Blue Bottle Espresso signal.
The controlling shareholder of China’s Luckin Espresso, Centurium Capital, is reportedly in superior talks to amass California-born specialty espresso chain Blue Bottle Espresso from Nestlé.
Chinese language media outlet Yicai World, citing LatePost, reported {that a} deal has been signed however not but finalized. Bloomberg reported on March 4 that the Chinese language funding agency was in “superior talks” to amass the chain, citing “individuals aware of the state of affairs.” In what it described as an “unique,” Chinese language information outlet 36Kr stated the “lower than $400 million” deal consists of Blue Bottle’s world espresso store enterprise, however Nestlé would retain Blue Bottle’s shopper items enterprise, together with packaged espresso, instantaneous espresso and ready-to-drink merchandise.
Not one of the corporations concerned have publicly confirmed a transaction. Every day Espresso Information has reached out to Nestlé, Blue Bottle and Centurium searching for remark.
Nestlé acquired a majority stake in California-born Blue Bottle Espresso in 2017 in a deal price roughly $425 million, valuing the corporate at greater than $700 million. The deal despatched shockwaves via the specialty espresso world, persevering with a pattern towards big-money consolidation in craft-focused or “Third Wave” specialty espresso.
In line with quite a few credible stories, Nestlé started exploring the sale of Blue Bottle Espresso final yr, enlisting an funding financial institution to evaluate choices. Nestlé advertising supplies say there are at present greater than 100 Blue Bottle cafes throughout the USA and Asia. As of December 2025, Blue Bottle had 78 U.S. areas alone.
Luckin Espresso has grown to greater than 30,000 areas globally.
Centurium and affiliated entities grew to become the biggest shareholder group in Chinese language chain Luckin Espresso in 2022, after the chain agreed in 2020 to pay a $180 million penalty to settle prices introduced by the USA Securities and Change Fee alleging firm executives conspired to manufacture greater than $300 million in gross sales to appease traders.
Lately, Luckin has grown at breakneck pace, reporting 2025 income of about $7.03 billion. The corporate stated it added 8,708 internet new shops in 2025 to attain 31,048 areas globally by the yr’s finish.
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