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Toby's Estate

Coffee · 73+ locations · Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, NYC, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, and the Gulf

The Australian roaster with a cult following is back in New York, years after its old Brooklyn cafés became Partners Coffee. Japanese coffee giant UCC Group owns the brand outright now, and the Tribeca café is a franchise.

Investor-backedDisplacement RiskFounder involvedFranchise

The Big Picture

Mixed Picture

Toby's Estate sells a craft story — direct trade with growers, 80-plus coffees released a year — and it's a real one. What changed is who collects on it: the founder's equity is gone, a general manager has run the brand since 2019, and Japan's UCC Group has owned every share since 2022. The barista pulling your shot in Tribeca answers to a local franchisee; the brand itself answers to Kobe.

Let's Get Critical

Local ownership
3/10
Founder involvement
5/10
Worker pay & benefits
6/10
Environmental impact
7/10
Sourcing & labor
7/10

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Company data last updated August 2026

How does one person build and research all this? They don't: here's how it actually works. Verdicts are our opinions, based on the public sources cited above as of August 2026. Spotted something off? or learn more.