CBTL Opens 130th Kuwait Store with Al-Ghunaim 

KUWAIT CITY, Sept. 24, 2026 — Squeezing 130 specialty coffee shops into a country with barely five million people sounds almost reckless on paper. Yet here we are.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL), alongside its long-standing local franchise partner Al-Ghunaim Trading Co., just cut the ribbon on its 130th Kuwaiti venue.

That marks over two decades of aggressive, calculated expansion in one of the most competitive beverage markets on earth.

Key Takeaways

• Unusual Market Density: Hitting 130 locations means Kuwait now hosts roughly one Coffee Bean branch for every 38,000 residents, a stark showcase of localized retail saturation.
• Two-Decade Franchise Blueprint: What started with a single café in Salmiya back in late 2004 has scaled into an enterprise employing more than 1,135 operational and support staff.
• Community Capital Deployment: Beyond selling Ice Blendeds, operator Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. backed its regional footprint with a $1 million contribution to the Kuwait Emergency Response Fund in 2026.

To understand why this milestone matters, you have to look past the espresso shots. Kuwait’s retail market isn’t like Western suburban strips. Coffee houses here act as central social hubs, late-night gathering spots, and informal office spaces.

When Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. opened that very first Salmiya store back on December 16, 2004, international chains were still testing how deeply Western specialty coffee could penetrate the Gulf. Twenty years later, the answer is clear: completely.

The scale of this operation requires serious muscle. Running 130 storefronts takes more than just buying decent arabica beans; it demands an intricate supply chain network and over 1,135 employees handling everything from daily counter service to high-volume logistics.

Managing that workforce under the leadership of Chairman Abdulghani Al-Ghunaim through economic shifts, shifting consumer demands, and pandemic closures wasn’t a walk in the park.

Reflecting on the milestone, Chief Executive Officer of Al-Ghunaim Trading Co., Mishary Al-Ghunaim, emphasized the human side of the company’s two-decade run:

“Reaching this milestone is a meaningful achievement for Al-Ghunaim Trading Co., but more importantly, it represents the trust our customers have placed in us and the dedication of the people who have built this business over more than two decades. We are proud of what we have achieved together with The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® and grateful to everyone who has contributed to this journey. We look forward to building on this strong foundation and continuing to serve our customers and communities across Kuwait.”

It’s easy for global brands to spout empty platitudes about partnership, but CBTL’s parent firm—Asia’s food giant Jollibee Group, which bought the brand back in 2019—clearly relies heavily on Al-Ghunaim’s regional playbook.

High-density growth strategies only work if customer retention holds up over time. You can’t just open doors and expect sales to follow without hyper-local engagement.

Ken Lingan, Chief Executive Officer of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, underscored that institutional alignment:

“Our partnership with Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. reflects a shared commitment to our customers, the brand and sustainable growth. We are proud to celebrate this milestone and look forward to continuing our journey together.”

Consumer metrics appear to back up the expansion hype. In 2025, independent benchmark Service Hero Kuwait—which reviews more than 900 brands across 18 distinct industries—named CBTL Kuwait among its “Top 10 Brands 2025” and handed it the “First Café Award 2025.” Notably, that marked the third straight year the franchise secured a top ranking in local customer satisfaction indexes.

Physical footprint aside, the franchise has been quietly shifting capital into civic safety nets. In 2026, Al-Ghunaim Trading Co. put up a $1 million donation directed straight to the Kuwait Emergency Response Fund. It’s a calculated move, sure, but one that firmly locks the commercial entity into the domestic social fabric.

Where does the brand go from 130? Squeezing more units into shopping centers and commercial districts will eventually run into cannibalization risks. The focus now shifts toward menu innovation, digital loyalty mechanics, and keeping operational overhead lean while guarding brand equity. If the past 20 years proved anything, it’s that Kuwait’s appetite for premium coffee isn’t bottoming out anytime soon.