The Coffee Club

This article is about the Australian café chain. For the United Nations reform movement nicknamed the "Coffee Club", see Uniting for Consensus.
The Coffee Club
Industry Restaurants
Founded Brisbane, Australia (November 2, 1989 (1989-11-02))
Founder Emmanuel Kokoris, Emmanuel Drivas, John Lazarou.
Headquarters West End, Queensland, Australia
Number of locations
 350+ stores (2015)
Area served
 Asia-Pacific
Key people
 Jason Ball (CEO)
Products Coffee, modern Australian cuisine
Slogan Where Will I Meet You?
Website coffeeclub.com.au

The Coffee Club is a coffeehouse-style café chain. Originally created in 1989 as a place to get "an excellent coffee",[1] the concept includes cafébar/restaurant stores with expanded menus and full table service.

History

In 1989, friends Emmanuel Kokoris and Emmanuel Drivas were searching for a late-night cup of coffee. Their unsuccessful attempt led them to plan a new business venture: The Coffee Club.[1]

The first store opened on 2 November 1989 at Eagle Street Pier in Brisbane, under the management of businessman and former hairdresser John Lazarou. Lazarou also managed the next six stores that the company opened, before joining the Kokoris/Drivas partnership as a co-director.[2]

On 1 July 1994 The Coffee Club became a franchise.[3]

In November 2005 the first international store was opened in Wellington, New Zealand by master franchisees Bradley Jacobs and Andy Lucas. They now operate 59 cafes throughout New Zealand.

In October 2007, Thai company Minor International announced it would acquire a 50% stake in The Coffee Club.[4] The move not only advanced plans to expand The Coffee Club into Asia and the Middle East[5] but also assists expansion of brands such as Swensen's ice creams into Australia.[4] Minor International paid more than $23 million for their share of The Coffee Club.[6] The first Thai store opened in December 2008,[5] with the chain's first Chinese store opening in Guangzhou in 2011.[7]

In August 2010, John Lazarou visited Athens for meetings with potential partners regarding the company’s plans for expansion into Greece and further afield across Europe.[1]

In September 2011, The Coffee Club group acquired Australian steakhouse chain Ribs And Rumps, which Drivas says is a family-friendly brand "appealing to the same customer base" as The Coffee Club.[8]

As at October 2013, The Coffee Club at Brisbane Airport was the busiest in Australia; Townsville’s Domain retail centre was the second busiest.[9]

Responsible business practices

In 2009, The Coffee Club joined the UTZ Certification program,[10] promoting fair and sustainable coffee production.[11]

In 2011, The Coffee Club joined the RSPCA's "Choose Wisely" campaign,[12] promoting 'humane' food production.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Papapostolou, Anastasios (22 August 2008). "Greek-Australian "Coffee Experts" are Looking to Enter the Greek Market". Greek Reporter. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  2. ↑ The Kings of Java, Neos Kosmos, 13 October 2009, archived from the original on 24 March 2012
  3. ↑ Ogg, Matthew. "Cafe Culture" (PDF). Brisbane Business News. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 November 2015.
  4. 1 2 Robertson, Josh (22 October 2007). "Coffee Club Grows and Grows". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  5. 1 2 "The Coffee Club launches first Asian franchise". Franchising magazine. 14 November 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  6. ↑ Chadwick, Vince (7 February 2012). "Double-shot espresso for coffee shop group". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). Archived from the original on 21 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Munday, Jayne (28 June 2011). "Coffee Club takes its brew to China". Queensland Business Review. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Burke, Jessica (12 September 2011). "Coffee Chain Buys Up Steak Houses". Food Magazine. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  9. ↑ Sparkes, David (2 October 2013). "Coffee Club at Townsville's Domain retail centre named brand's second busiest in Australia". Townsville Bulletin. Archived from the original on 15 November 2015.
  10. ↑ The Coffee Club, More About Our UTZ CERTIFIED Coffee, archived from the original on 10 November 2010
  11. ↑ UTZ CERTIFIED - Registered Members, UTZ, retrieved 15 October 2011
  12. ↑ The Coffee Club Joins Choose Wisely, RSPCA, 1 August 2011, archived from the original on 28 February 2015, retrieved 25 September 2011

External links

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