The Israeli coffee chains Aroma Israel and Aroma Tel Aviv announced they will merge into one company called "Aroma Espresso Bar Israel," Israeli media reported on Wednesday. The deal comes 22 years after the branches split following a dispute between the founders.
The Aroma chain was established in 1994 by brothers Yariv and Shahar Shefa. In 1999, the chain split into two separate companies – Aroma Israel and Aroma Tel Aviv. The two chains maintained a similar logo, but made sure to emphasize that they were different companies.
Aroma Israel also runs 57 branches operating outside Israel, in the United States, Canada, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. It also owns production plants.
The merged chain is expected to have 187 branches and will be run by the current owner of Aroma Israel, Yariv Shefa. Golan Einat, the owner of Aroma Tel Aviv since 2014, will become a shareholder in the merged company.
Many Israelis attribute Aroma's success as the reason their country is one of the few where international coffee giant Starbucks has failed.