The Special History and Coffee of Caribou Coffee
If you love a good cup of coffee, and live near any of the many Caribou Coffee locations in the U.S.A., you should stop in some morning and give them a try. They’re friendly, fun, have a lot of locations, and make some really delicious coffees, teas, smoothies, and baked goods.
A History of Caribou Coffee
If you can’t guess by the name, the Caribou Coffee Company was inspired by the wildlife of North America. Caribou Coffee founder, John Puckett, and his wife, Kim, were inspired to start their own coffee company after a trip to Alaska and the amazing Denali National Park, where they undoubtedly observed some wild caribou.
In 1992, the first Caribou Coffee Company shop opened in Edina, Minnesota, one of the suburbs of Minneapolis, where John Puckett had originally planned to open the shop. Various issues with leasing and funding prevented the ideal location from being used, but the actual location wound up being a great fit.
Caribou Coffee was sold to a German company 20 years later, in 2012, for nearly $325 million. The buyout was unanimous with the Caribou Coffee board members. The Joh. A. Benckiser Group paid $16 per share when they purchased the company.
The Joh. A. Benckiser Group also bought out Peet’s Coffee and Tea in 2012, buying that company for about $1 billion.
Caribou Coffee continues to be headquartered in Minnesota, and there are something like 500 Caribou Coffee locations around the United States and across 10 countries.
The Caribou Coffee Menu
The coffee company has continued to grow from that original coffee retailing company. They serve a variety of food and beverage choices including some of the following:
- Coffee
- Sparkling Teas
- Iced Teas
- Lattes
- Mochas
- Smoothies
- Crafted Press Drinks
- Hot Teas
- Coolers
- Hot Cocoa
- Hot Cider
- Bagels
- Breakfast Sandwiches
- Coffee Cake
- Breads
- Scones
- Fritters
- Muffins
- Oatmeal
- Cookies
- Toasted Sandwiches
Of course, you can always purchase a bag of beans or coffee grounds to use at home.
Caribou Coffee Nutrition Information
Unlike some restaurants, Caribou Coffee’s menu is easy to navigate for nutritional and allergy information. Their website makes the information easy to read, and allergens have their own tab for easy navigating.
Each variety of the drinks and foods offered by the company has clear information like calories, fat calories, protein, sugar, fiber, and other important nutrients, so that you can know exactly what you’re getting into as you order an iced versus blended, versus hot version of your favorite vanilla latte.
