navigation search the coffee bean & tea leaf type private industry restaurants retail coffee and tea founded los angeles ca 1963 founder herbert b. hyman mona hyman headquarters los angeles ca usa number of locations 1 000 area served worldwide key people sunny sassoon executive chairman victor sassoon ceo asia pacific john fuller president & ceo products coffee tea food revenue 500 million usd january 2013 1 number of employees 12 000 may 2013 2 parent international coffee & tea llc website www.coffeebean.com 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 . 3 4 contents 1 history 2 products 2.1 coffee 2.2 teas 2.3 cbtl single serve system 2.4 kosher and halal 3 locations 4 partnerships 5 in popular culture 6 see also 7 references 8 external links history edit coffee bean & tea leaf headquarters in los angeles usa the company was founded by herbert hyman in september 1963 as a coffee service for offices . he and his wife mona whom 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 . 5 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 . 5 6 with the invention of the ice blended the coffee bean saw a surge in popularity . 7 the drink was a predecessor to the starbucks frappuccino . 8 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 . 9 in 1996 the hymans sold the asian franchise rights to singaporean brothers victor sassoon and sunny sassoon . 6 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 . 6 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 . 10 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 . 6 10 11 victor sassoon works out of singapore sunny sassoon works in los angeles and wunderman is a silent partner with no role in management . 10 international coffee & tea llc remains the name of the holding company . 10 sunny sassoon served as president and ceo from 1998 until 2008 when he moved to the executive chairman position . 12 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 . 10 13 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 . 14 15 on january 2 2014 john fuller assumed the position of president and ceo . 16 on october 1 2016 the coffee bean and tea leaf shut down all 12 of its new york city locations . 17 products edit the company is known for its original ice blended coffee and tea drinks hot coffee drinks and hot and iced tea drinks . it also sells a variety of whole bean coffees whole leaf teas flavored powders and baked goods . 8 coffee edit the company s coffees fall into seven categories light & subtle light & distinctive medium & smooth dark & distinctive decaffeinated flavored and reserve . 18 it roasts approximately seven million pounds of coffee annually . all of the beans are hand roasted at its roasting facility in camarillo california . 19 the beans come from farms in various countries including costa rica colombia kenya indonesia jamaica thailand and sri lanka . 19 20 coffee bean offers several seasonal holiday drinks in flavors including candy cane gingerbread red velvet cake eggnog and peppermint . 19 21 22 23 for the company s 50th anniversary in 2013 it introduced a birthday cake ice blended . 24 jay isais coffee bean s senior director of coffee oversees the quality of the blending and roasting of all the company s beans . a founding member of the roasters guild he joined coffee bean in 2000 . 20 he is one of approximately 400 licensed q graders worldwide passing an exam of sensory tests administered by the specialty coffee association of america s cqi division . 25 coffee bean & tea leaf in los feliz los angeles teas edit the company s teas fall into seven categories green black oolong herbal infusion decaffeinated flavored and tea master s. 26 all of the teas are hand blended at its facility in camarillo california . 19 the chai tea latte one of the chain s most popular drinks was first served in 1998 . 11 in march 2014 the company introduced its tea granita beverage in two flavors pear berry and passion fruit . 27 28 david decandia the company s master tea blender is responsible for sourcing development and internal education on tea . 29 30 cbtl single serve system edit cbtl a single serve system for home use was launched in the united states singapore malaysia south korea and the philippines in 2010 . 31 32 several types of single serve capsules are available for the machines espresso coffee tea and hot chocolate . 31 kosher and halal edit all cbtl coffees teas and the powders used to make other beverages are certified kosher . all cbtl locations in southern california arizona nevada new york and florida are certified kosher . 33 a location in los angeles s fairfax district where many orthodox jews reside meets the stricter standard of cholov yisrael in their dairy products and pastries and is also closed on shabbat . 7 all the company s locations in singapore are halal . 34 locations edit a coffee bean & tea leaf outlet at mumbai airport in india a coffee bean & tea leaf outlet in the aeon laketown shopping mall in saitama prefecture japan as of june 2015 update coffee bean is present in 27 countries 35 with new stores opened in japan on may 26 2015 36 and in panama on june 17 2015 . north america asia europe africa south america united states panama bahrain brunei cambodia china hong kong india indonesia iraq israel jordan kuwait lebanon japan malaysia mongolia oman philippines qatar saudi arabia singapore south korea sri lanka thailand vietnam germany egypt paraguay partnerships edit on may 28 2013 hilton worldwide announced they had signed an exclusive agreement for coffee bean to provide in room coffee and tea for all hilton hotels in north america south america and central america . 37 green mountain coffee roasters announced on may 29 2013 that they had partnered with coffee bean to create a k cup for keurig single cup brewing systems available in the us as of 2014 . 38 in popular culture edit coffee bean was regularly seen on the hbo television series entourage . most notably in season 2 after being forced out of terrance mcquewick s agency ari gold sets up an interim agency at a west hollywood coffee bean . 39 40 the franchise has also been seen on the mtv reality series the hills . 41 the first coffee bean location in brentwood was frequented by celebrities including johnny carson ronald reagan jacques cousteau and lee marvin . 5 9 the franchise s los angeles outlets continue to be known for being patronized by celebrities . 6 10 42 see also edit list of coffeehouse chains list of kosher restaurants coffee portal greater los angeles portal companies portal drink portal references edit tiffany hsu coffee bean & tea leaf marks 50th anniversary with free drinks los angeles times january 30 2013 . coffee bean looking to hire more than 250 across california cbs los angeles may 17 2013 . 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 . a b c elaine woo herbert hyman dies at 82 ; founder of coffee bean & tea leaf chain los angeles times may 3 2014 . a b c d e wayne arnold wake up and smell the profits ; a singaporean sees the world as his coffee cup new york times april 14 2000 . a b gaby wenig where the end justifies the beans the jewish journal of greater los angeles october 30 2013 . a b marshall heyman learning new skills at the coffee bean wall street journal august 26 2011 . a b taylor clark don t fear starbucks slate december 28 2007 . a b c d e f justin doebele the brew to be no. 2 forbes may 12 2003 . a b emily dwass coffee bean & tea leaf s 50 cent drinks new tea service la weekly january 9 2013 . justin yang three companies buy into coffee bean los angeles business journal september 12 2013 . how mel elias has built the coffee bean & tea leaf to be a difference maker smart business july 1 2013 . 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 . lisa jennings tea leaf names new pres ceo coffee bean & tea leaf names new president ceo nation s restaurant news december 4 2013 . serena dai coffee bean & tea leaf suddenly closes all 12 manhattan locations eater new york october 4 2016 . gourmet whole bean & ground coffee the coffee bean & tea leaf coffee a b c d jeff miller 14 things you didn t know about the coffee bean & tea leaf thrillist july 7 2014 . a b a week in the life of jay isais senior director of the coffee bean & tea leaf huffington post june 5 2013 . the coffee bean & tea leaf 1 holiday beverages hip 2 save november 7 2012 . best drink at the coffee bean & tea leaf winter dream latte thedailymeal best and worst holiday coffee drinks comcast.net holiday drinks are on tap at coffee bean & tea leaf smartbrief chloe searcy we tasted it coffee bean s birthday cake ice blended huffington post may 24 2013 . joshua lurie coffee s trained tasters know their beans and brews