Java House (formerly Nairobi Java House) is a chain of coffee houses with its head office at ABC Place in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, founded in 1999 by Kevin Ashley and Jon Wagner. When founded, it was one of the few places to find "export-quality" Kenyan coffee brewed and served in the region, although specialty coffee culture has seen a significant increase in Kenya in recent years. Starting from the first cafe at Adam's Arcade along

Ngong Road Ngong Road is a major road in Kenya that links the city of Nairobi to Ngong town. It runs from the Nairobi central business district all the way to the Ngong Stadium, passing by major places in Nairobi and Ngong such as the Kenyatta National Hosp ...

which opened in 1999, Java House has grown to 73 locations across East Africa as of June 2024. The Java brand is also the owner of Italian pizza chain 360 Degrees Pizza and the first ever East African self-service frozen yoghurt store, Planet Yogurt.

Corporate governance

Past Chief Executive Officers

Kevin Ashley (2010–2016) * Co-founded Nairobi Java House in 1999. * Oversaw the company's growth from a single brand, Nairobi Java House, in Kenya to multiple brands in Kenya and Uganda. * Completed the sale of Java House to

Emerging Capital Partners Emerging Capital Partners (ECP) is a Pan-African private equity firm that has raised over US$2 billion through funds and co-investment vehicles for growth capital investing in Africa. Founded in 2000 under the leadership of Thomas Gibian, Hurley ...

in 2012. Ken Kuguru (2016–2018) * Grew Java House to 60+ stores across 10 cities in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. * In 2017, led the company to one of the most successful private equity F&B deals in East Africa to date. Paul Smith (2018 - 2021) * Paul's principal role is the development and implementation of the Group's growth and development strategies. Derrick Van Houten 2021 - 2022 Priscilla Gathungu 2022 - Present Group CEO Priscilla is the Group Chief Executive Officer at Java House Group. 2022 - Present Priscilla was appointed as Group CEO in November 2022.

References

Restaurants in Nairobi Coffeehouses and cafés {{restaurant-stub