shop
Coffee beans have been in our lives for around six centuries and first appeared in Yemen, Southern Arabia, in Sufi temples. Over the next one hundred years, the coffee bean had rapidly spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. In 1475, the first coffee shop appeared in the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Known as Constantinople, you may know it as Istanbul today. Almost two hundred years later, the Ottoman influence led to the opening of the first coffee shop in Europe in Venice. Within just five years, the new craze for drinking coffee had taken hold in England, and the first coffee shop establishment opened in 1650 in Oxford. By 1675, there was already a total of three thousand coffee shops open in England.
By the 1930s, the coffee bean began to take a dramatic turn and began its domination around the world. In Milan, Snr Achille Gaggia built the first espresso mach8ine in 1938 – a moment that would completely transform how coffee is made. By the early 1950s, espresso had become a popular drink that had quickly spread across the rest of Italy and into Europe. This led to various espresso bars being opened around the world. Cappuccino, or frothy coffee, became a popular choice, especially in England, where the first espresso bar, the Moka Bar in Soho, was opened by Italian Pino Riservato. Coffee bars quickly spread across the pond and into North America. Here, the first coffee shop to open was Café Triesto, in San Francisco. Today, Seoul in South Korea has the most coffee shops with over ten thousand of them located in the city.
Coffee shops have become a regular sight in towns and cities and most of us would feel lost without them. While Starbucks is definitely the biggest and most well-recognized coffee chain around the world, there are lots of others that you might or might not be familiar with.
About the author
Daniel Hedlund
Working with the Era of We initiative and loves knowledge sharing and a really good cup of coffee.
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