Japan’s % Arabica appoints Mario C Bauer as Non-Executive Director

A % Arabica store in Bangkok, Thailand | Photo credit: Robby McCullough

Japanese specialty coffee group % Arabica has appointed investor and franchise consultant Mario C Bauer as a Non-Executive Director to support its international growth. 
 

Bauer served as Head of International Franchising at Italian-inspired restaurant chain Vapiano from 2011-2016, leading its expansion to over 200 stores in 33 markets, before playing a key role in its €680m ($738m) IPO in 2017 as an Executive Board Member. Bauer was later part of a consortium of investors that acquired Vapiano in 2020. 

Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Bauer has also held senior managerial and board member roles at Germany’s Bagel Brothers, European restaurant franchise group AmRest and Austrian coffee roaster and café chain Bieder & Maier Vienna Coffee. He also co-founded London-based foodservice consultancy WhiteSpace Partners in 2018. 

% Arabica Founder Kenneth Shoji said Bauer’s extensive international franchising experience will ‘elevate % Arabica to new heights’. The Kyoto-based specialty coffee group currently operates 206 stores across 27 markets globally.   

“Until now, we have grown the business through trial and error, but Mario’s involvement marks the beginning of a new chapter for the brand,” Shoji told hospitality newsletter Propel. 

In August 2024, % Arabica announced plans to enter six new markets across Europe, North Africa and South Asia by the end of 2024. The specialty coffee group has since relaunched in France and debuted in Turkey, with further market entries in Egypt, Spain, Hungary and Nepal in the pipeline.