Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of leading Greek yogurt company Chobani, has made an investment in coffee. Ulukaya is the sole investor in La Colombe Coffee Roasters and chose the brand to serve in the New York Chobani café.
According to The New York Times, Ulukaya sees a similar opportunity in La Colombe as he did in yogurt, with “a chance to mount an insurgency in a food category dominated by two or three major players and dozens of boutique roasting businesses.”
Ulukaya told the news source, “I’m not aiming for Starbucks. What I think we can do is appeal to a large number of people like me who think they don’t like coffee—until they taste this one.”
In a statement, La Colombe Coffee Roasters noted that Ulukaya will serve as an investor and the majority owner of the company with no board responsibilities and will continue to serve as chairman & CEO of Chobani.
"Amazing things happen over coffee, and meeting Todd and JP was one of them," said Ulukaya. "I believe in the quality of the product, the brand vision of La Colombe and the experience they've created in their cafes. I completely share Todd and JP's mission to increase the craft and quality of coffee in America while elevating the cafe experience to something truly special."
