Black Sheep Coffee is ramping up its presence across Scotland with the launch of 10+ new stores this year, marking what it calls “a major step” in its continued growth across the country. Founded by Eirik Holth and Gabriel Shohet, who both studied in Scotland, the brand’s connection to the country “runs deep.” Today, the business remains majority owned and led by its founders and management team, with “no private equity or venture capital backing.”
The latest expansion will take Black Sheep Coffee to more than 21 stores across Scotland, supporting nearly 300 jobs nationwide, including 94 corporate roles and 205 franchise roles, with more opportunities created as the brand continues to grow. The company says “Scotland has always been part of Black Sheep Coffee’s story”, and it is now building on strong roots in Glasgow and Edinburgh by expanding into towns including Ayr, Glenrothes, Stirling, Clydebank and Inverness.
At the heart of this growth is what the brand describes as “a local-first model”. Black Sheep Coffee partners with franchisees who “know their neighbourhoods inside out”, creating stores “shaped by the people who run them and the customers who use them”. In Glasgow, franchisees Suhail Rehman and Tariq Din transformed a former Odeon cinema on Renfield Street, which had stood closed for nearly 20 years, into a flagship destination for the brand. In Edinburgh’s Bruntsfield, Usman Mohammed brought new life to a long‑vacant former Royal Bank of Scotland site, turning it into “a vibrant, high-energy space for the local community.”
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The company says “this approach is resonating”. At Silverburn, Black Sheep Coffee “consistently ranks in the top five for sales across all food and beverage brands” – a reflection, it notes, of strong customer demand and the brand’s growing loyal following. Across Scotland, each opening “brings a fresh injection of energy” by reimagining well‑known local spaces and creating “places people actively want to spend time in.”
From “early morning coffees to late-night matchas”, the stores are designed to be “part of the daily rhythm of the neighbourhood”. Black Sheep Coffee says its expansion is “driven by momentum, not convention” – building standout spaces, backing local entrepreneurs, and creating a coffee experience that customers keep coming back for. As the business continues to scale, Scotland “remains central to its story – not just as a market, but as the place where it all began.”
