Top 15 Largest Coffee Chains in the World

A place we are all familiar with. A book lover’s hive. A writer’s sweet den. A lover’s first date. A lot has happened over a cup of coffee. A place which has redefined our lifestyle-coffee house. Like the gasoline of our lives, we cannot egress a weekend without visiting a cafe. Such a place deserves mention and applauds. Lets indulge in some nostalgia and revisit the places. Here is a list of the largest coffee chains in the world which have been all time favorites of many people.

1.Starbucks Coffee
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Inspired from the character of a novel named Moby Dick or The Whale’s Captain Ahab’s first mate Starbucks was founded by an English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Sieg and writer Gordon Bowker which was then sold to the present chairman and CEO of the coffee chain Howard Schultz.

Today it operates 23,768 locations worldwide. Also they have their own undercover coffee house located in Seattle! It is called Roy Street Coffee and Tea which is devoid of any apparent logos or uniforms. The store is believed to be an experimental hub where new products are tested without brand basis.

2. Costa Coffee
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The only coffee house that sources 100% of their beans from Rainforest Alliance farms making it the first chain in United Kingdom to control the whole coffee making process. Authenticity is what they have always guaranteed and they have proven it with their amazing coffees. Interestingly, the coffee taster for Costa Coffee has insured his tongue for £10 million. It has more than 1,700 outlets in the United Kingdom itself and over 1,100 stores throughout the world in 30 countries.

3. Tim Hortons
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Quintessentially Canadian, this Coffee Chain is central to Canada’s identity has a domineering presence of 4,590 stores worldwide. Initially it had an apostrophe but this was removed in the year 1977 owing to French being made the official language of Quebec. It was started by Jim Charade and the four-time Stanley Cup-winning hockey star Tim Horton. Their classic order “double double” was added to Canada’s Oxford Dictionary in the year 2004. Remember “The Priestley” doughnut from How I met Your Mother. That is for real at Tim Hortons. It is now owned by Burger King.

4. Dunkin Donuts
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Known to sell 30 cups of coffee every second, Dunkin Donuts has more than donuts to it. It was originally known as Open Kettle but acquired its present name in 1950s. This American chain claims to have more than 15,000 ways to order your coffee at the chain.(See Image) They also have celebrity chefs on board. The Chief Executive Chef Stan Frankenthlar is a 3 time James Beard Award nominee which is like the Oscars for restaurants.

5. Mc Café
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The coffee house is owned by Mc Donalds and was founded in the year 1993. It has a decent presence worldwide and uses 100% authentic coffee beans from Rainforest Alliance Farms. It is very famous in Australia and New Zealand. It is making its presence in India slowly and steadily.

6. Tully’s Coffee
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Known for its rich and flavour taste, this coffee chain has about 300 stores around the world and is owned by Tom T. O’Keefe. Tully’s signature drink is the Bellaccino – similar to Starbucks’s Frappuccino,which consists of a blend of milk (non-dairy options included), ice, and other base ingredients such as flavorings and sauces; topped with whipped cream.

7. Peet’s Coffee and Tea
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If you come across this store, then you must try the Espresso drinks because they specialize in roasted Arabia coffee. It was founded in the year 1966 and is known for its excellent hospitality services. Peet’s has an insane following, sometimes known as “Peetniks”, a portmanteau of Peets.

8. Coffee Beanery
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Founded in the year 1876, this coffee house not only serves coffee but also sells its heavenly coffee beans. Producing their own coffee beans and selling the same maximizes their profit aspects. The store concepts offered to franchisees include retail specialty stores, coffee bars, kiosks, double-wide drive-thru and café stores. The most favorite coffee from the range of coffees they offer is Espresso.

9. Caribou Coffee
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With a catchy one liner used for advertising, this Germany based coffee chain became a sensation in US. The initial concept for Caribou cafe was a five-day-a-week schedule aimed at downtown office workers, mimicking what worked in Boston. It now operates as the second largest Coffee Company of US and is spread across 10 countries.

10. Gloria Jean’s Coffee
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This Australian based company sells their own version of the ‘Caffitaly ‘system capsule coffee machine and also keeps the nutritional information of coffee by keeping an eye on the ingredients and quality of products under check. It has over 1,000 coffee houses across 39 markets worldwide, including over 460 in Australia.

11. Caffe Nero
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Literally meaning Black Coffee in Italian is a European style coffee house brand with its headquarters in London. It was rated by Allegra Strategies as having the highest coffee quality among coffee brands in the UK for eight years consecutively. Founded in the year 1997, it has 700 stores worldwide.

12. Cafe Ritazza
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Basically developed for travel market, it is a chain of coffee shops owned by SSP and is spread across 119 outlets across 21 countries. Four blends are offered by the café chain: Sorrento, Firenze, Napoli, and Capri. The side dishes are to die for too adding to the coffee experience.

13. Lavazza
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Branded as “Italy’s Favourite Coffee,” the company claims that 16 million out of the 20 million coffee purchasing families in Italy choose Lavazza. It was founded in the year 1895. Lavazza serves its signature coffee with chicken sticks and roast soothing your taste buds. The shops offer traditional coffee drinks as well as whole bean and ground coffee for home use.

14. Bewley’s
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This Irish Company dates back to 1840s and has significant coffee roasting facilities in Ireland capable of roasting approximately 2,000 tonnes of coffee beans per annum. Weaved with rich history of its founders, this Coffee house has its branches all over Europe.

15. Krispy Kreme
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Mostly famous for its delicious doughnuts, the coffee of this store offers is quite amazing too. It specializes in Latin Espresso and has a domineering presence worldwide. Also famous for its doughnuts, the invention of the recipe of the doughnuts is still a mystery and there are many theories regarding it.

And if anyone says,” Its only coffee.”

I would stare at those last couple of words, quite unlike the way I am staring at the coffee in my mug at the moment. I would slightly twitch and twist, yet would not reason with them. After all, Ignorance is bliss and so can this line be. I’d drink to this decision with a smug face.

Like they say-It’s okay to love your coffee more than you love most people. Let them go. Coffee can almost solve anything. Feeling procaffeinated already? *wink wink*