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La Colombe Coffee Roasters

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La Colombe Coffee Roasters
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryCoffee
Founded1994; 31 years ago (1994)
FounderJP Iberti
Todd Carmichael
HeadquartersPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Key people
Hamdi Ulukaya
ProductsCoffee
ParentChobani
Websitewww.lacolombe.com

La Colombe Coffee Roasters (originally La Colombe Torrefaction) is an American coffee roaster and retailer headquartered in Philadelphia. Founded in 1994, the company has cafés in locations including Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Washington, D.C.[1][2][3] In 2023, it was acquired by Chobani for $900 million.[4][5]

La Colombe is representative of third-wave coffee.[6] Its recognition includes a BevNet award for "Rising Star" in 2017.[7]

History

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Todd Carmichael, co-founder
Todd Carmichael, co-founder
Hamdi Ulukaya, current owner
Hamdi Ulukaya, current owner

La Colombe was founded by Todd Carmichael and JP Iberti in 1994 in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood of Philadelphia.

In 2015, Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of Chobani, purchased a share of the company. Ulukaya bought out private equity firm Goode Partners to gain his stake, and helped the company raise $28.5 million to fund plans for expansion.[8][9] This purchase made La Colombe one of several small-scale coffee roasters that received large investments or were acquired outright in 2015.[10][11]

Acquisition

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In July 2023, Keurig Dr Pepper invested $300 million in La Colombe in exchange for 33% of the company.[12]

In December 2023, Chobani fully acquired La Colombe for $900 million. As part of the deal, Keurig Dr Pepper had its 33% equity converted to a minority position in Chobani. Chobani took a $550 million loan to fund the acquisition.[4][5]

Locations

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La Colombe's store in Fishtown, Philadelphia

The company's earliest stores included its original site in Rittenhouse Square as well as its New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. locations.[13] Locations in New York were opened in 2007 and 2009 in Tribeca and SoHo, respectively.[14] The first location in Chicago was opened in 2011.[15] The second Philadelphia location was opened in Dilworth Park (near Philadelphia City Hall) in 2011.[16]

In 2013, the company operated three locations in Seoul, South Korea.[17]

Headquarters moved to a new construction in Fishtown, Philadelphia in 2015.[18] The construction had been voted on by residents in 2013.[17] The same year, the company announced plans to expand to 150 new locations in the next three to four years.[13] Expansion to Boston began in September 2015.[19]

Expansion to Los Angeles was announced in early 2016, with locations in Beverly Hills and Silver Lake.[20] New locations in Chinatown, Washington, D.C.[21] and Lincoln Park, Chicago[22] were announced in 2016. In San Diego, a new location opened in Westfield UTC in fall 2017.[23]

In 2021, a location was announced in Austin, Texas inside a Whole Foods Market, the company's first Texas location.[24]

In 2025, both locations in Boston closed (at 745 Atlantic Ave. in Leather District and at 29 Northern Ave. in the Seaport District), with the owners citing financial performance of the locations and other factors.[25]

As of 2025, La Colombe advertises on its website 30 locations in the United States, in Philadelphia, New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, Austin, Los Angeles, and San Diego.[26]

Coop de Ville, a restaurant in the Strip District, Pittsburgh, features a walk-up window serving La Colombe coffee and espresso drinks. The restaurant opened in 2020.[27]

Retail products

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In 2016, the company began offering a canned version of the Draft Latte, a cold-pressed espresso and frothed milk latte which was available on tap in stores.[28][29] Draft Lattes were initially available in four flavors.[30] The cans for the latte were designed by CEO Todd Carmichael and produced by Crown Holdings.[31] The can employed a valve mechanism at the base for injection of nitrous oxide.[32] Manufacturing of the cans moved from Pennsylvania to a new facility in Norton Shores, Michigan in 2016.[33]

A Nitro cold brew was also in the works around 2015.[34]

Other products include Different Drum, a coffee-infused rum, produced at a micro-distillery located in its Fishtown, Philadelphia cafe, and a line of La Colombe single-origin and blended roasted coffees, which are available for purchase in retail stores or via the company's website.[35] The company also produces retail cold brew in larger 42oz bottles.[36]

In 2020, the company announced a can of instant coffee with new self-heating technology.[37]

Collaborations

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In 2013, La Colombe partnered with the Clinton Foundation to found the Haiti Coffee Academy. The organization's stated aim is to improve coffee growers’ livelihoods in Haiti through training programs for smallholder farmers, a demonstration farm and nursery, and efforts to strengthen the supply chain for both local and export markets for Haitian coffee.[38]

In 2016, La Colombe collaborated with Yards Brewing Company, also in the Philadelphia area, to produce a coffee stout to be served in local Shake Shack branches.[39]

Also in 2016, the company collaborated with the Icelandic brewer Einstök and again with Yards on Snorri's Awakening, a coffee pale ale.[40]

