The Coffee

What The Coffee does

The Coffee is a Brazilian specialty coffee chain founded in 2018 in Curitiba by brothers Alexandre, Carlos, and Luis Fertonani, inspired by Japanese minimalist coffee culture. The company operates compact, technology-enabled stores that serve specialty coffee beverages, food items, branded merchandise (tumblers, mugs, drippers, paper filters, umbrellas, tote bags), matcha products, and tiered retail coffee bean lines (White, Kraft, and Black editions with 82+ to 88+ SCA-style point ratings, plus limited Kyoto and Shibuya microlots). Its core technology stack consists of a proprietary mobile ordering application (iOS and Android) and in-store tablet-based ordering systems with integrated payment processing, designed for a frictionless grab-and-go customer experience. The company self-operates roasting at its Curitiba headquarters under a dedicated Master Roaster, supporting vertical quality control on the supply side.

The Coffee's business model is franchise-led international expansion combined with diversified revenue streams. Growth is driven by partnering with local franchisees to open stores in new markets, with a stated target of growing from 200 stores across 29 countries in 2022 to 350 stores in 2023, particularly expanding into Mexico, Peru, the Middle East, and other markets. Revenue streams include retail coffee and food sales, franchise fees and royalties, branded merchandise sales, and direct-to-consumer coffee bean sales. The company is venture-backed, having raised approximately US$30.5 million cumulatively across five rounds (2019-2023) led by Monashees and CapSur Capital, with proceeds earmarked for international franchising and technology infrastructure. The primary customer segments are urban coffee consumers seeking quality specialty coffee in a minimalist environment, and franchisee partners seeking a differentiated brand with established supply chain and technology.

Name

The Coffee

Legal name

Café Fratelli Franqueadora LTDA

Website

https://thecoffee.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Coffee is a Brazilian specialty coffee chain founded in 2018 by the Fertonani brothers, blending Brazilian coffee heritage with Japanese minimalist culture. It operates a franchise-led network of approximately 200 stores across 29 countries, using proprietary mobile and tablet ordering technology to serve urban specialty coffee consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Retail

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Beverages (2080), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing (AFAFADAD), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee retail
• Coffee shop franchise
• Coffee bean sales
• Branded coffee merchandise
• Mobile coffee ordering

Headquarters

HQ city

Curitiba

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Coffee Sales: Revenue from direct sales of coffee beverages and food items through company-owned and franchised retail locations worldwide.
2. Franchise Fees and Licensing: Income generated from franchising the The Coffee brand to international partners, including franchise fees and ongoing royalties from franchisee operations.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including tote bags, tumblers (240ml and 360ml), mugs, umbrellas, and coffee brewing accessories such as drippers and paper filters.
4. Coffee Bean Sales: Direct sales of premium roasted coffee beans in multiple editions: White bag (82+ points), Kraft edition (85-87 points, single origin microlot), and Black edition (88+ points, high complexity single origin).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Coffee operates a Japanese-inspired minimalist specialty coffee retail chain, selling coffee beverages, food items, and signature authorial drinks through company-owned and franchised stores across 29 countries. The company also sells proprietary roasted coffee beans in three tiers (White, Kraft, Black editions), limited-edition microlot single-origin coffees, and branded merchandise including tumblers, mugs, drippers, paper filters, tote bags, umbrellas, and matcha. Customers order through a proprietary mobile app or in-store tablets with integrated payment processing.

