Aroma Espresso Bar, or simply Aroma, is an Israeli coffeehouse chain with 162 locations around the country,[1] and several locations in the United States, Canada,[2] Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.[3]
History
Founded in 1994 on Hillel Street in downtown Jerusalem by brothers Yariv and Sahar Shefa,[4] Aroma first started branching out beyond that city in 2000, following a 1999 dispute between the two brothers which led to the formation of separate chains, Aroma Tel Aviv (run by Sahar) operating in Tel Aviv-Yafo, and Aroma Israel (run by Yariv) operating in the rest of the world. Despite being separate companies, the two chains maintain similar branding, creating a misconception of being a common entity, up to the point that Aroma Israel put labels on its products emphasizing the lack of "business, logistical or management links" between the two following a food poisoning incident in an Aroma Tel Aviv branch.