Famous coffee brands from around the world (and their logos)

Whether you’re a coffee lover or not, it’s impossible to ignore the impact famous coffee brands have had on the modern world. Coffee brand logos are everywhere, filling our supermarkets, grocery stores, and even local cafes. 

It’s unsurprising, when you consider that coffee is the most popular drink worldwide. Around two billion cups are consumed by coffee fans every day. This number only continues to grow, alongside the coffee industry itself, as new brands and coffee roasters enter the scene. 

Of course, with so much competition in the coffee market, small and global brands alike need a way to stand out. That’s where the ideal coffee logo design comes in, to capture the attention of consumers, and showcase the unique personality of each company.

Today, we’re taking a closer look at some of the most famous coffee company logos throughout the world, and exploring what makes them so compelling. 

Exploring the logos of the best coffee brands in the world

Famous coffee brands are everywhere. Some are best known for their affordable range of instant coffee products, like Nescafe. Others have earned their popularity on the back of coffee house franchises, like Starbucks. 

Like most businesses, each of these companies have its own distinctive logo, intended to showcase specific brand values, or certain aspects of their identity. Vendors in the coffee industry use the same core elements of logo design to engage potential customers as any other brand.

Some showcase their brand identity through carefully chosen wordmarks, intended to highlight heritage, creativity, or luxury. Others use a selection of evocative colors to connect with their target audience on an emotional level, through color psychology. 

There are even well-known coffee companies throughout the world today with their own “mascots”, like the Starbucks siren. These logo design elements all play a role in helping the business to connect with its target market, and separate itself from the competition.  

Famous coffee brands and their logos

There are many different types of famous coffee brands in the world today. 

For the purpose of this article, we’re focusing on the companies that sell coffee products either online, or in grocery or retail stores. We won’t be looking specifically at coffee houses or franchises, but you can find a guide to the logos of coffee chains elsewhere on our website.

Let’s dive into our list of some of the most famous and best coffee brands in the world.

1. Illy

Illycaffè S.p.A., otherwise known as “Illy”, is a leading Italian coffee company, specializing in espresso. The company operates a network of cafes on shopping streets, in airports, and in museums. Plus, it sells red, pressurized, and oxygen-free cans to retailers. 

Illy was initially founded by Francesco Illy, and named after him in 1933. Despite its phenomenal growth over the years, it remains primarily family owned. Illy sells products around the world, with light, medium, dark, and decaffeinated options on offer.

The Illy logo features a simple, italicized wordmark in white, placed on a red square background. The white and red colors convey ideas of purity, passion, and vitality.

2. Costa Coffee

Starting life as a UK company before emerging as a leading international coffee brand, Costa Coffee was initially founded in 1971, by Sergio Costa. He started off selling wholesale roasted coffee beans to specialist Italian stores and caterers.

Today, Costa Coffee sells products in various outlets, both in the UK and overseas, with a range of dedicated coffee shops, supermarket products, and Costa Express vending machines. At the time of writing Costa is the second largest coffee house chain in the world. 

Costa Coffee has a simple brand image, featuring a wordmark set on two levels, in bold, sans-serif font. The design, depicted in a deep shade of red, includes a unique “S” character in the middle of the company’s name, meant to represent rising steam.

3. Starbucks

One of the biggest coffee brand names in the world, Starbucks is best-known for selling products through its chain of cafes. However, like many major coffee brands, the organization has expanded over the years, to sell products through retailers and supermarkets. 

Starbucks was first founded in 1971, and was named after a character from the novel, Moby Dick. The company has captured the attention of customers for decades, with a unique logo design featuring the image of a siren. 

Working with a host of graphic designers, Starbucks has simplified its logo over the years, to capture the attention of younger consumers around the world. The image still features the iconic green and white color palette of the Starbucks brand.

Find out more about the Starbucks logo here.

4. Tim Hortons

Similar to Starbucks and Costa Coffee, Tim Hortons is primarily known as a coffee house franchise, originally launched in Canada in 1964. The company specializes in selling both coffee products and food, such as sandwiches, and donuts. 

However, Tim Hortons also sells coffee beans, pre-made products, and branded mugs in various locations around the world, as well as through online stores and marketplaces. 

The Tim Hortons’ logo is simple and iconic, with just one main color choice (red). It features a script font type, which makes the name of the company appear like a signature. This gives the brand an image of authority and creativity. 

5. Nescafe

Owned by the Nestlé brand, Nescafe is a well-known vendor of instant coffee products. The name of the company is a portmanteau of the words “Nestlé” and “Café”. The brand was first introduced in Switzerland, in 1938, and has expanded globally ever since. 

Today, Nescafe sells a wide range of products, from Nescafe Gold to a selection of coffee pods designed for at-home coffee machines. 

Like many of the popular coffee brands on this list, Nescafe has updated its logo over the years. Today, the image features a simple wordmark, in sans-serif font, with an elongated vertical line on the letter “N”. There’s also a small red element just above the “e”. 

