Barcelona-based GoodNews brews in €11 million to develop kiosks and subscription services for coffee lovers

Picking up a daily newspaper, or a weekend special is one of those nostalgic pastimes that has been enjoyed for generations. Flicking through the pages, catching up on the day was always best enjoyed with a cup of coffee, and, for millions over the years, has been a ritual for many people. However, as times changes, newsstands have lost popularity over the years.

Created in the coffee lovers’ paradise of Barcelona in 2020 during the pandemic, GoodNews is reconnecting people to what makes them feel good and keeping their minds open to what is going on around the world. Founded by five friends Jan Barthe, Fernando Conde, Alejandro Catasús, Lucas de Gispert and Ignacio Campos, it is turning traditional newsstands around to promote good news at coffee kiosks.

The Spanish startup has raised €11 million for its coffee-meets-newsstands. The funding was led by Thomas Meyer, founder of Desigual, through his company La Vida es Chula and Barlon Capital, led by Javier Rubió.

The startup operates in three business verticals – retail, which includes opening kiosks and stores in the main cities of Europe, e-commerce where one can purchase coffee and subscribe to its coffee service and coffee machines and a B2B service for SMEs and companies. The platform has now reached a network of 21 Grab & Go spaces located in Barcelona, Madrid and Paris. Recently, the company has also opened three new spaces in prime locations both in Madrid and Barcelona. Going forward, the coffee platform wants to expand in new cities across Europe.

Jan Barthe, CEO and co-founder said: “We can already confirm that it has become the main coffee startup in Europe, both in terms of the volume of investment captured and for its influence and innovation in its business model. The coffee and healthy beverage industry is experiencing a true revolution and our mission is to lead the revolution in Europe. In recent years, the focus has been on the origin of coffee. Now we believe that the time has come to focus on how coffee can add value to human health.”