In 2025, leveraged buyouts (LBOs) have become the lifeblood of global food and beverage deal-making. From the UK and US to South Korea and Colombia, coffee shops are being swallowed up by private equity – one leveraged buyout at a time. In the UK, public debt hit 95.8% of GDP in early 2025 – opening the doors for a PE transformation of its coffee landscape. As scale is increasingly trumps artisanship, local cafés and specialty outfits are becoming portfolio assets.