In 2021, the company collaborated with Whole Foods Market to open new stores in New York City and Austin.[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wilder, Charlotte (February 4, 2016). "This artisanal chain of coffee roasters will open a Boston location in the spring". Boston.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  2. ^ Hatic, Dana (February 2, 2016). "La Colombe Locks Down Boston Location". Eater. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  3. ^ LaBan, Craig (December 3, 2014). "Creative cafes pour it on in Philadelphia's new coffee wave". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Rainey, Clint (December 15, 2023). "Chobani buys La Colombe for $900 million". Fast Company. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Parsons, Gretchen (December 15, 2023). "Chobani buys coffee maker for $900 million". BoiseDev. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  6. ^ Mattone, James (August 29, 2018). "New York coffee wars: Starbucks vs. Third Wave shops mapped". www.businessofbusiness.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  7. ^ "La Colombe - BevNET's Best of 2017 Awards". www.bevnet.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  8. ^ Strom, Stephanie (August 9, 2015). "Chobani's Founder Sees Opportunity in a Coffee Insurgent". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  9. ^ Tanenbaum, Michael (February 20, 2016). "La Colombe headed to Boston, launching canned Draft Latte". Philly Voice. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  10. ^ Rainey, Clint (January 7, 2015). "Small Coffee Goes Venti". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  11. ^ Hilario, Kenneth (September 25, 2015). "Philadelphia's La Colombe expanding to new states". Philadelphia Business Journal. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  12. ^ Arthur, Rachel (July 24, 2023). "Keurig Dr Pepper takes 33% stake in La Colombe coffee". BeverageDaily. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Tishgart, Sierra (August 12, 2015). "Can Chobani's Founder Help La Colombe Become the Next Coffee Megachain?". Grub Street. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  14. ^ Strand, Oliver (March 10, 2010). "New York Is Finally Taking Its Coffee Seriously". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  15. ^ Hauser, Alisa (January 2, 2018). "La Colombe Coffee Breaks No-Internet Policy, Starts Offering Customers WiFi". Eater Chicago. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  16. ^ "La Colombe Opens Its Doors In Dilworth Plaza". OCF Realty. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  17. ^ a b "La Colombe coffee roasters come to Frankford Avenue". Star News. October 10, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  18. ^ "Build-Outs Of Summer: A New HQ For La Colombe In Fishtown, Philadelphia | Sprudge Coffee". Sprudge. June 30, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  19. ^ Hatic, Dana (September 28, 2015). "Philadelphia-Based Coffee Chain La Colombe to Open Boston Location". Eater (Vox Media). Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  20. ^ Elliott, Fairley (February 16, 2016). "La Colombe Plots Massive LA Coffee Expansion With at Least Two New Locations". Eater. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  21. ^ "In Washington DC, La Colombe's Now Serving In Chinatown | Sprudge Coffee". Sprudge. January 12, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  22. ^ "La Colombe Coffee Shop Opening In Heart Of Lincoln Park". DNAinfo Chicago. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  23. ^ Woo, Candice (October 17, 2017). "Philadelphia's La Colombe Coffee Roasters Coming to Westfield UTC". Eater San Diego. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  24. ^ a b Colombe, La. "La Colombe Coffee Roasters Deepens Relationship with Whole Foods Market". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  25. ^ Umholtz, Katelyn. "Greater Boston restaurants and bars that have closed in 2025". www.boston.com. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  26. ^ "La Colombe Cafe Nearby - Coffee Shop Near Me - Coffee Roasters". La Colombe Coffee Roasters. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  27. ^ Catalano, Emily (September 17, 2020). "Coop De Ville Is Now Open in the Strip District". Good Food Pittsburgh. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  28. ^ Schulte, Erin (August 15, 2019). "The Aha Moments Behind La Colombe's Latte Innovation". Fast Company. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  29. ^ Amorosi, A. D. (March 10, 2016). "Coffee in a can". Metro. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  30. ^ Music, Carla Lalli. "La Colombe Draft Lattes Are So Frothy and I'm So Happy". Bon Appetit. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  31. ^ Torres, Rob (February 22, 2016). "The science behind La Colombe's new draft latte in a can". Technical.ly Philly. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  32. ^ staff, Roberto Torres / (February 22, 2016). "The science behind La Colombe's new draft latte in a can". Technical.ly Philly. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  33. ^ Lofton, Justine (January 25, 2017). "West Michigan coffee factory to produce 75M cans in 2017, ramp up hiring". mlive. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  34. ^ Szkaradnik, Carly (April 30, 2015). "Tracking the Nitro Coffee Trend in Philadelphia". Eater Philly. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  35. ^ "Coffee – La Colombe Coffee Roasters". Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  36. ^ Colombe, La. "La Colombe Coffee Roasters® Introduces Wave of New Cold Brew Coffees Just in Time for the Spring and Summer Cold Brew Drinking Season". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  37. ^ "This can of coffee heats up when you open it — here's how it works". TODAY.com. March 6, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  38. ^ "About – Haiti Coffee Academy". haiticoffeeacademy.com. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  39. ^ LaBan, Craig (January 7, 2016). "Shake Shack, La Colombe and Yards collaborate on a fundraiser coffee stout". Philly.com. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  40. ^ "Yards / Einstök Snorri's Awakening". RateBeer. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
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