BLACK SHEEP USES ROBUSTA BEANS, WHICH CAN BE HARSHER AND BOLDER, BUT THE PLANTS ARE HARDY AND HAVE A HIGHER YIELD.
crowded coffee scene in the U.S., with the ubiquity of Starbucks and the rapid growth of chains like Dutch Bros. and 7 Brew. You just have to be confident that you can offer something better, he said. “Better product quality, better service, better customer experience, better tech, a better app that are self-ordering screens,” he said. “And if you can be better at all these facets, then you’re going to actively take market share away from the incumbents.” At Black Sheep, matcha is also a big seller, accounting for about 18% of total sales. The chain sources a Japanese ceremonial-grade matcha, rather than a more commonly used commercial type from China, which Shohet said tastes “grassy.” Matcha is “a massive category for us,” he said, with top sellers like a Blueberry Iced Matcha and seasonal options, like the recent Ube Matcha for Halloween. Black Sheep also offers various pastries along with unique hand-held Norwegian Waffles, which are a bit different from bigger
Belgian-style waffles. The Norwegian ver - sion can be ordered with various toppings, typically sweet, though there’s also the tra- ditional Norwegian brown cheese version. So far, Shohet said the chain has grown with private investors, which include NBA player Kristaps Porzingis, former Coca-Cola Canada president Bill Schultz, and various professional poker players. (Shohet said he dabbles in poker tournaments himself, but “I’m nowhere near their level.”) The chain has turned down offers from private equity, he said. “Eirik and I wanted to retain the inde- pendence of the brand. At times, it was hard because we needed cash,” he said. “But when you look back today, we’re really thankful that we managed to do it that way, because it means, I reckon, I still control the business, and we want to build a global brand long term. And it’s very hard to do that if you have shareholders on board who have three- to five-year horizon on their investment and want to do a quick flip of their shares.”
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RESTAURANT BUSINESS JANUARY 2026
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