Coffee · 30+ locations · Philadelphia, New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, Austin, Los Angeles, San Diego
La Colombe still reads as the scrappy Philly coffee roaster its founders built in 1994. But Chobani bought it outright for $900 million in 2023, and one of its two founders left years before that deal closed. The direct-trade story remains; the ownership doesn't.
The Big Picture
Chobani, led by founder Hamdi Ulukaya, owns La Colombe outright after a $900 million buyout in December 2023 — Ulukaya had already been the company's majority investor since 2015. Co-founder JP Iberti still runs day-to-day as President, but Todd Carmichael left the CEO role in 2021, and hourly production workers' wage-and-hour suit over unpaid pre-shift time ended in a $450,000 court-approved settlement. The coffee carries a real Rainforest Alliance certification, but the company reports no emissions data to CDP or SBTi and isn't a B Corp.
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Company data last updated July 2026
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