Caffe Bene

Caffe Bene is a coffee franchise in South Korea. It was founded in May 2008. The founder and CEO of Caffe Bene is Kim Sun-kwon, who has Italian-themed restaurants named Black Smith and drug stores named "December 24" as well. The head office of Caffe Bene is in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. In 2009, Caffe Bene started to gain brand recognition by promoting through the soap opera celebrities such as Han Ye-seul, and Choi Daniel. The brand’s first-ever overseas store opened in New York in February, 2012, introducing drinks based on Korean traditional beverages such as the misugaru latte, a drink made of mixed grain powder. In August, 2013, Caffe Bene grew to over one thousand stores.

Caffe Bene’s goal is to open 10,000 stores by 2020.

Differentiated Policy

Caffe Bene is different from other stores. Inside the stores there is hardwood and a blue color. It tries to make a relaxed atmosphere in European style. It also has outlets for laptop computers at built-in chairs.

Caffe Bene in Ulaanbaator

Caffe Bene opened a new store in Ulaanbaator, Mongolia on December 15, 2013. For this, Caffe Bene signed a franchise agreement with a local bakery enterprise named Monbakery. It is on the first floor of Max-mall in Ulaanbaator. It covers 264 square metres (2,840 sq ft) and has 42 seats for customers.

In January, 2014, the second store is planned to open in Ulaanbaator.

Expansion plans

Caffe Bene plans to open more shops in the United States and China. They have 87 stores in China and plan to have 1,000 by 2014. Caffe Bene is also in other Asian countries including Japan, Cambodia and the Philippines, and the Middle East. Caffe Bene recently signed a partnership with Saudi Arabia-based KEDEN Group to start shops in Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Caffe Bene plans to open 100 shops in the region within five years.