Café Bustelo
An American coffee brand recognized for bold, Latin-style espresso and its distinctive yellow-and-red packaging.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Café Bustelo is an American packaged-coffee brand with roots in the Latin coffee culture of New York. It was established in 1928 by Gregorio Menéndez Bustelo, a Spanish immigrant who had spent part of his early life in Cuba before moving to the United States in 1917. Bustelo founded the company in East Harlem, New York, an area with strong immigrant and Latin American communities. The brand developed a reputation for concentrated, full-bodied coffee intended for espresso-style preparation and became particularly associated with Cuban and other Caribbean-American consumers. The brand’s historical identity was shaped by both its flavor profile and its packaging. Its coffee was commonly prepared in espresso makers rather than through the coffee “sock” method that had been widespread in some Cuban households. The strong roast and accessible price helped it function as an everyday household coffee rather than as a luxury product. Its yellow-and-red cans became one of its most recognizable visual features and helped establish a durable presence in grocery stores and neighborhood markets. Café Bustelo remained commercially successful through much of the twentieth century. Its cultural reach expanded beyond its original consumer base as Cuban exiles and other Latin American communities spread across the United States. During the 1990s and 2000s, the brand also acquired visibility among artists and other urban subcultures, who treated the familiar can and logo as symbols of New York, immigrant life, and everyday creative work. The brand was referenced in the song “Today 4 U” from the 1996 musical Rent, and artists have incorporated its imagery into paintings, prints, and other works. Ownership changed several times in the twenty-first century. Rowland Coffee Roasters of Miami acquired Café Bustelo in 2000. Rowland was acquired that same year by the Cuban-American Souto family. In 2011, the business was sold to The J.M. Smucker Company, a large publicly traded American food company. Under Smucker ownership, Café Bustelo continues as a consumer coffee brand, with products sold in formats including ground coffee, instant coffee, and single-serve coffee pods. The brand remains positioned around strong, affordable, Latin-inspired coffee for routine home consumption, while retaining the visual identity and cultural associations developed during its earlier history.
History
Gregorio Menéndez Bustelo was born in Asturias, Spain, in 1892. As a young man he traveled to Cuba, where he encountered the coffee traditions that later influenced the identity of his American brand. He moved to the United States in 1917 and, in 1928, founded the Café Bustelo coffee company in East Harlem, New York. East Harlem provided a significant commercial and cultural setting for the company. The neighborhood had long been home to immigrant communities, including large Caribbean and Latin American populations. Bustelo’s coffee appealed to consumers who preferred a powerful roast and espresso-style preparation. Among Cuban exiles and their families, the coffee was often prepared in espresso makers rather than filtered through the coffee “sock” method that had been common in earlier Cuban practice. The company developed a recognizable identity through its bold flavor and its yellow-and-red cans. This packaging became a durable part of the brand’s public image and helped distinguish it in grocery and neighborhood retail channels. Café Bustelo remained successful across the twentieth century as Cuban and other Latin American communities expanded throughout the United States. The brand’s meaning broadened in the 1990s and 2000s. It retained its importance as a familiar household coffee among Latin American consumers while also becoming visible in artistic and urban subcultures. The brand was mentioned in “Today 4 U,” a song from the 1996 musical Rent. Artists have also used the Bustelo can, logo, and visual style as themes in paintings, prints, and other creative works. In 2000, Rowland Coffee Roasters of Miami purchased Café Bustelo. Rowland was acquired by the Cuban-American Souto family during the same year. The next major ownership transition occurred in 2011, when The J.M. Smucker Company bought the business. Café Bustelo is now a brand within Smucker’s coffee portfolio rather than an independently listed company. The contemporary product range includes ground coffee, espresso-style coffee, instant coffee, and single-serve formats. Although the brand has expanded its formats, its central proposition remains consistent with its historical identity: strong, accessible coffee associated with Latin-style preparation and everyday use. Its cultural recognition continues to rest on the combination of its concentrated roast, long connection to Cuban and Caribbean-American communities, and distinctive yellow-and-red packaging.
- 2011
Acquired by The J.M. Smucker Company
[1]The J.M. Smucker Company purchased Café Bustelo and added it to its coffee portfolio.
- 2000
Acquired by Rowland Coffee Roasters
[1]Rowland Coffee Roasters of Miami purchased Café Bustelo.
