Aroma Espresso Bar


Aroma Espresso Bar is an Israeli espresso and coffee chain with 125 branches around the country, and several branches in the United States, Canada, Romania, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.

History

Founded in 1994 on Hillel Street in downtown Jerusalem by Sahar Shefa, Aroma first started branching out beyond that city in 2000. In 2006 the first overseas branch opened in SoHo in New York City. In 2007 Aroma opened its first location in Canada, in downtown Toronto in The Annex. In the following years, branches continued to open in Toronto and on 72nd Street in New York City, as well as the first location in Kiev, Ukraine. Aroma has 46 Canadian locations in Ontario, as well as five US locations across New York City, New Jersey, Maryland, and Florida.
In 2011, Golan Einat, owner of Roladin acquired 50% of Aroma Tel Aviv, in June 2013 acquired another 25% of the chain, and in January 2014 completed the acquisition of full ownership of the chain's 22 Tel Aviv locations, while the Shefa family maintained ownership of the other Israeli locations.

Social responsibility

In 1996, Aroma's first branch in Jerusalem began integrating workers with special needs. Today the chain employs such people in nearly every branch in the country.

Comparison surveys

A survey by an Israeli market research company found that more Israeli consumers are inclined to choose a cafe based on accessibility and availability, ahead of cost and taste of the food. According to Haaretz newspaper, this may explain the success of Aroma, which has 123 outlets in Israel. Respondents were asked which chain they thought had the cheapest prices and best service. Aroma won by a wide margin.