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A massive company most people have never heard of owns some of the most famous coffee and cafe chains in the world, including Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger
A massive company most people have never heard of owns some of the most famous coffee and cafe chains in the world, including Panera Bread, Krispy Kreme, and Pret a Manger
Here is the breakdown of all the chains that JAB Holding owns.
Krispy Kreme, Panera, Pret a Manger, and Peet's Coffee are some of the most beloved chains in America.
However, not everyone realizes that these chains are all owned by the same company.
JAB Holding is the investment arm of the secretive Reimann family. JAB owns chains including Krispy Kreme, Panera, Caribou Coffee, Au Bon Pain, and Pret A Manger, as well as Keurig Dr. Pepper and bottled-water brand Core.
Here's a breakdown of all the chains owned by JAB:
Yutong Yuan/Business Insider
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The family behind the massive holding company has been in the news recently because Bild, Germany's largest newspaper, reported that it had uncovered documents that revealed Albert Reimann Sr. and Albert Reimann Jr. were supporters of the Nazi party and that during World War II they used Russian civilians and French prisoners of war as forced laborers.
When Albert Reimann Sr. was in control of JAB, the company was focused on industrial chemicals. In recent years, however, the holding company has acquired some of the biggest names in food and beverage.
Read on for more details on all the chains JAB owns:
JAB also owns Caribou Coffee Co., which it acquired in 2013for $340 million. Caribou Coffee is based in Minnesota.
Next up was D.E Master Blenders 1753.
JAB struck a deal in 2013 to buy the coffee company D.E. Master Blenders 1753, which had been spun out of Sara Lee Corp. a year earlier, for $9.8 billion.
Then it struck a big deal in 2014 to create Jacobs Douwe Egberts, which owns brands including Kenco, Tassimo, Senseo, and Moccona.
Jacobs Douwe Egberts is the world's biggest coffee company, with revenues totaling more than 5 billion euros. That entity was formed as a result of a merger between another JAB brand and Mondelez International coffee products, which closed earlier this year. Mondelez maintains a 44% stake in the combined company.
JAB Holding bought Einstein Bros.' parent company in 2014.
JAB also bought Einstein Noah, a Colorado-based bagel company, in a $370 million deal. Einstein Noah was founded in 1995 and was operating more than 850 US stores at the time of the sale.
It also acquired the leading Nordic coffee retailer.
JAB reached a deal worth more than $300 million to buy Espresso House, the leading coffee chain in Sweden and Norway, in 2015.
JAB-owned Peet's Coffee and Tea has gone on a buying spree.
Peet's has since gone on a buying spree, picking up two US brands — Intelligentsia and Stumptown— in 2016. They are based in Chicago and Portland, Oregon.
JAB's acquisitions aren't restricted to chains.
JAB also has investments in top European brands, including Marcilla Professional, Pickwick, and Friele, to name a few. The company also owns the leading makers of high-end brewing products.
In 2015, news broke that JAB was planning to acquire Keurig.
That December, JAB announced plans to buy Keurig for about $13.9 billion.
In 2018, Keurig merged with Dr Pepper Snapple Group.
JAB added Krispy Kreme to the mix in 2016.
JAB and its partners spent about $1.35 billion to buy Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.
Panera was a big-name purchase.
Panera's then-CEO, Ron Shaich, said the acquisition —announced in 2017— allowed Panera to focus more on long-term success as opposed to short-term sales.
Panera then acquired its sandwich rival Au Bon Pain.
The two brands have strikingly similar menus, selling sandwiches, salads, soups, and coffee with an emphasis on nutrition that many fast-food competitors do not have.
In May 2018, JAB agreed to a deal to buy Pret A Manger.
Insomnia Cookies joined the JAB empire thanks to a deal with Krispy Kreme.
The terms of the deal were not announced, though a source told CNBC that the then-unannounced deal would value Insomnia Cookies at less than $500 million.
Core is one of the latest beverage brands to come under JAB's control.
Core is best known for its bottled water brand, Core Hydration, and fruit hydration brand, Core Organic.
Frank Chaparro, Jonathan Marino, and Rachel Butt contributed to earlier versions of this post.
