Who owns Caribou Coffee?
Caribou Coffee is owned by Panera Brands (the United States), which has owned the brand since 14 January 2013.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Panera Bread — our story, Panera Brands, Inc. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Panera Brands, Inc. reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Newton, Massachusetts
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Founded
- 1992
- Category
- Restaurants & foodservice › Quick-service restaurants › Coffee & café chains
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Caribou Coffee
Caribou Coffee is the second-largest speciality coffee chain in the United States by store count, founded in Minnesota in 1992 and strongest across the upper Midwest. JAB acquired it in 2012 and later grouped it with Panera. Its stores were designed around fireplaces and wood interiors to suit long winters, which distinguished the format from the chains it competed with.
Ownership timeline of Caribou Coffee
- 2013 – present Panera Brands [1] reported
Where Caribou Coffee sits in Panera Brands
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Panera Brands ownership tree →
See the full Panera Brands brand portfolio (3) →
Other brands owned by Panera Brands
Panera Brands controls 3 brands on Brandtree, 3 of them in restaurants & foodservice.
Also in restaurants & foodservice
- Einstein Bros. Bagels (1995)
- Panera Bread (1987)
Other brands in coffee & café chains, and who owns them
The 22 brands in coffee & café chains on Brandtree belong to 17 owners. The largest is Jollibee Group, with 4.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Compose Coffee | Jollibee Group | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
| Coffee Couture | Famous Brands | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| Elios Craft Cafe | BMMI | 🇧🇭 Bahrain |
| CHAGEE | Chagee | 🇨🇳 China |
| Costa Coffee | Coca-Cola | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Dutch Bros | Dutch Bros | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Dunkin' | Inspire Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Jeronymo | Jerónimo Martins | 🇵🇹 Portugal |
About the owner: Panera Brands
Panera Brands is a privately held company headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1987. Brandtree records 3 brands under its control.
Panera grew out of a St. Louis bakery chain and became the largest bakery-café business in the United States, credited with normalising free customer wifi and posting calorie counts before regulation required it. JAB Holding took it private in 2017 for about $7.5 billion.
Panera Brands: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇺🇸 Caribou Coffee and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Caribou Coffee is not one of them.
- Applebee's — Dine Brands 🇺🇸
- Arby's — Inspire Brands 🇺🇸
- Baja Fresh — MTY Group 🇨🇦
- Bonefish Grill — Bloomin' Brands 🇺🇸
- Burger King — Restaurant Brands International 🇨🇦
- Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen — Darden 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Caribou Coffee?
The parent company of Caribou Coffee is Panera Brands, a privately held company headquartered in the United States.
Is Caribou Coffee American?
Yes. Caribou Coffee originated in the United States in 1992 and its owner, Panera Brands, is also headquartered in the United States.
Since when has Panera Brands owned Caribou Coffee?
Panera Brands has owned Caribou Coffee since 14 January 2013.
Is Caribou Coffee still owned by Panera Brands?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Caribou Coffee is still owned by Panera Brands. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Panera Bread — our story — Panera Brands, Inc., Official document; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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