Java House (formerly Nairobi Java House) is a chain of coffee houses with its head office at ABC Place in Nairobi, Kenya,[1] founded in 1999 by Kevin Ashley and Jon Wagner.[2] When founded, it was one of the few places to find "export-quality" Kenyan coffee brewed and served in the region,[3] although specialty coffee culture has seen a significant increase in Kenya in recent years.[4]

Starting from the first cafe at Adam's Arcade along Ngong Road which opened in 1999,[5] Java House has grown to 73 locations across East Africa as of June 2024.[6] The Java brand is also the owner of Italian pizza chain 360 Degrees Pizza and the first ever East African self-service frozen yoghurt store, Planet Yogurt.[7]

Corporate governance

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Past Chief Executive Officers

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Kevin Ashley (2010–2016)

  • Co-founded Nairobi Java House in 1999.[8]
  • Oversaw the growth of the company from a single brand, Nairobi Java House, in Kenya to multiple brands in Kenya and Uganda.
  • Completed the sale of Java House to Emerging Capital Partners in 2012.[9]

Ken Kuguru (2016–2018)

  • Grew Java House to 60+ stores across 10 cities in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.[10]
  • In 2017, led the company to one of the most successful private equity F&B deals in East Africa to date.[11][12][13]

Paul Smith (2018 - 2021)

  • Paul's principal role is the development and implementation of the Group's growth and development strategies.[14]

Derrick Van Houten 2021 - 2022

Priscilla Gathungu 2022 - Present Group CEO Priscilla is the Group Chief Executive Officer at Java House Group. 2022 - Present

Priscilla was appointed as Group CEO in November 2022.

References

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  1. ^ "Contact us." Nairobi Java House. Retrieved on 17 February 2011. "Head Office: ABC Place, off Waiyaki Way, P.O.Box 21533, 00505, Nairobi, Kenya."
  2. ^ "Java House". Africa Outlook Magazine. 2019-08-25. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  3. ^ Xan Rice (August 3, 2007). "Nairobi cafes buzzing as real coffee finally comes home". The Guardian.
  4. ^ Nicholas (2022-05-03). "Is coffee consumption growing in Kenya?". Perfect Daily Grind. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  5. ^ "Our Story". Java House. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  6. ^ "Java House Find a Store". Java House. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  7. ^ "Our Locations". javahouseafrica.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-16. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  8. ^ "BIKO: Itinerant backpacker who co-founded Java". Business Daily. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  9. ^ "Java coffee chain sells majority stake to US equity firm". Business Daily. May 27, 2012. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  10. ^ "Java to inject Sh1bn into expansion drive". Business Daily. January 18, 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  11. ^ "ECP to exit Java House". ECP Investments. Archived from the original on 2019-01-17. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  12. ^ "Abraaj to Acquire East Africa's Leading Coffee Chain Java House". The Abraaj Group. 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  13. ^ "Financial Times: Abraaj Group to Buy African Coffee Chain Java House". The Abraaj Group. 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  14. ^ "Our Leadership". Java Group. Retrieved 2019-10-01.