Cafe Younes

What Cafe Younes does

Cafe Younes is a specialty coffee company founded in 1935 and headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, operating as a vertically integrated coffee roaster and retailer. The company runs 20 coffee shops across Lebanon (14), UAE (3), Egypt (3), and Jordan (1, opened 2025), with a product portfolio spanning 11 single-origin coffees from countries including Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Panama, and Indonesia, alongside 9 proprietary signature blends such as Marjeiouni, House Blend, and city-named blends like Tripoli and Zahle. Its core technology centers on small-batch artisan coffee roasting integrated directly into retail café locations, where customers can witness live roasting demonstrations and create personalized signature blends; sub-brands include Black Coffee by Café Younes, launched in 2018 with a flagship Dubai store opened in October 2020, addressing the premium specialty segment separately from the main brand.

The company operates three go-to-market motions: company-owned and franchised retail cafés, direct-to-consumer e-commerce via a Shopify storefront shipping globally, and franchise licensing. Retail cafés generate revenue through in-store coffee, food, and beverage sales. E-commerce channels sell freshly roasted coffee packs, espresso capsules (including biodegradable variants), curated bundles, and merchandise such as French presses, Chemex, V60 drippers, and traditional copper Rakweh Arabic coffee pots. The franchise model offers three specialty coffee concepts (Café Younes, Black Coffee by Café Younes, and a third undisclosed concept) across multiple formats ranging from kiosks (10-50 sqm) to large-format stores (150+ sqm), with investment requirements from $40,000-$70,000 for kiosks to $300,000-$400,000 for large formats and 10-year renewable terms; franchise availability is offered worldwide with territories active in Egypt and KSA.

Pricing is unit-based with low-ticket transactions: coffee packs range $9.00-$39.50, capsules $5.00, bundles $9.00-$55.00, and merchandise $3.00+. Customer segments include individual coffee enthusiasts (primary), franchise entrepreneurs, and select institutional accounts in healthcare facilities (AUBMC, ACC) and business districts (BDD). Headcount is 51-100 employees. The company remains privately held with no disclosed institutional investment, external funding rounds, or management team details available in source materials.

Name

Cafe Younes

Legal name

Cafe Younes

Website

https://cafeyounes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cafe Younes is a Lebanon-based specialty coffee company founded in 1935, operating 20 coffee shops across Lebanon, UAE, Egypt, and Jordan. It sells freshly roasted single-origin and signature blend coffees, espresso capsules, and merchandise through retail, e-commerce, and franchise channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Retail

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Independent Neighborhood Cafes (THAFADAC)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roaster
• Coffee shop chain
• Arabica coffee beans
• Espresso capsules
• Coffee franchise operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Beirut

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Coffee Shop Sales: In-store sales at 20 coffeeshops across Lebanon, UAE, and Egypt offering freshly roasted coffee, specialty drinks, homemade desserts, pastries, salads, sandwiches, and burgers.
2. E-commerce Product Sales: Online sales of freshly roasted coffee packs, single origins, signature blends, espresso capsules, and merchandise through their Shopify storefront.
3. Franchise Fees: Franchise model offering Cafe Younes, Black Coffee, and a third concept. Investment ranges from $40,000-$70,000 for kiosk format to $300,000-$400,000 for large format. Franchise agreement terms are 10 years renewable.
4. Gift Cards: E-gift card program for gifting purposes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cafe Younes is a Lebanon-based specialty coffee company that roasts and retails premium Arabica coffee beans, signature blends, and espresso capsules. It operates 20 company-owned and franchised coffeeshops across Lebanon, UAE, Egypt, and Jordan, and sells packaged coffee, merchandise, and gift cards through a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront and franchise network.

