Your weekly round-up of the five biggest stories from across the global coffee industry...
- Vietnamese specialty coffee group closes third investment round in less than two years
- Major US coffee chain rolls back in-store beverage subscription
- UK functional coffee and matcha brand raises $22m to take on the US market
- Indian specialty coffee roaster and café chain makes much-anticipated Middle East debut
- Spanish coffee group snaps up second Irish coffee roaster
1. Vietnam’s Every Half attracts new investment
One of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing specialty coffee operators, Every Half has used previous funding rounds to open dozens of boutique outlets in Vietnam, primarily in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Its latest fundraise, backed by existing investors, will support further outlet growth, as well as expanding long-term partnerships with local farmers and cooperatives.
Can Every Half put specialty Vietnamese coffee on the world map? The boutique roaster and operator believes it has found the formula to do just that.
2. Panera Bread adds limits to in-store beverage subscription amid major overhaul
Missouri-based Panera Bread was an early adopter of the in-store beverage subscription, and is one of the only major coffee chains in the US still offering one.
However, with the chain’s CEO Paul Carbone seeking to usher in a new era of growth and profitability, major changes to the Unlimited Sip Club programme are being implemented in August 2026.
JAB Holding-backed Panera, which has more than 2,200 US outlets, unveiled a turnaround strategy in November 2025 to boost customer footfall, improve profitability and deliver $7bn in sales by 2028.
Whether a beverage subscription can deliver this mission now remains to be seen.
3. London-based Reformed raises $22m to take on the US market
From protein and collagen to mushrooms and nootropics, the US functional coffee market is brimming with opportunities, and is currently valued at more than $1.2bn
One UK brand seeking to catalyse that soaring consumer demand is Reformed, which produces a range of at-home collagen and creatine-infused single-origin coffee and ceremonial matcha products.
Reformed has raised new capital from backers with plenty of investment experience in the functional coffee space to launch in the US before the end of 2026. But can this UK start-up cut through in a US market already awash with functional coffee brands? It is confident that its product can outperform the rest.
4. India’s Blue Tokai debuts in the Middle East for second international market
Known for its focus on small-batch Indian-grown coffee, boutique cafés and artisanal food, Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters is one of the fastest-growing and most influential coffee operators in India.
Having established its first international outpost in Japan in 2024, the Gurugram-based specialty coffee group has now launched in the Middle East as part of a master franchise agreement with Dubai-based F&B group Ambrosia Gulf.
With Blue Tokai also reportedly in talks to raise $100m in new investment, further outlet growth is very much on the cards. But with the US-Iran conflict wreaking havoc across the Middle East’s hospitality industry, the region now faces a challenge to retain its allure as a high-end tourism destination.
5. Spain’s Cafento snaps up second Irish coffee roaster
Seven years after acquiring Dublin-based Java Republic, family-owned Spanish coffee roaster, supplier and distributor Cafento has made its second investment in Ireland’s coffee roaster market.
The Asturias-based business highlighted Ireland as an “important market” for the growth of its premium brand portfolio, which primarily comprises local Spanish coffee roasters and packaged coffee brands.
With a further 500 independent cafés and wholesale clients added to its distribution reach in Ireland as part of its latest acquisition, Cafento is not ruling out further M&A in the Emerald Isle.