6. Caribou Coffee

First established in 1992, the Caribou Coffee Company operates primarily in America, but has cafes and products distributed in regions across the globe. The founder of the company initially focused on creating local coffee stores for consumers in search of high-quality, low-priced beverages. 

Today, however, Caribou sells its products through supermarkets, online stores, and a range of marketplace environments. It’s currently owned by the JAB Holding Company.

The Caribou Coffee logo features a blue shield-style emblem, symbolizing strength, and trust, overlaid with a variety of stylized shapes. Underneath this, we see a script font depicting the name “Caribou”, followed by a simple sans-serif inscription for “coffee”.

7. Lavazza

Easily one of the best-known coffee companies in today’s world, Lavazza is an Italian brand, with a global target market. The business was first launched in 1895, and was named after its founder, Luigi Lavazza. Today, it’s branded as Italy’s favorite coffee brand. 

Lavazza has created a huge range of products over the years to appeal to different types of coffee brands. Plus, it also produces Nespresso compatible capsules for home coffee machines.

Like many coffee logos, the Lavazza brand image features a stylized wordmark. The image includes the word “Lavazza” with an enlarged capital “A” in the center. Underneath is a tagline describing the company’s origins. The blue coloring symbolizes trust and reliability.

8. Dunkin’

Similar to some of the other famous coffee brands we’ve covered so far, Dunkin’ sells products through online retailers, supermarkets, as well as its own coffee chain locations. It’s one of the most popular coffee shop brands in the world today, and was first founded in 1948.

The Dunkin’ brand currently has over 12,900 locations in 42 countries, making it one of the most successful coffee and donut shops in the world. 

The Dunkin’ coffee company has used a variety of logos over the years, often embracing wordmarks featuring bright colors. The current logo features the word “Dunkin’” alone, in orange and pink, conveying ideas of fun and youthfulness. 

9. Folgers

One of the most recognizable coffee company logos in the United States comes from Folgers, a brand originally established in 1850. The Folgers coffee brand is one of the oldest on this list, and is known for selling a variety of single-use pods, instant, and ground coffee products. 

Folgers primarily focuses on an American market with its products, but it has distribution options throughout Asia, Canada, and Mexico, thanks to its parent brand, the J.M Smucker Company.

The Folger’s logo is quite complex, featuring a red square, with the image of a sun rising above a series of mountains in the background. In the foreground, we see the Folgers inscription, written in white serif font with a golden and black outline. 

10. Maxwell House

Launched in 1892, Maxwell House is an American coffee brand, manufactured by a division of the Kraft Heinz Company. Over the years, the company’s coffee products have been owned and produced by several different companies, from Nashville Coffee to General Foods. 

The Maxwell House brand was the highest-selling coffee company in the US for almost 100 years, until the late 1980s. It’s well-known for its slogan “Good to the last drop”. 

Maxwell House showcases its brand identity through a wordmark, depicted in a dark blue font, all in uppercase characters. There’s also an image of a coffee cup included in the logo, with a drop of coffee falling out of it, to represent the company’s slogan.

11. Death Wish Coffee

Designed to appeal to hardcore, modern coffee lovers, the Death Wish Coffee brand was initially launched in the United States in 2012. Though the company’s name is a little aggressive, there’s a good reason behind it. 

The company claims its coffee has double the average caffeine of most alternatives in each cup. Despite this, Death Wish Coffee is certified organic, appealing to coffee drinkers who are looking for more eco-friendly products. 

Sleek and modern, the brand logo of the American brand features a skull and cross bones in circular badge, with the name of the brand written in the outer ring. We also see two coffee beans either side of the skull emblem. 

12. Seattle’s Best Coffee

A subsidiary of the Nestlé brand, Seattle’s Best sells wholesale coffee, coffee K-cups, and ground coffee in regions around the world. The company used to have coffeehouses in the US, but it no longer advertises these on its website. 

Seattle’s Best was first launched in 1970, as an affordable alternative to Starbucks (the former parent company). It actually started life with the name “Wet Whisker”, selling coffee and ice cream products. 

The modern logo of Seattle’s Best features a thick, grey circular border, surrounding a badge tilted on its side. The image includes a straightforward sans-serif inscription, and a red semicircle, with a drip design in the middle. 

13. JDE Peet’s

American-Dutch coffee company, JDE Peet’s owns various beverage brands, mostly selling coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. It was formed in 2015 following the merger of Peet’s Coffee brand, and Douwe Egberts. 

The company sells coffee products in regions around the world, as well as operating a variety of coffee houses through the Peet’s Coffee name. The logo of the business is relatively straightforward, but in a good way. It features the two separate wordmarks of “Peet’s” and “JDE”. 

The Peet’s logo includes a unique font choice, with a large “P” designed to look like a coffee cup. The “JDE” inscription features a curved line on the left side, symbolizing steam. 

14. Sanka

One of the most popular coffee options in the world today, Sanka is a brand of instant decaffeinated coffee, available in regions around the world. The company was initially launched in 1923, after decaffeinated coffee products were introduced only 20 years previously. 

