PHOTOS COURTESY OF BLACK SHEEP COFFEE
fee brands use arabica beans, which have a sweeter flavor but are harder to grow, so they tend to be more expensive. Black Sheep uses robusta beans, which can be harsher and bolder, but the plants are hardy and have a higher yield. They also have a higher caffeine content, though the result in the cup varies by brewing method. For espresso-based drinks, which ac- count for about 85% of Black Sheep’s coffee sales, the robusta beans work well. They are sourced from around the world and roasted in the U.S. (Shohet said tariffs are not really an issue.) The move has enabled Black Sheep to of- fer a more value-positioned menu. “We have a slogan that says, ‘Never fear the competition. Open right next door in- stead,’” said Shohet. “And we’ve done that in the U.K., where we just open right next to Starbucks or the big incumbents, which in the U.K. are Costa and Caffe Nero, and we try to shut them down, basically.” But coffee in the (still largely tea-drink- ing) U.K. is one thing. Americans love their cup of joe, even if that cup is increasingly served iced and flavored, foamed and topped with whipped cream. Shohet is well aware of the far-more-
JANUARY 2026 RESTAURANT BUSINESS
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