Black Sheep Coffee is a British coffeehouse chain headquartered in London, England.
 A Black Sheep Coffee branch in Bishopsgate, London | |
| Industry | Coffee shop |
|---|---|
| Founded |
|
| Founder | Gabriel Shohet and Eirik Holth |
| Headquarters | Stockwell, London, England |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Coffee, tea, sandwiches, sweet snacks and iced drinks |
| Website | leavetheherdbehind |
History
editBlack Sheep Coffee was founded in 2013 by Gabriel Shohet and Eirik Holth who had been flatmates together at the University of St Andrews.[1][2] In 2014, they raised £23,000 on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter.[3]
In June 2019, Black Sheep Coffee raised £13 million, bringing the total raised to £19 million, all from private investors and valuing the business at £109.2 million.[3] Later that year, Black Sheep took over eight stores from rival Taylor St Baristas which was entering administration.[4][5]
In 2021, Black Sheep received investment from basketball player Kristaps Porziņģis, to support expansion into the US.[6] In 2022, the UK government became a shareholder in Black Sheep Coffee when it was backed by the Future Fund, a scheme to support companies affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8] By March 2023, Black Sheep Coffee had more than 50 locations in the UK.[1]
Products
editBlack Sheep Coffee is known for using robusta coffee beans in its premium coffee, "at a time when everyone believed 100% Arabica to be the only premium species of coffee".[9]
Its shops offer a range of barista prepared coffees, smoothies, pastries, bagels, toasties, and Norwegian waffles. A number of shops serve alcohol of an evening, including espresso martini cocktails.[10]
Black Sheep Coffee's beans are available to purchase in-shop and online.
Locations
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Black Sheep Coffee's shops are mostly concentrated within London, England, where it is headquartered. As of May 2023, 43 of its shops are located within London and 26 are located elsewhere in the United Kingdom. As of April 2024, they list 4 sites in UAE for planned locations.[11]
| Country | Number of locations |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
|
69 |
 France
|
1[12] |
 Philippines
|
2[12] |
 United States
|
2[13] |
References
edit- ^ a b Bamford, Vince (20 March 2023). "Black Sheep Coffee continues UK expansion drive". British Baker. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ Denham, Katherine (7 May 2019). "Black Sheep on stirring up the coffee industry, volcanic plantations, and helping the homeless". City A.M.
- ^ a b "Coffee chain Black Sheep raises new funding as it plans international push". Financial Times. 17 June 2019. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ Cherubini, Elena (25 July 2019). "Black Sheep Coffee expands London footprint with Taylor St Baristas cafes acquisition". The Grocer. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ Hansen, James (29 August 2019). "London Coffee Juggernaut Will Revive Taylor St Baristas in the City". Eater London. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "Black Sheep coffee to double in size with..." The Caterer. 21 October 2021.
- ^ "UK Treasury takes stakes in Bolton Wanderers and Black Sheep Coffee". Financial Times. 27 January 2022. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022.
- ^ Middleton, Joe (5 August 2022). "Covid loans make UK taxpayers shareholders in cannabis oil firm". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ O'Conor, Lottie (14 May 2015). "How to start a ... coffee shop". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "Black Sheep Coffee | Battersea Power Station". batterseapowerstation.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ https://leavetheherdbehind.com/blogs/locations/tagged/country-uae
- ^ a b Portal, World Coffee (4 May 2023). "Black Sheep Coffee poised for Middle East expansion". World Coffee Portal. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ clearlycoffee (7 February 2023). "Black Sheep Coffee Shop in Dallas, on Mockingbird. What We Know". Clearly Coffee. Retrieved 7 May 2023.