The Sanka brand name became popular among consumers who loved the taste of coffee, but not the caffeine content. It was also a good choice for budget-conscious customers, due to an affordable price point. 

The logo of the Sanka coffee brand features an orange oval, with white swooshing lines on either side. The simple logo design also features the Sanka name, in a stylized sans-serif font.

15. Pact Coffee

Though a little lesser known than some of the famous coffee companies on this list, Pact is quickly becoming one of the top coffee brand names among eco-conscious customers. The company launched in 2012, with a vision of transforming the coffee industry.

Pact Coffee sells eco-conscious and ethical coffee products, via subscriptions and its online website. The company has already formed relationships with 150 farmers around the world, and runs one of the UK’s largest independent roasteries.

Pact Coffee’s logo features a fingerprint design in the background, highlighting the company’s commitment to ethical production. It also includes a unique wordmark, featuring a serif-font with sharp edges around the letters.

16. Boss Coffee

Initially launched in 1992, Boss Coffee is the name of a range of canned and bottled coffee, and coffee-flavored beverages, sold by the Suntory Japanese brand. It quickly became one of the most popular bottled coffee producers in Japan. 

Today, Boss Coffee is available in various locations around the world, including Australia, and New Zealand. The coffee brand logo is somewhat complex, featuring a number of references to the brand name, and its parent company. 

There’s also a silhouette of a man smoking a pipe in the center of the badge. Interestingly, in various regions, the pipe has been removed from the image, as it was seen to promote smoking. 

17. New England Coffee

Founded in 1916, in Massachusetts, New England Coffee was created by brothers George and Menelaos Kaloyanides, who immigrated to the United States from Greece. They started their business delivering hand-roasted coffee by hand, via horse and cart. 

Four generations of the family have since led the business, making this one of the longest-lasting family-owned coffee shops in the United States. 

Like many international coffee brands, the New England Coffee company uses quite a simplistic logo. It’s designed to look like a trade stamp, with a textured inscription in the center of a circular border, all depicted in brown.

18. La Colombe 

Otherwise known as La Colombe Coffee Roasters, La Colombe is one of the biggest coffee brands in the United States. It initially launched in 1994, and quickly became associated with the “third wave of coffee” movement, dedicated to high-quality coffee products. 

La Colombe sells classic coffee products through its own branded stores and different coffee shops throughout the United States. It also sells canned versions of pre-made coffee products, as well as coffee beans and grounds.

The logo of the brand highlights the company name in a selection of different fonts. “Colombe” appears in a bold serif font, while “La” is depicted in a script style. There’s also a little line art around the words “Coffee Roasters”, giving the image an Art Nouveau aesthetic.

19. Intelligentsia

One of the most interesting coffee brand logos on this list comes from Intelligentsia Coffee, an American roasting company and retailer founded in 1995. Like some of the other major modern coffee companies, it’s often associated with the “third wave coffee” movement. 

The brand is owned primarily by Peet’s Coffee and Tea (which belongs to the JAB Holding Company). Today, the brand sells products throughout a range of regions in the United States.

Like the Starbucks coffee brand, the Intelligentsia company doesn’t show its name in its logo. Instead, the memorable brand image depicts a cup of coffee, with a set of orange wings on either side. There’s also a five-point star on the design, to symbolize excellence.

20. Stumptown Coffee Roasters

Launched in 1999, Stumptown Coffee Roasters is a retailer based in the United States. Though it’s best known for its café locations, the company also sells coffee products and beans through various retailers and marketplaces like Amazon. 

Stumptown is owned by Peet’s Coffee, and was an early innovator in the cold-brew coffee landscape. Since its inception, the company has introduced a variety of nitro can coffee products, sold throughout the United States. 

Like many national and global coffee companies, Stumptown has changed its logo a few times over the years. The famous coffee logo today features a simple wordmark, in bold, serif font, depicted in black on a white background. 

21. Blue Bottle Coffee

Initially headquartered in Oakland, California, Blue Bottle Coffee was founded in 2001. Keen to appeal to the taste buds of all kinds of coffee fans, the company has produced a wide range of products over the years, but focuses mainly on single-roast coffee beans.

This memorable brand has appeared all over the US, with dedicated coffee shops, as well as packaged products sold by partner retailers. Like many coffee business owners, the company also sells products through its own website. 

The Blue Bottle coffee logo features the image of a large blue bottle, representing the company’s name, and a simple sans-serif inscription. 

Unforgettable coffee company logos

As you can see from the list of famous coffee brands and their logos above, the right brand image is essential to any business owner. While the color scheme, shapes, and typography used by coffee shop owners and business leaders around the world may vary, they all share the same purpose.

Unique logo designs are one of the best ways for companies, large and small, to capture the attention of their target audience, and provide insights into their unique personality. 

With a high-quality logo, companies can set themselves apart from the competition, and capture the hearts and minds of their target audience. If you need help creating the perfect logo or coffee shop name, reach out to Fabrik Brands today for help building your brand. 

Fabrik: A branding agency for our times.