# Blank Street

> Blank Street began in 2020 as a tiny Brooklyn cart built around a clever retail thesis: shrink the shop, automate the repetitive work, cluster locations and sell a reliably good drink quickly. More than 100 US and UK shops later, its flavored matcha drinks, app and highly designed brand have made it a Gen Z habit - while the volume they attracted forced Blank Street to abandon some of its smallest spaces for larger cafes built for lingering as well as throughput.

- **Founded:** 2020
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Founders:** Issam Freiha (Co-founder and CEO), Vinay Menda (Co-founder and President)
- **Products:** Coffee and espresso drinks, Signature matcha drinks, Blank Street app and rewards, Food, beans, matcha and merchandise, Small-format and social cafes
- **Notable:** Expanded from one Williamsburg cart in August 2020 to more than 100 shops across the United States and United Kingdom by 2026., Reached reported profitability and roughly three times the drinks per store versus three years earlier by April 2026., Built matcha to roughly half of company sales by 2026 after viral flavored launches such as Blueberry and Daydream.

## Products & services

- **Coffee and espresso drinks** — Made-to-order espresso classics, signature lattes, cold brew and seasonal drinks produced with automated espresso equipment for speed and consistency.
- **Signature matcha drinks** — Visually distinctive flavored matcha drinks including Blueberry, Daydream, White Chocolate and Strawberry Shortcake variants; matcha has grown to roughly half of the business by 2026.
- **Blank Street app and rewards** — Mobile ordering, drink customization, store discovery and loyalty rewards; the US iOS listing carries thousands of ratings.
- **Food, beans, matcha and merchandise** — Baked goods and fresh food in stores, plus direct-to-consumer coffee blends, ceremonial matcha powder, gift cards and limited-edition merchandise online.
- **Small-format and social cafes** — A global network of urban shops that evolved from carts and compact grab-and-go units into a mix that includes larger, seated locations.

## Achievements

- Expanded from one Williamsburg cart in August 2020 to more than 100 shops across the United States and United Kingdom by 2026.
- Reached reported profitability and roughly three times the drinks per store versus three years earlier by April 2026.
- Built matcha to roughly half of company sales by 2026 after viral flavored launches such as Blueberry and Daydream.
- Earned a reported 80% year-over-year increase in user-generated content after the 2025 brand relaunch.
- Opened its first West Coast store in Studio City, Los Angeles, in August 2026.
- Raised a $105 million financing transaction in August 2026, including $75 million of primary growth capital.

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Dropped 'Coffee' from the consumer-facing name and introduced a Wolff Olins identity centered on a greener palette, a cart-window symbol and the platform 'Regularly remarkable.'
- **2026-03** — Began testing a roughly 1,300-square-foot social format with seating and 'conversation' booths, about three times the size of some earlier stores.
- **2026-04** — Announced four Los Angeles County stores and said matcha represented about half of the business, with a target of completing drinks within two minutes and 30 seconds.
- **2026-08** — Opened the first Los Angeles cafe in Studio City and planned further sites in Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Malibu.
- **2026-08** — Closed a $105 million transaction led by General Atlantic, comprising $75 million in new capital and $30 million in secondary shares at a reported valuation near $650 million.

## Links

- Website: https://www.blankstreet.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blank-street
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blankstreet
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blankstcoffee/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blankstreet

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/blank-street
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-26