How A $40K Coffee Kiosk Grew Into A 912-Store, $859M Business — And Why Its Owners Declined A $1B Buyout

Benzinga_recent_news06-15

Don and Linda Eckles launched Scooter's Coffee after banks rejected their business idea. The couple told Forbes in April that they borrowed $40,000 from friends and family to open their first coffee ...

Source Link

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Comments

We need your insight to fill this gap

Leave a comment

{"i18n":{"language":"en_US"},"isChannel":false,"data":{"share":"https://ttm.financial/m/news/2643225982?lang=en_US&edition=fundamental","thumbnail":"https://cdn.benzinga.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=240,format=auto,quality=85/files/images/story/2026/06/14/US-Inks-Deals-To-Lower-Coffee--Banana-An.jpeg","is_english":true,"pubTime":"2026-06-15 04:00","share_image_url":"https://static.laohu8.com/e9f99090a1c2ed51c021029395664489","id":"2643225982","market":"us","top_or_hot":-1,"title":"How A $40K Coffee Kiosk Grew Into A 912-Store, $859M Business — And Why Its Owners Declined A $1B Buyout","media":"Benzinga_recent_news","content":"<div>\n<p>Don and Linda Eckles launched Scooter's Coffee after banks rejected their business idea.\nThe couple told Forbes in April that they borrowed $40,000 from friends and family to open their first coffee ...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://www.benzinga.com/news/topics/26/06/53185919/how-a-40k-coffee-kiosk-grew-into-a-912-store-859m-business-and-why-its-owners-declined-a-1b-buyout\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n","source":"benzinga_recent_news","html":"<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>\n<head>\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text/html; charset=utf-8\" />\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width,initial-scale=1.0,minimum-scale=1.0,maximum-scale=1.0,user-scalable=no\"/>\n<meta name=\"format-detection\" content=\"telephone=no,email=no,address=no\" />\n<title>How A $40K Coffee Kiosk Grew Into A 912-Store, $859M Business — And Why Its Owners Declined A $1B Buyout</title>\n<style type=\"text/css\">\na,abbr,acronym,address,applet,article,aside,audio,b,big,blockquote,body,canvas,caption,center,cite,code,dd,del,details,dfn,div,dl,dt,\nem,embed,fieldset,figcaption,figure,footer,form,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,header,hgroup,html,i,iframe,img,ins,kbd,label,legend,li,mark,menu,nav,\nobject,ol,output,p,pre,q,ruby,s,samp,section,small,span,strike,strong,sub,summary,sup,table,tbody,td,tfoot,th,thead,time,tr,tt,u,ul,var,video{ font:inherit;margin:0;padding:0;vertical-align:baseline;border:0 }\nbody{ font-size:16px; line-height:1.5; color:#999; background:transparent; }\n.wrapper{ overflow:hidden;word-break:break-all;padding:10px; }\nh1,h2{ font-weight:normal; line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:.6em; }\nh3,h4,h5,h6{ line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:1em; }\nh1{ font-size:24px; }\nh2{ font-size:20px; }\nh3{ font-size:18px; }\nh4{ font-size:16px; }\nh5{ font-size:14px; }\nh6{ font-size:12px; }\np,ul,ol,blockquote,dl,table{ margin:1.2em 0; }\nul,ol{ margin-left:2em; }\nul{ list-style:disc; }\nol{ list-style:decimal; }\nli,li p{ margin:10px 0;}\nimg{ max-width:100%;display:block;margin:0 auto 1em; }\nblockquote{ color:#B5B2B1; border-left:3px solid #aaa; padding:1em; }\nstrong,b{font-weight:bold;}\nem,i{font-style:italic;}\ntable{ width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:1px;margin:1em 0;font-size:.9em; }\nth,td{ padding:5px;text-align:left;border:1px solid #aaa; }\nth{ font-weight:bold;background:#5d5d5d; }\n.symbol-link{font-weight:bold;}\n/* header{ border-bottom:1px solid #494756; } */\n.title{ margin:0 0 8px;line-height:1.3;color:#ddd; }\n.meta {color:#5e5c6d;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 .5em; }\na{text-decoration:none; color:#2a4b87;}\n.meta .head { display: inline-block; overflow: hidden}\n.head .h-thumb { width: 30px; height: 30px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border-radius: 50%; float: left;}\n.head .h-content { margin: 0; padding: 0 0 0 9px; float: left;}\n.head .h-name {font-size: 13px; color: #eee; margin: 0;}\n.head .h-time {font-size: 11px; color: #7E829C; margin: 0;line-height: 11px;}\n.small {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.9); -webkit-transform: scale(0.9); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.smaller {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.8); -webkit-transform: scale(0.8); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.bt-text {font-size: 12px;margin: 1.5em 0 0 0}\n.bt-text p {margin: 0}\n</style>\n</head>\n<body>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<header>\n<h2 class=\"title\">\nHow A $40K Coffee Kiosk Grew Into A 912-Store, $859M Business — And Why Its Owners Declined A $1B Buyout\n</h2>\n\n<h4 class=\"meta\">\n\n\n2026-06-15 04:00 GMT+8&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=https://www.benzinga.com/news/topics/26/06/53185919/how-a-40k-coffee-kiosk-grew-into-a-912-store-859m-business-and-why-its-owners-declined-a-1b-buyout><strong>Benzinga_recent_news</strong></a>\n\n\n</h4>\n\n</header>\n<article>\n<div>\n<p>Don and Linda Eckles launched Scooter's Coffee after banks rejected their business idea.\nThe couple told Forbes in April that they borrowed $40,000 from friends and family to open their first coffee ...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://www.benzinga.com/news/topics/26/06/53185919/how-a-40k-coffee-kiosk-grew-into-a-912-store-859m-business-and-why-its-owners-declined-a-1b-buyout\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n\n\n</article>\n</div>\n</body>\n</html>\n","isBrief":false,"type":0,"news_type":1,"symbol":"JVA","symbol_name":"Coffee Holding Co","start_time":0,"source_url":"https://www.benzinga.com/news/topics/26/06/53185919/how-a-40k-coffee-kiosk-grew-into-a-912-store-859m-business-and-why-its-owners-declined-a-1b-buyout","article_id":"2643225982","we_media_id":null,"thumbnails":["https://cdn.benzinga.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=240,format=auto,quality=85/files/images/story/2026/06/14/US-Inks-Deals-To-Lower-Coffee--Banana-An.jpeg"],"rights":{"source":"benzinga_recent_news","url":"https://www.benzinga.com/news/topics/26/06/53185919/how-a-40k-coffee-kiosk-grew-into-a-912-store-859m-business-and-why-its-owners-declined-a-1b-buyout","rn_cache_url":null,"directOrigin":true},"url":"https://stock-news.laohu8.com/highlight/detail?id=2643225982","pubTimestamp":1781467200,"columns":[],"sourceInfo":{"source_id":"benzinga_recent_news","name":"Benzinga"},"weMediaInfo":null,"summary":"Don and Linda Eckles launched Scooter's Coffee after banks rejected their business idea.The couple told Forbes in April that they borrowed $40,000 from friends and family to open their first coffee kiosk in the Omaha, Nebraska, area in 1998.Scooter's Coffee now has more than 900 locations across 32 states and generated $859 million in systemwide sales last year, according to media reports. \"We couldn’t and didn’t do this ourselves,\" Don said.The first Scooter's Coffee location eventually broke even, giving the Eckles confidence to open a second store.By the fifth location, they had borrowed another $150,000 to build two kiosks at a nearby mall. The expansion nearly pushed the company under after construction costs rose, according to Forbes.Trending: 1.5M+ Users. $29M Raised. Shares Still at $0.79 — Learn How to Invest Before the Deadline. Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, ","collect":0,"end_time":0,"defaultTopTitle":"benzinga.com","property":[],"viewcount":null,"language":"en","relate_stocks":{"JVA":"Coffee Holding Co","BK4212":"包装食品与肉类"},"translate_title":"一家价值4万美元的咖啡亭如何发展成为拥有912家门店、价值8.59亿美元的企业——以及为什么其所有者拒绝10亿美元的收购","themeId":null,"isJumpTheme":false,"ttsUrl":null,"symbols_score_info":{"JVA":1.5},"content_text":"Don and Linda Eckles launched Scooter's Coffee after banks rejected their business idea.\nThe couple told Forbes in April that they borrowed $40,000 from friends and family to open their first coffee kiosk in the Omaha, Nebraska, area in 1998.