Caribou Coffee to open in Belden Village area

JACKSON TWP. ‒ The largest franchisee of Panera Bread restaurants will open a Caribou Coffee in the Belden Village area later this summer.

Danielle Covelli, marketing director for Covelli Enterprises in Warren, said the new building will be at 5443 A Whipple Avenue NW. Robert Brown, of DeVille Developments, which owns the property, said it will be adjacent to Farmers National Bank, near Duluth Trading Company.

Two years ago, Minneapolis-based Caribou announced it had signed a franchisee deal with Mike Mariola Resaurants to open 60 Ohio locations — including one built in 2022 in Wooster.

More recently came a pact with Covelli. Sam Covelli, chief executive, and his three children, Albert, Candace, and Danielle plan for 100 Caribou locations in northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and Florida.

Founded in 1992, Caribou had its share of financial struggles through the years. However, it's enjoyed a recent growth spurt, beginning in 2019 with the rollout of a drive-thru-focused cabin-style prototype store, to complement its more traditional coffeehouse layout.

Then, in 2021 Caribou was added to a Panera corporate umbrella, which includes Panera Bread and Einstein Bros. Bagels. Today, Caribou has 812 locations in 11 countries.

Caribou also is a craft roaster and retailer of specialty bagged coffee, K-Cup pods and ready-to-drink products. All of it can be purchased online and in a variety of grocery stores, retailers, club stores, restaurants and office breakrooms across the U.S.

Its hot and cold beverages and food offerings include ingredients such as real chocolate chips and real caramel sauce, no artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, or preservatives and Rainforest Alliance certified coffee beans, according to Caribou's website.

Reach Tim at 330-580-8333 or tim.botos@cantonrep.com.On X: @tbotosREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Caribou Coffee to open in Belden Village area