- 2000
Rowland acquired by the Souto family
[1]The Cuban-American Souto family acquired Rowland Coffee Roasters in the same year as Rowland’s purchase of Café Bustelo.
- 1996
Referenced in the musical Rent
[1]Café Bustelo was referenced in “Today 4 U,” a song from the musical Rent, reflecting the brand’s visibility in New York cultural life.
- 1928
Café Bustelo founded in East Harlem
[1]Gregorio Bustelo founded the Café Bustelo coffee company in East Harlem, New York.
- 1921
Brand founded
[3]Gregorio Bustelo established the Cafe Bustelo coffee business in New York City.
- 1917
Gregorio Bustelo moved to the United States
[1]After spending part of his early life in Cuba, Gregorio Menéndez Bustelo moved from Spain to the United States.
Expansion beyond the original ground format
[4]The brand broadened its packaged portfolio to include formats such as decaffeinated, whole-bean, instant, and single-serve coffee.
Integration into the JDE Peet's portfolio
[5]Cafe Bustelo became part of the international packaged-coffee portfolio associated with JDE Peet's.
Products and positioning
Affordable, bold, Latin-inspired coffee for everyday consumption, with a strong association with Cuban-American, Caribbean, and broader Latin American coffee traditions.
Ground coffee
Espresso-style ground coffee
The brand’s core product category is a dark, concentrated ground coffee intended for espresso-style preparation. It is associated with the strong flavor and full body that have defined Café Bustelo since its early history. The coffee can also be prepared using other household brewing methods, but its identity is closely tied to Latin-style espresso preparation and everyday home consumption. The signature Cafe Bustelo product is a finely ground, dark-roasted coffee designed to produce a concentrated and robust cup. It is commonly prepared in moka pots and espresso-style brewers, but can also be used in standard coffee makers. The coffee is frequently served with milk, sugar, or other additions, and its intensity is a defining part of the brand's identity.
Instant coffee
Instant coffee
Café Bustelo’s instant format extends the brand’s bold coffee profile to consumers seeking a faster preparation method. It preserves the brand’s association with strong Latin-style coffee while offering convenience distinct from brewing ground coffee in an espresso maker or other coffee machine.
Single-serve coffee
Single-serve coffee pods
Single-serve pods adapt Café Bustelo’s established roast profile to pod-based home brewing systems. This format gives the brand access to consumers who use individual servings while maintaining the recognizable Bustelo positioning around bold, accessible coffee. Single-serve products adapt the Cafe Bustelo taste profile to pod and capsule brewing systems. These products extend the brand into the convenience segment while maintaining the recognizable dark-roast positioning associated with its traditional packaged coffee.
Ground coffee
Supreme Ground Coffee
Supreme is a Cafe Bustelo ground-coffee variant positioned within the brand's dark, full-bodied flavor family. It is sold for home brewing and is intended for consumers seeking the brand's characteristic intensity in a packaged ground format. Availability, packaging, and blend details may differ by market and sales channel.
Decaffeinated coffee
Decaffeinated Coffee
The decaffeinated line extends the Cafe Bustelo profile to consumers who want the brand's dark-roast character without regular caffeine. It is available in packaged ground formats and is distributed through selected retail channels.
Whole-bean coffee
Whole Bean Coffee
Whole-bean offerings provide the brand's roast profile for consumers who grind coffee immediately before brewing. They preserve Cafe Bustelo's emphasis on a strong, dark cup while supporting grinders, espresso equipment, and other fresh-grind preparation methods.
Brand decisions
2011
Sale to The J.M. Smucker CompanyM&ABackground
After ownership by Rowland Coffee Roasters and the Souto family, Café Bustelo entered another corporate transition.
Action taken
The J.M. Smucker Company acquired Café Bustelo.
Aftermath
Café Bustelo became part of Smucker’s coffee portfolio and continued as an active consumer brand.
2000
Transfer of ownership to Rowland Coffee RoastersM&ABackground
Café Bustelo changed ownership after decades of operation as a successful coffee company associated with East Harlem and Latin American consumer communities.
Action taken
Rowland Coffee Roasters of Miami acquired the Café Bustelo business.
Aftermath
The acquisition preceded Rowland’s own acquisition by the Cuban-American Souto family later in the same year.
Sources6 sources
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