Nestlé Confirms Blue Bottle Sale to Luckin’s Largest Shareholder

Nestlé has confirmed that it is selling Blue Bottle Coffee to Chinese private equity firm Centurium Capital, the majority shareholder of Luckin Coffee, marking the first direct confirmation from any of the companies involved that a sales agreement was reached.

The Swiss food and beverage giant disclosed the agreement in its April 23 three-month sales release, saying the transaction is subject to customary conditions and is expected to close during the first half of 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The confirmation follows reports of the potential agreement that surfaced in March in Chinese media outlets. Daily Coffee News reached out to Nestlé, Blue Bottle and Centurium at that time but did not receive comment or confirmation. Reuters first reported in Dec. 2025 that Nestlé was exploring a sale of Blue Bottle.

The Swiss conglomerate acquired the Oakland-founded coffee chain in 2017 in a deal worth approximately $425 million, valuing the company at more than $700 million. The deal sent shockwaves through the specialty coffee world, continuing a trend toward big-money consolidation in craft-focused or “Third Wave” specialty coffee.

Nestlé’s sales release did not spell out the assets included in the Centurium deal. Citing a Nestlé spokesperson, Food Dive reported that the transaction includes Blue Bottle’s cafes and the majority of its consumer packaged goods business, while Nestlé will retain the rights to Blue Bottle-branded single-serve Nespresso pods.

Centurium became Luckin’s controlling shareholder in 2022, following Luckin’s restructuring after a 2020 accounting scandal that led to a $180 million settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

A new Luckin Coffee roastery in Qingdao, China. 2026 press release photo.

Luckin has since returned to fast growth. The Xiamen, China-based chain reported $7.03 billion in 2025 revenue while adding 8,708 net new stores to finish the year with 31,048 locations globally. Just this week, the company said it opened China’s largest roastery, which it said has the world’s largest roasting machine. 

Nestlé marketing materials say Blue Bottle now has more than 100 cafes across the United States and Asia, alongside e-commerce and subscription businesses. As of December 2025, Blue Bottle had 78 U.S. locations.

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