Jamaica Blue

About Jamaica Blue

Foodco-owned international cafe restaurant brand Jamaica Blue, a sister brand of Muffin Break, first opened in Cambridge in 2014 but that site has now closed. Founded in Australia in 1992, it operates more than 170 cafes worldwide and takes its name from the blue mountains of Jamaica, where the beans for Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee are grown. Foodco, which operates small bakery café coffee shops throughout Australia, New Zealand and the UK, has more than 420 franchised restaurants worldwide. Jamaica Blue is the sister company of Muffin Break, which is also a franchise of Foodco. In January 2024, Propel revealed that Foodco UK has begun the sale of the majority of its equity stores to its franchisees.

Foodco Group chief executive Michael Arbuckle told Propel: “As sites became available to us over the last few years, we took them on in the expectation that franchisees would be interested in them once the post-covid economy had settled down. This enabled us, for example, to open four stores in Northern Ireland in 2023, where previously we had no presence.

“We are now delighted the demand from our franchisees to invest in new Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue stores is such that we are able to franchise all these equity stores. Our franchisees have contributed enormously to increasing revenue by 40% year on year across both of our brands. Traditionally, we are positioned in shopping centres and will continue with that site strategy, and we are also now actively looking for more high street locations too.”

In November 2025, Arbuckle told Propel that FoodCo has the potential to double its UK footprint as it prepared to open its 100th store here, and that Jamaica Blue is “getting good traction” and could outgrow sister brand Muffin Break. Arbuckle told Propel: “Both brands are now fully international and have developed and grown with franchisee investment. Muffin Break is a freshly baked on-site concept, so all the cabinet food is made in the store from scratch. Jamaica Blue also has a full kitchen and but is more contemporary, with a strong made-to-order menu and single origin coffee.

“Jamaica Blue has more ‘hustle’, with a focus on all-day breakfasts and brunch. Both have exciting future growth potential, but Jamaica Blue, because of its unique positioning, is getting greater traction right now, so could outgrow Muffin Break. Provided the return on investment model for franchisees remains solid, we have a number of franchisees willing to expand as landlords recognise our potential.

“We are looking to grow the brands by around 12-15 new stores next year and attract new investment from new franchisee groups. We have a number of multi-store operators who want to continue growing store numbers. I think we can get to 200 stores in the next six to ten years as opportunities in new channels are starting to appear. While we are strongly shopping centre based, we are now actively looking at high streets and transport hubs and hospitals, where we already have some stores.”

Store number 100 for FoodCo, a Jamaica Blue in Sutton, south London, is due to open in early 2026. The company also said it will open five new outlets across northern England and Greater London in the first half of 2026 and could expand into Ireland in 2027. A flurry of openings in 2026 had taken the Jamaica Blue UK estate past the 30-store mark by the summer.

In July 2026, Arbuckle told Propel that FoodCo is “changing tack on store growth” and is in talks for its transport hub debut. He said: “We’ve tended to be opportunity-led for store growth, but we are going to change tack a bit and look to solidify in areas like the Midlands, the south east and Scotland, which have been good for us. We’re negotiating currently with two railway stations, which will be our first transport hub sites. We’re in a golf centre and we’re in a couple of hospitals, so we’re not wedded to our traditional shopping centre model.”

He added: “He said: “With Jamaica Blue, we’re seeing more and more consumers looking to brunch. We fit that market so well and our franchisees have capitalised on that opportunity. Muffin Break just began fitout in Cardiff Bus Interchange. There are markets or channels where one of our brands is more attractive, and some, like Watford, Telford and Maidstone, where we have both Jamaica Blue and Muffin Break. We can move our brands to position ourselves where the need arises.”

Why franchise with Jamaica Blue

• ✓The company says it has a unique established model with a proud history, with tailored marketing strategies developed to increase brand awareness and drive sales at both a local and national level. This includes in-store and online promotions, and tailored local and national marketing activities.
• ✓Franchisees have the flexibility to set their own working hours while having the security of joining a network of experienced industry professionals who offer exceptional training and operational support whenever needed. Support is provided with site selection; lease negotiations; recruitment; store design; construction and refurbishment; sourcing suppliers; staff training; labour management; rostering systems; maintaining cost of goods; business plan preparation; product development and innovation.
• ✓Typical cost for setting up a sit-in cafe is £300,000, which includes a franchise fee of £30,000. Ongoing costs include a franchise fee of 6% of net sales, advertising fee of 2% of net sales and an annual management fee of £800 after the first year of operation. Previous experience in the food industry is not necessary, but basic management capabilities are a pre-requisite.
• ✓Jamaica Blue has established relationships with suppliers who will deliver to store, and prices are negotiated on group buying power. Jamaica Blue requires that franchisees obtain competent legal advice before entering into the franchise documentation, and it is recommended that franchisees retain the services of a competent accountant.
• ✓The company said: “Our most successful franchise owners are passionate about promotion what the brand stands for and educating customers about our belief in sourcing and roasting the best very best coffee and using only fresh and premium ingredients. Our simple philosophy of great coffee and food, together with our passion crew of chefs, baristas and service team are the Jamaica Blue recipe for success. Reputable, reliable and trusted for nearly 30 years, this is a fantastic opportunity to run your own cafe business which is part of a brand recognised worldwide.”

Investment breakdown