Black Sheep Coffee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 2013
- London, England
 A Black Sheep Coffee branch in Bishopsgate, London | |
| Industry | Coffee shop |
|---|---|
| Founded |
|
| Founders | Gabriel Shohet and Eirik Holth |
| Headquarters | Stockwell, London, England |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Coffee, tea, sandwiches, sweet snacks and iced drinks |
| Website | blacksheepcoffee |
Black Sheep Coffee is a British coffeehouse chain headquartered in London, England.
Black Sheep Coffee was founded in 2013 by Gabriel Shohet and Eirik Holth, who had been flatmates at the University of St Andrews.[1][2] In 2014, they raised £23,000 on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter.[3]
In June 2019, Black Sheep Coffee raised £13 million, bringing the total raised to £19 million, all from private investors, and valuing the business at £109.2 million.[3] Later that year, it took over eight stores from rival Taylor St Baristas, which was entering administration.[4][5]
In 2021, Black Sheep received investment from basketball player Kristaps Porziņģis to support expansion into the United States.[6] In 2022, the UK government became a shareholder in the company when it was backed by the Future Fund, a scheme to support companies affected by the COVID‑19 pandemic.[7][8]
Trade press reported that Black Sheep Coffee more than doubled revenue from £10.7 million in 2021 to £21.3 million in 2022, while remaining loss‑making as it expanded its estate.[9] By March 2023, the chain had more than 50 locations in the United Kingdom.[1] In March 2025 it raised a further £11.5 million of liquidity through a mixture of debt and equity to support growth and provide additional working capital.[10][11]
As of September 2025, Black Sheep Coffee remained majority‑owned by its two founders, rather than by private equity investors.[12]
Products
Black Sheep Coffee is known for using robusta coffee beans in its coffee, at a time when much of the specialty coffee industry focused on 100% Arabica beans.[13][14] The company sells its roasted beans for home use through its shops and online store.[1]
Its shops offer a range of barista‑prepared coffees, teas and iced drinks alongside smoothies, pastries, bagels, toasties, sandwiches and Norwegian waffles.[15] Some locations serve alcohol in the evening, including cocktails such as espresso martinis.[16]
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