Blue Bottle Coffee, the Oakland-born specialty coffee roaster owned by Nestl\u00e9, could soon be acquired by a Chinese investment firm that controls one of China\u2019s biggest coffee chains. <\/p>\n
Centurium Capital, the majority shareholder of Luckin Coffee, is reportedly buying Blue Bottle for less than $400 million. The Chinese news outlet Yicai Global said the deal<\/a> has been signed but not yet finalized. <\/p>\n Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported<\/a> that Centurium is in \u201cadvanced talks\u201d to acquire Blue Bottle, according to people familiar with the situation. <\/p>\n Blue Bottle offers customers specialty coffee options, including a sweet and creamy New Orleans-style coffee, as well as espresso drinks and cold brew. The company has several locations in Los Angeles in Culver City, Santa Monica and West Hollywood. <\/p>\n Nestl\u00e9 will retain Blue Bottle\u2019s consumer goods business, including instant coffee and ready-to-drink beverages, while Centurium will acquire Blue Bottle\u2019s global stores, according to reports. <\/p>\n Founded in the Bay Area in 2002, Blue Bottle has more than 70 U.S. locations as well as outlets in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. The company was part of a movement toward expensive, single-origin coffee beans known in the U.S. as third wave coffee<\/a>. <\/p>\n According to an exclusive report from one Chinese outlet, Blue Bottle is still operating at a loss. The company\u2019s revenue for the year ended June 30, 2025, was $250 million, with about $150 million coming from U.S. stores, the outlet said<\/a>. <\/p>\n Nestl\u00e9 bought a majority stake in Blue Bottle in 2017, paying $425 million for 68% of the shares. Based in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestl\u00e9 also makes hot chocolate and cookie dough, and has stakes in popular brands including Cheerios and H\u00e4agen-Dazs.<\/p>\n Centurium Capital became the largest shareholder of Luckin Coffee in 2022. In 2020, Luckin agreed to pay a $180-million penalty to settle charges brought by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission alleging fabricated sales. <\/p>\n