Product overview

The Coffee is a Japanese-inspired Brazilian coffee chain offering a unified product portfolio centered on specialty coffee beverages and branded merchandise. The core offering includes seasonal beverages, purist drinks (Bebidas Puristas), signature authorial beverages (Bebidas Autorais), pour-over coffees (Coados), and food items. Supporting the beverage lineup are proprietary coffee products sold in three tiers: White bag (80-85 points), Kraft edition (85-87 points), and Black edition (88+ points), as well as Kyoto and Shibuya microlot single-origin offerings. The company also offers merchandise including tumblers, mugs, totebags, drippers, paper filters, umbrellas, and matcha cans. A proprietary mobile app for iOS and Android enables ordering and payment, complementing in-store tablet-based ordering systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• White bag 250g

Quantifiable outcome

• 200 stores globally with plans to expand to 350 stores in 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• UkiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration and partnership featured in the Colabs e parcerias section of The Coffee website.
• Minor FiguresminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand collaboration with oat milk brand Minor Figures, featured in The Coffee's colabs and partnerships section.
• CreamyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative partnership with Creamy brand for lip balms with coffee aromas, as featured on Exame marketing coverage.
• Heliot EmilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFashion brand collaboration creating limited edition products with Heliot Emil, featured in The Coffee's colabs section.
• Carolina HerreraminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLimited edition coffees inspired by Carolina Herrera perfumes, launched in The Coffee stores as featured in various press coverage.
• RAFCO Entertainment & ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with RAFCO Entertainment & Management for the 'Behind the Grind' speakeasy concept at The Coffee Grind location in Massapequa, New York, marking a growth milestone into experiential hospitality.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• % Arabica: % Arabica operates a global specialty coffee chain with a Japanese-minimalist design language, single-origin pours, and premium positioning across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. It is the closest comparable to The Coffee in brand aesthetic, customer target, and specialty coffee focus.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Blue Bottle is a US-originated third-wave specialty coffee chain (now owned by Nestle) with a premium minimalist aesthetic and direct trade sourcing. Highly comparable in positioning, customer target, and product tiering, though with deeper capital and primarily North American/Asian footprint.
• Peet's Coffee: Peet's Coffee is a US specialty coffee chain with ~300+ cafes and a strong wholesale grocery business, founded on the Peet's specialty roast legacy. Comparable in specialty positioning and bean-led brand, and as a reference point for the Bean-to-Cup to retail-cafe trajectory The Coffee is pursuing.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Stumptown is a Portland-originated third-wave specialty coffee roaster with cafe retail and wholesale operations. Comparable in vertical integration (own roasting, tiered bean offerings, cafe retail) and specialty positioning, though with a primarily North American footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Starbucks: Starbucks is the dominant global coffee chain with ~38,000 stores across 80+ markets and a deeply entrenched mobile ordering and loyalty platform. It is the scale incumbent against which The Coffee's smaller-format, premium-specialty positioning must differentiate.
• Tim Hortons: Tim Hortons operates ~5,500 cafes across North America, Middle East, and other markets with a franchised international growth model. Comparable in franchise-driven international expansion strategy and coffee/beverage-led menu, though positioned at a lower price tier than The Coffee.
• Costa Coffee: Costa Coffee (owned by Coca-Cola) operates ~3,800 stores globally with strong UK and Asia presence and a franchise-heavy international model. Comparable as a global coffee chain with established franchising infrastructure, though positioned more mass-market than The Coffee.

Emerging players

• Luckin Coffee: Luckin Coffee operates 20,000+ small-format tech-enabled coffee stores primarily in China with a mobile-first, low-price model. Comparable in technology-enabled ordering and small-box store economics, though with very different price positioning and limited geographic overlap.
• Juan Valdez Café: Juan Valdez Café is a Colombian-origin specialty coffee chain with 500+ stores across Latin America, Spain, and other markets. Comparable as a Latin American-origin specialty chain expanding internationally via franchising, with similar emerging-market growth profile.

Regional players

• Café do Ponto: Café do Ponto is a leading Brazilian specialty coffee chain (acquired by Uber Brasil / iFood parent) with strong national footprint in Brazil. Comparable as a Brazilian coffee chain with retail cafe operations, useful as a direct domestic benchmark for The Coffee's home market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thecoffeejp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-coffee-jp/mycompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecoffee.jp
• Xx.com/_the_coffee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Coffee