What QahwaBLK | قهوة بلاك does

QahwaBLK (قهوة بلاك) is a specialty coffee chain founded in October 2019 in Amman, Jordan, operating company-owned retail locations and franchise outlets across Jordan and (as of 2025) Lebanon, with announced 2026 entries into Iraq and the UAE. The product portfolio centers on specialty coffee — black coffee (Americano, Espresso, Turkish), milk coffee (latte, cappuccino, flat white), and sweet/flavored coffee (caramel, hazelnut, pistachio, Spanish, rose, lotus, seasonal) — extended in 2025 with a dedicated Matcha line using Imperial Grade powder sourced from Kyoto, Japan. Food and complementary offerings include fresh juices, sandwiches (e.g., Halloum Summaq Kaek, turkey variants), and bakery items (fateerah, cookies, brownies, cakes), plus seasonal Ramadan specials.

The business is direct-to-consumer at retail, with revenue generated from beverage and food sales across physical locations and an asset-light franchise model used for cross-border expansion. Distribution spans company-owned stores, franchised locations, an online ordering storefront at del.blk.jo, and third-party delivery via Talabat and Careem. Pricing is positioned as 'reasonable' against both premium specialty coffee and informal street coffee; exact menu pricing is not publicly disclosed. QahwaBLK targets university students and young professionals as its primary customer base, with secondary positioning toward travelers via its Queen Alia International Airport and Petra locations. Beyond the core beverage/food offering, the company bundles structured workforce development — a $1,000/year scholarship program for staff with 12+ months of tenure maintaining a 3.5 GPA, and a 36-hour Retail Leadership Excellence Program delivered in partnership with 180 Degrees for Empowering People.

The company is privately held with three senior leaders (Strategic Planning & Development, Head of Operations, Head of Product), 220+ employees (70% of whom are college students or recent graduates), and no disclosed institutional investors or external funding rounds. Marketing is primarily organic social (LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok) supplemented by community events, earned media from initiatives such as the Blankets Day and Tawjihi Day campaigns, and event activations including STEP Dubai.

Name

QahwaBLK | قهوة بلاك

Legal name

Qahwa BLK

Website

https://qahwablk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

QahwaBLK is a Jordanian specialty coffee chain founded in 2019, operating company-owned and franchise retail locations across Jordan and Lebanon (with planned 2026 entries into Iraq and UAE), serving university students, young professionals, and travelers through physical stores, online ordering, and delivery platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Retail

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Beverage-Led QSR (Bubble Tea, Smoothies, Specialty Drinks) (THAFAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee Adjacent Beverage Bars (Chai, Cacao, Alternative Lattes) (THAFAKAH), Drive-Thru Coffee Stands & Coffee Kiosks (THAFADAK)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee chain
• Coffee retail shops
• Cafe beverage service
• Food and beverage outlets
• Coffee franchise operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Amman

HQ country

Jordan

HQ region

Middle East

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Coffee and Food Sales: Revenue generated from sale of specialty coffee beverages and food items across company-owned and franchise retail locations. Products include black coffee, milk coffee, sweet coffee, matcha, juices, sandwiches, and bakery items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

QahwaBLK operates a chain of specialty coffee retail shops selling specialty-grade coffee beverages, matcha, juices, chocolate drinks, sandwiches, and bakery items across company-owned and franchise locations in Jordan and Lebanon. The brand serves university campuses, city centers, drive-thru sites, and airport locations, with online ordering through del.blk.jo and delivery via Careem and Talabat. Revenue is generated through per-unit retail pricing of food and beverage products.

