The Upper Midwest’s favorite coffee chain, Caribou, like Starbucks survived the past half-decade, but not without some dents. Scott Kennedy is its new leader, “continuing the brand love, taking the learnings of the last five years to build a healthy business.” He says despite the company’s complex corporate structure as part of Luxembourg conglomerate JAB’s struggling Panera Bread unit, Caribou is autonomous. He hopes to grow Caribou’s larger-format coffee houses, “because people are going back to connection, looking for a cozy, connective environment.” Front of mind is restraining price increases and reinvesting in its fortress markets of the Upper Midwest. For 2026, his mantra is realigning around innovation and guest experience. “[This] is an easy business,” he says, “but hard to do day in and out.”