Aroma Joe’s has opened its 100th store in the US with a new drive-thru outlet in Waterbury, Connecticut. 
 

The Maine-based coffee chain, which operates suburban sites across six US states, is seeking to open 25 stores in 2023 and expand to New York, North Carolina and South Carolina. 

Unlike many US coffee chains which have invested heavily in automation to enhance in-store efficiency, Aroma Joe’s promotes itself as 'handcrafting’ its espresso-based, filter coffee and energy beverages for each customer.  

In 2021, Aroma Joe’s established the Honduras Coffee Farmers Group, which produces and supplies coffee to its cafés. The coffee chain promotes that it pays its farmers 20 cents per pound above the C-price. 

Aroma Joe’s opened its first store in New Hampshire in 2000. The coffee chain began franchising in 2012 and now operates outlets across Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Florida. 

With its Waterbury store, Aroma Joe’s becomes the 13th coffee-focused chain across the US to reach 100 stores. The US branded coffee shop market is led by Starbucks and Dunkin' which operate more than 15,600 and 9,200 stores respectively. US mid-size operators include Black Rock Coffee Bar, PJ's Coffee and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

World Coffee Portal research found the branded US coffee shop market grew by more than 1,000 net new outlets in the 12 months ended September 2022 and is forecast to exceed 41,900 outlets by September 2027.