The Week in Coffee: 2-8 March 2026

Your weekly round-up of 5 essential coffee industry stories you won’t want to miss... 

Your weekly round-up of 5 essential coffee industry stories you won’t want to miss... 

  • Blue Bottle Coffee under new ownership following landmark deal
  • What the future holds for Starbucks’ largest franchisee globally
  • Jollibee Group brews up plans for a “billion-dollar” coffee chain
  • Profitable Oatly announces multi-million-dollar investment
  • Two of the oldest coffee and tea businesses in the US are joining forces following a major acquisition

1. Luckin Coffee and Centurium Capital buy Blue Bottle for $400m

After months of speculation, Luckin Coffee and its majority shareholder, Centurium Capital, have finalised a deal to acquire Blue Bottle Coffee from Nestlé, World Coffee Portal revealed last week.

Reports first surfaced that Luckin Coffee investor Centurium Capital was bidding to acquire Blue Bottle from Nestlé in December 2025.

The acquisition brings Nestlé’s nearly decade-long majority ownership of Blue Bottle Coffee to a close.

Photo credit: Starbucks/Alsea

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