Product overview

QahwaBLK is a specialty coffee chain operating as a single unified brand offering coffee beverages and food items across physical locations. The product portfolio centers on core coffee drinks (Black Coffee, Milk Coffee, Sweet Coffee, Matcha, Barrrd) complemented by seasonal offerings (Ramadan Specials), fresh juices, and a food program including sandwiches and bakery items. The Barista's Favorites sub-brand curates signature recommendations. Beyond beverages, the company offers value-added services including a Scholarship Program for employee education and a Retail Leadership Excellence Program for team development. The brand operates across Jordan, Lebanon, with announced expansion to Iraq and UAE.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Black Coffee Black coffee beverages including American, Hot Americano, Iced Americano, Espresso, Turkish Coffee, and American Box; served to walk-in and delivery customers across all branches.
• Milk Coffee Milk-based coffee beverages including Hot Flat White, Hot Latte, Cappuccino, and Iced Latte; sold to consumers across company-owned and franchise locations.
• Sweet Coffee Flavored specialty coffee drinks including Caramel Latte, Hazelnut Latte, Pistachio Latte, Spanish Latte, Rose Latte, Lotus Latte, White Mocha, Khareef Latte, and seasonal Pumpkin varieties.
• Matcha Beverages Matcha beverages made with Imperial Grade matcha powder sourced directly from Kyoto, Japan, available in Classic, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Earl Grey, and Agave varieties with hot and iced options.
• Fresh Juices Fresh juice offerings including Green Juice, Orange Juice, Red Juice, and Date Juice, sold as non-coffee beverage options.
• Barrrd (Chocolate Beverages) Chocolate-based beverages including Iced Latte variations and Hot Chocolate, sold as part of the non-coffee beverage range.
• Sandwiches Savory sandwich options including Halloum Summaq Kaek, Turkey Cheese Sandwich, Sinora Kashkawan, Spread Cheese Sinora, Zataar Spread Cheese, Deli Twirl, Halloum, and Turkey Gouda.
• Bakery Baked goods including Cheese Zataar Fateerah, Tomato Olive Fateerah, Latte Cookie, Classic Cookie, Chocolate Cookie, Pumpkin Crumble, Brownie Cup, Biscotti, Banana Cake, Date Cake, and Crumble Cake.
• Ramadan Specials (Seasonal Menu) Seasonal specialty drinks and desserts featured during Ramadan, including Iced Chai Karak, Hot Chai Karak, Iced Honey Salted Latte, Hot Honey Latte, Karkadeh, Mini Tiramisu, and Tiramisu Tin.
• Barista's Favorites (Signature Selection) Curated selection of barista-recommended signature drinks and food items including Hazelnut Latte, Pistachio Latte, Caramel Latte, Spanish Latte, Cheese & Zataar Fateera, Classic Cookie, American, and Americano.
• QahwaBLK Franchise Opportunity Franchise program allowing entrepreneurs/SMB operators to open and operate QahwaBLK-branded specialty coffee retail locations, with expansion planned to Iraq and UAE in 2026.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 180 Degrees for Empowering PeoplecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024QahwaBLK's entire leadership team and emerging future leaders completed a 36-hour Retail Leadership Excellence Program training course. The program focused on strengthening leadership pillars: Reliability, Resourcefulness, Excellence, Decision Making, and Team Development. Partnership aimed at building stronger teams and sharper decision-making across branches.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Costa Coffee: One of the largest coffee chains globally with extensive MENA footprint; comparable as a broad incumbent offering specialty-style coffee in high-traffic venues where QahwaBLK competes.
• Tim Hortons: Coffee-focused QSR with major MENA master-franchise growth; comparable as a value-leaning coffee chain that targets the same accessible-price positioning as QahwaBLK.
• The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Global coffee and tea chain with established Middle East presence; comparable as a broader incumbent competing for the same specialty-leaning consumer in airports and malls where QahwaBLK operates.
• Caribou Coffee: Coffee-led cafe chain with international franchise model in MENA; comparable as an incumbent that competes for airport and mall traffic against QahwaBLK's specialty positioning.
• Dunkin': Global coffee-and-donut QSR with deep MENA presence; comparable as a high-volume, affordable-price coffee chain competing for the same daily-commuter customer.

Others

• Pret A Manger: Cafe/food-to-go chain focused on speed, convenience, and airport/urban locations; thematically comparable to QahwaBLK's traveler- and commuter-focused footprint in airports and drive-thrus.

Direct peers

• % Arabica: Specialty coffee chain with strong design identity and rapid international expansion across Asia and the Middle East; directly comparable to QahwaBLK as a premium specialty coffee brand building youth-driven lifestyle appeal.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Specialty coffee chain with direct-trade sourcing and cafe presence; comparable to QahwaBLK on specialty-grade positioning and emphasis on barista craft.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Specialty coffee brand with cafes and wholesale; directly comparable to QahwaBLK on specialty coffee positioning and cafe-led growth, though operating in mature US market.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty coffee chain focused on freshness and craft, with proprietary sourcing and direct-trade positioning; directly comparable to QahwaBLK's emphasis on quality and specialty-grade coffee preparation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qahwablk
• Instagraminstagram.com/qahwablk
• TikToktiktok.com/@qahwablk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 QahwaBLK | قهوة بلاك