Java House

Java House
Red, smiling Sun
Cup of coffee, bag of coffe, and loose coffee beans
Restaurant information
Established1999 (1999)
LocationNairobi, Kenya
Other information
Coffee house

Java House (formerly Nairobi Java House) is a chain of coffee houses with its head office at ABC Place in Nairobi, Kenya, founded in 1999 by Kevin Ashley and Jon Wagner. When founded, it was one of the few places to find "export-quality" Kenyan coffee brewed and served in the region, although specialty coffee culture has seen a significant increase in Kenya in recent years.

Starting from the first cafe at Adam's Arcade along Ngong Road which opened in 1999. Java House has grown to 73 locations across East Africa as of June 2024. The Java brand is also the owner of Italian pizza chain 360 Degrees Pizza and the first ever East African self-service frozen yoghurt store, Planet Yogurt.

Corporate governance

Past Chief Executive Officers

Kevin Ashley (2010–2016)

  • Co-founded Nairobi Java House in 1999.
  • Oversaw the company's growth from a single brand, Nairobi Java House, in Kenya to multiple brands in Kenya and Uganda.
  • Completed the sale of Java House to Emerging Capital Partners in 2012.

Ken Kuguru (2016–2018)

  • Grew Java House to 60+ stores across 10 cities in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.
  • In 2017, led the company to one of the most successful private equity F&B deals in East Africa to date.

Paul Smith (2018 - 2021)

  • Paul's principal role is the development and implementation of the Group's growth and development strategies.

Derrick Van Houten 2021 - 2022

Priscilla Gathungu 2022 - Present Group CEO Priscilla is the Group Chief Executive Officer at Java House Group. 2022 - Present

Priscilla was appointed as Group CEO in November 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Contact us." Nairobi Java House. Retrieved on 17 February 2011. "Head Office: ABC Place, off Waiyaki Way, P.O.Box 21533, 00505, Nairobi, Kenya."
  2. ↑ "Java House". Africa Outlook Magazine. 2019-08-25. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  3. ↑ Xan Rice (August 3, 2007). "Nairobi cafes buzzing as real coffee finally comes home". The Guardian.
  4. ↑ Nicholas (2022-05-03). "Is coffee consumption growing in Kenya?". Perfect Daily Grind. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  5. ↑ "Our Story". Java House. Retrieved June 26, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ "Java House Find a Store". Java House. Retrieved June 26, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ "Our Locations". javahouseafrica.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-16. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  8. ↑ "BIKO: Itinerant backpacker who co-founded Java". Business Daily. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  9. ↑ "Java coffee chain sells majority stake to US equity firm". Business Daily. May 27, 2012. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  10. ↑ "Java to inject Sh1bn into expansion drive". Business Daily. January 18, 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  11. ↑ "ECP to exit Java House". ECP Investments. Archived from the original on 2019-01-17. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  12. ↑ "Abraaj to Acquire East Africa's Leading Coffee Chain Java House". The Abraaj Group. 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  13. ↑ "Financial Times: Abraaj Group to Buy African Coffee Chain Java House". The Abraaj Group. 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  14. ↑ "Our Leadership". Java Group. Retrieved 2019-10-01.