Jennie Geisler, Erie Times-News<\/p>\n
Tue, April 28, 2026 at 9:12 AM UTC<\/p>\n
Anyone holding out hope for Caribou Coffee locations<\/a> opening in Erie is going to have to wait a while longer.<\/p>\n As the Erie Times-News reported in 2023<\/a>, Erie native and franchisee Sam Covelli signed a deal that would have added 100 locations in Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, including Erie.<\/p>\n “We are still in the early stages of looking at real estate in Erie,” Covelli said in 2023. “Once we open our first location, we hope to see great success and continue to expand rapidly.”<\/p>\n Covelli Enterprises did not respond to several messages requesting comment.<\/p>\n The company, which owns the Erie Panera Bread franchises, has opened two Caribou locations in Ohio, one at the Glacier Hills plaza on the Ohio Turnpike and another in North Canton.<\/p>\n The 2023 announcement stirred local excitement for the national franchise, but the last reports from Covelli in 2025 did not list Erie as a current project, and no site in the Erie area had ever been established.<\/p>\n Wake up fuel: Erie’s cup overflows with independent coffee shops. Find them here.<\/a><\/p>\n Caribou Coffee’s success, Covelli said in 2023, was built on unique products, friendly atmosphere and a commitment to sustainability.<\/p>\n Contact Jennie Geisler at\u00a0jgeisler@timesnews.com<\/a>. Find her weekly newsletter at\u00a0https:\/\/profile.goerie.com\/newsletters\/erielicious\/.<\/a><\/p>\n