\nScooter's Coffee now has more than 900 locations across 32 states and generated $859 million in systemwide sales last year, according to media reports. \"We couldn’t and didn’t do this ourselves,\" Don said.\nDon't Miss:\nThe first Scooter's Coffee location eventually broke even, giving the Eckles confidence to open a second store.\nBy the fifth location, they had borrowed another $150,000 to build two kiosks at a nearby mall. The expansion nearly pushed the company under after construction costs rose, according to Forbes.\nAround the same time, customers and friends began asking to open their own Scooter's locations. That led the company into franchising in 2001, giving Scooter's a way to expand without the Eckles carrying the cost of every new store.\nTrending: 1.5M+ Users. $29M Raised. Shares Still at $0.79 — Learn How to Invest Before the Deadline\nThe deal did not happen. Buffett decided Scooter's was too small \"to move the needle for Berkshire,\" but he suggested another Nebraska investor, McCarthy Capital, now known as M-One Capital.\nThat introduction eventually led to a 2018 deal that freed Eckles to focus more heavily on expansion.\nScooter's Coffee expanded through franchising, which helped the company grow beyond its original drive-thru coffee kiosks.\nThat approach helped Scooter scale rapidly and turn the business into a highly profitable operation. Forbes estimated its net margin at about 62.5%, while top franchisees post net income margins above 20%.\nSee Also: Deloitte's #1 Fastest-Growing Software Company Lets Users Earn Money Just by Scrolling — Investors Can Still Get In at $0.52/Share\nDon and Linda remain majority owners, though CEO Joe Thornton now leads day-to-day operations after taking over the role in 2024.\nReuters reported last year that Scooter's Coffee was exploring a sale that could value the chain at close to $1 billion.\nAfter decades of building the company from a borrowed-money kiosk into a national franchise system, the Eckles are not ready to hand it over. \"For now, we love being a privately held company,\" the Eckles told Forbes.\nRead Next: The IRS Could Take A Bigger Bite Out Of Retirement Savings Than Many Expect — Some Investors Are Seeking Professional Help\nArrived\nImmersed\nVinovest \nFine wine and rare whiskey have historically moved independently of the stock market, making them a compelling alternative asset. Vinovest manages authenticated, insured portfolios of investment-grade wine and whiskey starting at $5,000 — sourcing, storage, and insurance all handled for you.\nEnergyX\nFarmTogether\nFarmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000 — fully managed, with no landlord headaches.\nEquityMultiple \nFor accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process. \nFundrise\nPrivate real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.\nAmerican Hartford Gold\nImage: Imagn\nTo add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.","kind":"highlight","is_publish_news":true,"is_publish_highlight":false,"is_publish_live":false,"is_publish_wemedia":false,"editions":null,"column":"","sentiment":"0","news_tag":"","news_rank":0,"isVideo":false,"video":null,"symbols":[],"gpt_button":0,"need_auth":false,"need_login_tip":false,"code":"91000000","status":"200"},"commentList":[],"isCommentEnd":true,"newsSizeData":{"likeSize":0,"commentSize":0,"repostSize":0,"favoriteSize":0,"likeStatus":false,"favoriteStatus":false},"APP":{"userAgent":"Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)","isDev":false,"isTTM":true,"isLaohu8Offline":false,"tenantId":"TBGLOBAL","deviceId":"web-server-community-laohu8-v3","version":"4.44.0","shortVersion":"4.44.0","platform":"web","vendor":"web","appName":"ttm","isIOS":false,"isAndroid":false,"isTiger":false,"isTHS":false,"isWeiXin":false,"isWeiXinMini":false,"isWeiBo":false,"isQQ":false,"isBaiduSwan":false,"isBaiduBox":false,"isDingTalk":false,"isToutiao":false,"isOnePlus":false,"isHuaWei":false,"isXiaomi":false,"isXiaomiWebView":false,"isOppo":false,"isVivo":false,"isSamsung":false,"isMobile":false},"href":"/m/news/2643225982","isCrawlerRequest":true}