The deal sees Brisbane-based Zarraffa’s take ownership of First Things First Coffee’s four drive-thru stores in Adelaide ahead of planned outlet growth in South Australia
Brisbane-based Zarraffa’s Coffee has expanded to South Australia after acquiring four-store drive-thru coffee chain First Things First Coffee for a “multi-million-dollar” sum.
Founded in 1996, Zarraffa’s currently operates 80 stores across Australia, with a strong presence in Brisbane and Queensland’s wider Gold Coast region. The acquisition sees the drive-thru coffee chain operate stores in Adelaide for the first time – a move it said will act as a launchpad for further expansion in the state of South Australia.
Zarraffa’s will open a flagship store in the Munno Para suburb of Adelaide before the end of 2025.
“We have had our sights set on Adelaide from the very beginning, and now that we have reached the right stage in our growth plans, we’re excited to finally make this moment happen. This move has been thoughtfully considered and a way to align and accelerate our expansion into the state, integrating with a team that already shares our passion for good quality coffee and community,” said Kenton Campbell, Founder and Managing Director, Zarraffa’s Coffee.
First Things First was founded in 2015 by James Carrigg, Aaron Box and Hana Goltz, serving coffee from Melbourne-based specialty coffee roasters Code Black Coffee.
“We’ve built something really special in our local communities, and we wanted to ensure that our stores could flourish, and our customers and team would continue to thrive under new leadership. We found a perfect synergy with Zarraffa’s,” the founder said in a statement.
Zarraffa’s supplies coffee to franchisees from a roastery at its headquarters in Eagleby, Queensland. Alongside its growing footprint on Australia’s east coast, Zarraffa’s also operates stores in Perth, Western Australia, and Sydney, New South Wales.
In February 2025, Zarraffa’s Coffee announced plans to open 200 new outlets ahead of the 2032 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Brisbane.
The acquisition comes six months after Australian franchise group Retail Food Group (RFG) acquired Adelaide-based coffee chain CIBO Espresso from Retail Zoo for AU$2.7m ($1.7m). The deal, which includes CIBO Espresso’s 22 outlets in South Australia and intellectual property, is expected to be finalised by July 2025.
