The US coffee chain is seeking a slice of the opportune US at-home coffee market with the upcoming launch of its e-commerce channel
Blank Street currently operates 50 sites in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C. and London. | Photo credit: Blank Street Coffee
Blank Street Coffee is set to launch an e-commerce channel to boost brand awareness and enter the coffee at-home market.
The New York-based coffee startup currently operates 50 sites in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C. and London.
The brand is scheduled to launch a signature Speed Dial wholebean coffee blend online in December 2022. Co-Founder Vinay Menda said packaged ground coffee and a range of ready-to-drink products will also be available online soon.
Blank Street Coffee was launched in August 2020 during the height of the pandemic to provide value-focused specialty coffee.
The company initially targeted convenience and low operating costs, opening coffee carts in New York.
Blank Street Coffee launched its first bricks-and-mortar location in February 2021, and now operates more than 40 stores in New York, five across Boston and Washington, D.C. and 10 in London. The business had a target of expanding to 150 locations globally by the end of 2022.
The start-up secured $25m series A funding in October 2021 to grow its mobile cart and small-format coffee shop concept, following $7m seed funding raised earlier that year. Total investment to-date is reportedly $67m.
Even though the US branded coffee shop market exceeds 38,000 outlets, industry leaders surveyed by World Coffee Portal report positively concerning future growth potential. Project Café USA 2023 found 80% think future expansion will occur, led by drive-thru and convenience led formats.
The research also indicated US consumers typically enjoy purchasing retail coffee from brands which have a strong presence in the coffee shop market. Starbucks was the most popular brand of coffee purchased by consumers from retailers, with 39.7% doing so over the last 12 months.
US boutique café brand Bluestone Lane and specialty coffee roaster Intelligentsia Coffee have both introduced coffee pods to capitalise on heightened at-home demand for branded coffee shop products.
In October 2022, Blue Bottle Coffee boosted its e-commerce offering with the launched of a new Craft Instant Espresso coffee product.