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The ancestors of the Oromo people in Ethiopia discovered coffee and its delights back in the day, but today it has become one of the most consumed beverages in the world.

When humans first discovered the coffee plant, it was an exciting time since the energizing properties of this magical bean seemed rewarding. Today after decades of industrializing the process to produce coffee, we have come a long way in having established big brands of coffee. As such, particular brands have risen to prominence, and they currently dominated the coffee production and consumption market.

Coffee consumption has also become an addiction for most folks, and coffee giants worldwide have minted billions out of it. Here are some of the wealthiest coffee companies in the world.

Lavazza

The richest Italian coffee and coffee products in the market currently are none other than Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. It was founded by Luigi Lavazza in Piedmont, Italy, back in 1895, and in the beginning, Lavazza was simply a part of a small grocery store at Via San Tommaso 10.

Although this Italian company, based in Turin, started as part of a grocery store, its brand value has skyrocketed to such a level that now it comes across as a luxury brand, attracting the elite as customers. It has made impressive gross annual sales amounting to about $2.67 billion. Lavazza is known to operate at high-end hotels and is unanimously known as Italy's favorite Coffee. Lavazza is the supplier of coffee beans and has outlets in about 90 countries.

Panera Bread

The name Panera Bread itself makes it evident that this company equally focuses on food items other than coffee. In fact, this has proved to be a good selling point as customers can avail food items alongside a quality beverage from the same food outlet.

Panera Bread focuses a lot on the aesthetics and decor of the place to create the perfect ambiance for the customers. This coffee company and bakery are spread out over 2158 locations all over the USA and Canada. Panera Bread's annual sales in 2020 were estimated to be an impressive $2.8 billion.

McCafe

McCafe is part of the larger McDonald's brand and is one of the richest coffee outlets globally. Currently, it is in tough competition with Dunkin Donuts, if not Starbucks, as its annual gross income is estimated to be about $2.42 billion.

McCafe is based in Oak Brook, Illinois, but it was initially founded in1933 in Melbourne, Australia, by Richard McDonald, Ann Brown. The coffee is so amazing at McCafe that it has surpassed the profit of McDonald's and currently has outlets in more than 5000 locations.

Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons is not just a coffee company as it also serves as a fast-food chain all over the globe. It is based in Oakville, Canada and is reported to have at least 5000 outlets. Although most of them are located in Canada, there are a good number of them in the USA and London.

Tim Hortons is one of the richest coffee-selling companies with a net value of approximately $4.5 billion. The frozen coffee drink called 'Iced Cap' is the most notable item available at Tim Hortons, but another special item is Timbits, a baked doughnut that is quite complementary to the premium quality coffee available there.

Dunkin Donuts

Dunkin Donuts is officially reported to be the next largest chain in the world after Starbucks. Dunkin' is the commonly used name for Dunkin Donuts LLC, which was founded in the 1950s by William Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts.

As the name suggests, this multinational company is a coffee company and a doughnut company. The famous David Hoffman has been the CEO of Dunkin Donuts ever since 2018. Currently, the company has a mind-blowing net value of approximately $10 billion.

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Peet's Coffee

Peet's Coffee started as a coffee bar back in 1966 in Berkeley, California. It was an initiative by Alfred Peet from the Netherlands. The coffee roaster and retailer has thrived and grown for 55 whole years and is currently one of the largest coffee companies in the world.

At one point, Peet's coffee was also the coffee bean supplier for Starbucks, and Peet even mentored Starbucks' founder Jerry Baldwin on the roasting procedure of coffee. Peet's Coffee is known both for its premium quality coffee and tea. The special item of Peet's Coffee is Major Dickason's, which is a dark roast coffee. The net value of Peet's Coffee is estimated to be an outstanding $17.3 billion. It is spread out in more than 250 locations, including Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Virginia, and so on.

Starbucks

Based in Seattle, Washington, Starbucks is considered to be the largest coffee chain on a global scale. At the time of its inception in 1971, its founders had to go through a lot of obstacles, especially related to the unavailability of investors who were envious of the rising success of this new brand. The name of this coffee company was taken from the famous novel Moby Dick.

Today Starbucks has over 30,000 outlets and is a multinational corporation that holds roastery reserves. One special factor that attracts customers to Starbucks is the ambiance in these coffeehouses. Another factor is the option of fine beverages like Frappuccinos and the seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte that makes it a favorite. The net worth of Starbucks in 2021 is estimated to be a jaw-dropping $110 billion.

Thus, it becomes clear that several factors come to play when deciding which coffee company shall win the race. Premium quality is an essential factor, but the varieties of coffee available at these coffee chains also become a condition that attracts customers. Companies that have successfully catered to such needs over the years have emerged victorious as the biggest coffee companies.

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Source: The Insider, FriedCoffee, Zippia, Food