The California-based specialty coffee roaster and café chain is preparing for launches in South Korea, the UAE and Austria after making its international debut in Malaysia last year
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Reborn Coffee achieved 84% year-on-year sales growth in 2023 to reach $6m | Photo credit: Reborn Coffee
Reborn Coffee is ‘highly focused’ on overseas outlet expansion this year after making its long-awaited international debut in Malaysia in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The US specialty coffee roaster and café chain highlighted the strong performance of its Kuala Lumpur store as a key contributor to 109% year-on-year fourth quarter sales growth to a record $1.8m. Total 2023 sales also increased 84% to a record $6m in the 12 months ending 31 December 2023.
Reborn Coffee currently operates 13 stores across California alongside a single site in Malaysia. The business views its store at Kuala Lumpur’s The Exchange TRX shopping centre ‘as a launchpad’ for expansion into Singapore and Indonesia and has an agreement to launch in the UAE this year.
The specialty coffee roaster and café chain also expects to open its first store in South Korea in 2024 – a move which has been in development since Reborn Coffee acquired a coffee shop, roastery and R&D facility in Daejeon in the fourth quarter of 2022.
In a press release detailing its full-year results, Reborn Coffee highlighted Austria as its next market of interest. The specialty coffee roaster and café chain also has longer-term plans to open overseas locations in Kazakhstan, India, Thailand, and the UK.
“Looking ahead into 2024, we are highly focused on our retail expansion strategy, preparing for new company-owned retail locations in Southern California and new flagships in states such as Texas, as well as global locations including South Korea, Austria, and Dubai with our partners,” said Jay Kim, CEO, Reborn Coffee.
Reborn Coffee secured a $1m credit facility from DRE Inc. in July 2023 to accelerate outlet expansion and product development. The business has received a further $2m this year to ‘catalyse international growth initiatives’.
In January 2024, Reborn Coffee Chairman Farooq Arjomand committed $1m to expand the brand’s international presence before the same sum was raised in March 2024 $from South Korean investor Scott Lee to support growth plans in the east Asian country.