Founded in 1997 in the UK by Dr Gerry Ford, Caffé Nero is now the largest independently owned coffee house brand in Europe, with more than 400 outlets and over 4,000 employees in approximately 210 UK cities, with an annual turnover of GBP 142 million, as at May 2009. Caffè Nero was introduced in Turkey in October 2007 and now has 12 sites in Istanbul.

The Middle East is the second international market where Caffé Nero can now be found outside the UK. Since its inception, the brand has earned countless accolades including “the best espresso this side of Milan” by UK’s Tatler magazine. “It’s the traditional Italian Café,” says respected food critic Egon Ronay. Caffé Nero was rated “the best coffee house brand in Britain for eight years running” between 2002 and 2009, according to the UK’s definitive consumer survey on coffee by Allegra Strategies. Caffé Nero came out on top in all categories – coffee, atmosphere, service quality, food quality and affordability.