Centurium Capital agreed to buy Blue Bottle Coffee’s global café business from Nestlé, marking a shift in the specialty coffee landscape. The private equity firm, known for backing Luckin Coffee with a major investment, acquired the brick-and-mortar cafes while Nestlé retained Blue Bottle’s consumer packaged goods lines, featuring a split ownership model. This deal was reported by multiple Asian outlets and framed as an acquisition of the café operations rather than the brand’s retail products.
The transaction centers on physical locations and operational control, with Centurium taking over global store assets, staffing and in-market management. Nestlé’s remaining CPG portfolio keeps packaged blends and retail distribution. The structure reflects a strategic unbundling that separates scale-focused packaged goods from experiential café operations.
For consumers, the sale could steer changes in store experience, local management and menu execution as a PE owner integrates Blue Bottle into its portfolio.
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