Ukraine’s largest coffee chain Aroma Kava has officially expanded its presence on the international market and opened a new coffee shop in Warsaw, Forbes Ukraine reports.
“The chain will be developing in Poland based on a franchise model. The first franchise partners are Ukrainians who have been living in Poland for a long time,” Aroma Kava co-investor Gennady Gaydabura told the publication.
Aroma Kava offers several formats of cafes. The most compact ones occupy only 6-9 square meters, while large cafes are located in premises up to 150 square meters.
The first Aroma Kava in Poland started its work at 136 Marshalkowska Street in the premises that used to house a Subway restaurant. A Carrefour supermarket and a Millennium Bank branch are located next door to the coffee shop. The Warsaw location represents one of the largest formats of the chain. According to Aroma Kava representatives, the cost of opening a coffee shop in Poland is 30-40% higher than the investment in a Ukrainian one.
The coffee shop in Warsaw is not the first attempt by Aroma Kava to enter the international market. In 2020, the chain opened a franchise in the center of Minsk, but it stopped working with the outbreak of a full-scale war. The company made its second attempt to expand abroad in January 2023. A franchise coffee shop was opened in the student district of the Bulgarian capital Sofia. According to the chain’s website, Aroma Kava was registered in 2013 and has more than 350 coffee shops in 45 cities of Ukraine. The chain’s baristas prepare over 1 million cups of coffee per month.