Product overview

Cafe Younes is a Lebanon-based specialty coffee company founded in 1935, operating as a vertically integrated specialty coffee business. The product portfolio consists of: Single Origin premium beans from 11 countries (Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Honduras, Sumatra, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama); Signature Blends including 9 proprietary mixes like Marjeiouni, House, and Central Italian blends; Espresso Capsules in regular and decaf varieties; Bundles combining multiple products with promotional pricing; Rakweh Collection for traditional Arabic coffee preparation; and Merchandise featuring branded items and coffee brewing equipment including French presses, Moka pots, Chemex, V60 drippers, and copper Rakweh pots. The company also operates 20 coffee shop locations across Lebanon, UAE, and Egypt under the Cafe Younes brand, plus a sub-brand called BlackCoffee by Cafe Younes launched in 2018 specializing in premium multi-sensorial coffee experiences. Products are sold through an e-commerce platform powered by Shopify.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Black Coffee by Café Younes: A sub-brand specializing in sourcing, roasting and serving premium coffee beans from around the world, offering a multi-sensorial coffee experience through various roasting methods. The flagship store opened in Dubai in October 2020.

Products and services

• Single Origin Coffee Packs

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 coffeeshops across 4 countries
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Black Coffee by Café YounescoreOthers · 1 January 2018Sub-brand created in 2018 to specialize in sourcing, roasting, and serving premium coffee beans through various roasting methods. Black Coffee operates independently with flagship store in Dubai (opened October 2020) and 3 branches in UAE. Represents the company's premium/specialty coffee positioning separate from main Café Younes brand.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Barn's Coffee: Lebanon-based specialty coffee roaster and café chain with similar vertically integrated model, Lebanese origin storytelling, and home delivery business. Directly comparable as a domestic specialty coffee competitor with overlapping customer base and product portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Starbucks: Global coffee chain operating thousands of locations including across the Middle East, offering coffee, capsules (via Nespresso partnership), and merchandise. Comparable as the dominant incumbent whose brand presence and scale in Lebanon, UAE, Egypt, and Jordan defines the competitive landscape Café Younes operates in.
• Costa Coffee: International coffee chain with extensive Middle East footprint including franchised locations. Comparable as a major incumbent competitor in the specialty café segment across the same geographies where Café Younes operates.
• The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Global coffee and tea chain with significant Middle East and Asia presence offering premium coffee beverages, tea, and merchandise. Comparable as a broader incumbent with overlapping café-and-roasted-product model in similar regional markets.
• Tim Hortons: Canadian coffee chain rapidly expanding across the Middle East through master franchise partnerships, offering coffee, espresso capsules, and food. Comparable as a well-capitalized multinational incumbent competing for similar café customers in UAE, Egypt, and KSA.
• Caffè Nero: UK-based independent specialty coffee chain with European and Middle East locations. Comparable as a premium-positioned specialty café incumbent operating in similar segments and overlapping regional geographies.

Emerging players

• % Arabica: Japan-origin specialty coffee brand with global expansion including Middle East locations, focused on single-origin specialty coffee and minimalist café design. Comparable as a premium specialty coffee peer targeting similar design-conscious, specialty-focused consumers in regional markets.
• Black Crow Coffee: Lebanon-based specialty coffee roaster and small café operator focused on single-origin and microlot coffee. Comparable as a direct domestic specialty coffee competitor with overlapping customer base, roastery operation, and café format in Lebanon.

Others

• Nespresso: Global premium coffee capsule brand owned by Nestlé, dominating the home capsule coffee market that Café Younes enters with its biodegradable Special Blend and Decaf capsules. Comparable as a direct competitor in the espresso capsule category Café Younes is targeting for at-home consumption.

Regional players

• Coffee Lab: Turkey-origin specialty coffee chain with regional expansion into Middle East markets. Comparable as a regional specialty coffee competitor with similar roastery-cafe format and emphasis on single-origin and signature blends in adjacent geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CafeYounesLb
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cafe-younes
• Instagraminstagram.com/cafeyounes
• TikToktiktok.com/@cafeyounes.lb
• Xx.com/cafeyounesksa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Cafe Younes