Registry
Does Aroma Espresso Bar support Israel?
Yes — Aroma Espresso Bar has documented support for Israel on record. Every claim below links to its source.
Filed under: Coffee chains & brands · Fast food & restaurant chains · Companies that support Israel
Background
Aroma is a prominent boycott target, and the case against it rests on documented facts rather than rumors: it is Israel's largest homegrown coffee chain, it runs a branch in the West Bank settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, and since October 2023 it has supplied thousands of free sandwiches daily to Israeli soldiers. The Canadian advocacy group CJPME runs a dedicated boycott campaign aimed at the chain's Canadian locations, and protests have been held outside Toronto branches. Overseas branches are operated by local franchisees of the Israeli brand; the New York City stores that made the chain known in the US closed by 2020, leaving Canada — mostly the Greater Toronto Area — as its largest foreign market.
CJPME — Aroma Espresso campaign Jerusalem Post (wartime sandwiches) Wikipedia — Aroma Espresso Bar
Timeline of documented support
Documented support
| Type | Date | Amount | Recipient | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations in Israel | 1994 | — | State of Israel (taxes, employment, flagship consumer brand) Israel's largest and best-known homegrown coffee chain: founded in 1994 on Hillel Street in Jerusalem by brothers Yariv and Sahar Shefa, with roughly 160 branches across Israel plus locations in Canada (about 46, mostly Greater Toronto), the United States, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. A 1999 dispute split the brand into Aroma Israel and Aroma Tel Aviv; in December 2021 the two announced a merger into a single company, 'Aroma Espresso Bar Israel', run by Yariv Shefa, with about 187 branches combined. The former New York City branches (SoHo from 2006, and others) had closed by 2020. | |
| In-kind support | 2023-10 | — | IDF soldiers From the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, Aroma Israel supplied about 10,000-12,000 free sandwiches per day to Israeli soldiers nationwide (roughly 60,000 a week). The chain's Beit Shemesh branch, next to its bread factory, became a volunteer-run assembly line of up to 150 people a day, with finished sandwiches driven to army bases and distribution points across the country and to soldiers serving in Gaza. Owner Yariv Shefa was reported to be personally bearing the considerable cost. Attributed to Aroma Israel corporate and its owner, with community volunteers doing the assembly. | |
| Operations in Israel | 2026 | — | Ma'ale Adumim settlement economy (West Bank) Aroma operates a branch in the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim in the occupied West Bank (Kedem Road 5), listed on the chain's own branch locator as of 2026. Settlement-monitoring researcher Who Profits lists Aroma Espresso Bar for this reason, and the branch is a stated ground of the Canadian CJPME boycott campaign against the chain. |
Frequently asked questions
Did Aroma Espresso Bar donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?
We have no records of cash donations, but Aroma Espresso Bar has documented support of other kinds (Operations in Israel, In-kind support). See the records on this page.
Where does this information come from?
Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 9 distinct sources are cited for Aroma Espresso Bar. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.
Sources & citations
Record last updated: 2026-07-28
- Jerusalem Post (merger) jpost.com
- Wikipedia — Aroma Espresso Bar en.wikipedia.org
- Tribeca Citizen (NYC closures) tribecacitizen.com
- Jerusalem Post (wartime sandwiches) jpost.com
- Aish aish.com
- Aroma Espresso Bar — official branch page aroma.co.il
- Who Profits whoprofits.org
- CJPME boycott factsheet cjpme.org
- CJPME — Aroma Espresso campaign cjpme.org