USD’s Einstein Bros. won’t undergo co-branding with Caribou Coffee, yet

For the time being, USD’s Einstein Bros. Bagels will be staying as is, despite a wave of hybrid “coffee and bagel” shops rebranding in the past year as a result of a co-branding effort between Einstein Bros. Bagels and Caribou
Coffee.

The two brands are now owned by the same company, JAB Holding Co., and are being referred to as partner stores with a “coffee and bagel” theme, which encompasses coffee from the Caribou chain and bagels from Einstein Bros.

Already, four of the co-branded stores have opened in South Dakota, and the Einstein Bros. store at SDSU is set to transition to a co-brand store, according to SDSU’s The Collegian.

Deciding whether or not to convert an existing single-brand store into a co-branded store is a joint decision. The marketing, sales, store concept and real estate teams of both companies work together to make the decision, said a Caribou customer relations specialist in a phone interview.

The customer relations specialist said she wasn’t sure why USD’s Einstein Bros. wasn’t chosen for a co-branded store this year, but said she wouldn’t rule out the possibility that USD will have one in the
future.

The move toward the co-branded stores reflected a need to find a good pairing for Caribou’s coffee offerings, the customer relations specialist said.

“We are partnered together because we are looking for something that would go together with coffee for breakfast,” she said. “Coffee and bagels – it just makes sense.”