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The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (sometimes shortened to simply "Coffee Bean" or "The Coffee Bean") is an American coffee chain founded in 1963. It is owned and operated by International Coffee & Tea, LLC, which has its corporate headquarters in Los Angeles, California. As of August 2015, the chain has over 1000 self-owned and franchised stores in the United States and 24 other countries.〔Andrew Edwards, ("Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Expanding to Japan," ) ''Los Angeles Business Journal'', August 4, 2014.〕〔("The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf inks exclusive area development agreement for Japan," ) FastCasual.com, August 5, 2014.〕 ==History== The company was founded by Herbert Hyman in September 1963, as a coffee service for offices. He and his wife Mona, who he married in 1966, honeymooned in Sweden, where they discovered quality coffee. This sparked the decision to import, roast and sell gourmet coffee in Los Angeles, opening the first Coffee Bean store in 1968 in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood. Innovations included selling whole beans and touting their country of origin, and allowing customers to observe the beans being roasted and sample varieties before making a purchase. Hyman is considered to be instrumental in the creation of the gourmet coffee industry in the US. He died on April 28, 2014, at the age of 82.〔Elaine Woo, (“Herbert Hyman dies at 82; founder of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf chain,” ) ''Los Angeles Times'', May 3, 2014.〕 By the 1970s, Coffee Bean had expanded to 10 stores in Southern California, and added exotic teas to the menu. In the summer of 1987, an employee brought a blender to a Westwood store, mixing together ice, coffee extract and chocolate powder, paving the way for the company's signature Ice Blended drinks.〔〔Wayne Arnold, (“Wake Up and Smell the Profits; A Singaporean Sees the World as His Coffee Cup,” ) ''New York Times'', April 14, 2000.〕 With the invention of the Ice Blended, the Coffee Bean saw a surge in popularity.〔Gaby Wenig, (“Where the End Justifies the Beans,” ) ''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'', October 30, 2013.〕 The drink was a predecessor to the Starbucks Frappuccino.〔Marshall Heyman, (“Learning New Skills At the Coffee Bean,” ) ''Wall Street Journal'', August 26, 2011.〕 In 1991, when it was first planning to expand into Los Angeles, Starbucks tried to purchase Coffee Bean, but Hyman turned them down. The opening of Starbucks stores in Los Angeles unexpectedly helped Coffee Bean's business, by driving curious customers to the area.〔Taylor Clark, (“Don’t Fear Starbucks,” ) ''Slate'', December 28, 2007.〕 In 1996, the Hymans sold the Asian franchise rights to Singaporean brothers Victor Sassoon and Sunny Sassoon.〔 The Sassoons quickly expanded the company in the US and internationally, opening the first outlet in Singapore in 1996, and in Malaysia the following year.〔 Within two years, they had opened 29 stores in Singapore and Malaysia, almost as many stores as the Hymans had opened in their 35 years of ownership.〔Justin Doebele, (“The Brew to Be No. 2,” ) ''Forbes'', May 12, 2003.〕 In 1998, the Sassoons, along with longtime friend Severin Wunderman, purchased the parent company, International Coffee & Tea LLC, from the Hymans, and took it global.〔〔〔Emily Dwass, (“Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s 50-Cent Drinks + New Tea Service,” ) ''LA Weekly'', January 9, 2013.〕 Victor Sassoon works out of Singapore, Sunny Sassoon works in Los Angeles, and Wunderman is a silent partner with no role in management.〔 International Coffee & Tea, LLC remains the name of the holding company.〔 Sunny Sassoon served as president and CEO from 1998 until 2008, when he moved to the executive chairman position.〔Justin Yang, (“Three Companies Buy Into Coffee Bean,” ) ''Los Angeles Business Journal'', September 12, 2013.〕 In 2008, Mel Elias (Sassoon's brother-in-law) assumed the role of president and CEO of the company, after spending seven years as chief operating officer.〔〔(“How Mel Elias has built The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to be a difference maker,” ) ''Smart Business'', July 1, 2013.〕 In September 2013, a significant equity position in Coffee Bean was acquired from International Coffee & Tea by US-based Advent International, in partnership with South Korea-based Mirae Asset Private Equity and Taiwan-based CDIB Capital. The Sassoon family remains a large shareholder.〔Isabella Steger, ("Private Equity Gets a Cup of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf," ) ''Wall Street Journal'', September 13, 2013.〕〔Neerja Jetley, (“Singapore’s Coffee King Sassoon Gets Ready With A War Chest To Up The Ante On Starbucks,” ) ''Forbes'', September 16, 2013.〕 On January 2, 2014, John Dawson assumed the position of president and CEO.〔Lisa Jennings, (“Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf names new president, CEO,” ) ''Nation's Restaurant News'', December 4, 2013.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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