Argentina’s Café Martínez is planning to quintuple its business and reach 600 stores by 2035, setting out one of South America’s most ambitious coffee-chain expansion plans as it nears its 100th anniversary, according to company statements reported between December 2025 and August 2026.
World Coffee Portal describes the Buenos Aires–based chain, founded in 1933, as one of South America’s largest coffee brands, with more than 224 stores in Argentina and 33 outlets in Paraguay and Uruguay when it outlined its latest strategy. In a July 2026 interview, CEO Leandro Canabe told Forbes Paraguay that the company currently operates 257 outlets across the three countries and is working from a plan launched in 2025 “in donde nos proponemos multiplicar nuestra empresa por cinco.”
To support that growth, Canabe estimated “una inversión aproximada en unos US$ 35 millones” in direct company funds through 2035, and said total investment would approach US$80m when including franchise partners. Forbes Paraguay reported that the plan includes adding around 120 company-operated stores in the coming years while scaling the broader network to 600 locations. A June 2026 report from Revista Mercado added that Café Martínez has earmarked US$7m in annual spending within its franchise system for territorial expansion and new store formats.
The company’s 2026 opening pipeline reflects that acceleration. Revista Mercado and Forbes Paraguay both cited a company press release stating that Café Martínez projected 31 new outlets during 2026, with 25 in Argentina and six shared between Uruguay and Paraguay, while Forbes Paraguay also quoted Canabe saying, “Este año vamos a cerrar con 33 locales más de la cadena.” In an April 2026 note, the Asociación Argentina de Marcas y Franquicias (AAMF) said the brand expected to open “más de 25 nuevas sucursales durante 2026,” indicating small variations in guidance across sources.
Founded in 1933, with its original café still operating at Talcahuano 948 in Buenos Aires, Café Martínez has expanded primarily through franchising. Clarín reported in December 2025 that the brand then counted 220 outlets in Argentina and 26 in the wider region, with 76 openings in the prior years and more than 950 new jobs created. In the same article, the company was recognized with the 2025 Premio PYME Trayectoria, organized by media group Clarín and Banco Galicia, for its longstanding trajectory.
Franchising will remain central to the next phase. “El foco va a seguir siendo crecer con franquicias, donde vamos a duplicar la cantidad de locales,” Canabe told Forbes Paraguay, adding that the chain will also add more company-operated outlets and expand its reach through supermarket shelves. Revista Mercado reported that Café Martínez aims to double its sales volume in the mass retail channel during 2026, and noted that its offer now ranges from traditional full-service cafés and kitchens to “modelos más compactos y ágiles” designed for smaller spaces and faster rollout.
This brand-level strategy aligns with a broader franchising trend in Argentina. Citing AAMF’s latest 2025 survey, Revista Mercado reported that franchises in the country projected around 60,000 points of sale and 270,000 direct jobs. In an April 2026 article, AAMF said Café Martínez was operating more than 250 outlets and “refuerza su expansión federal,” pointing to recent openings in locations such as Rosario and Venado Tuerto and highlighting that regions including Cuyo, central Argentina and the south offer favorable conditions for franchise development.
Canabe has also framed the expansion against a more complex consumer and macroeconomic backdrop. In Forbes Paraguay he referred to “distintas variables económicas que tal vez de alguna manera hoy están afectando un poco al consumo,” while AAMF described “un escenario de consumo más desafiante” and “un consumidor más exigente y selectivo” in its April 2026 profile of the chain. Despite that environment, Canabe told Clarín in December 2025 that Café Martínez would “seguir creciendo en los países donde tenemos presencia” and is evaluating “otros mercados en Latinoamérica en donde esperamos próximamente desembarcar,” positioning the nearly century-old brand as an active player in South America’s evolving coffee-chain landscape.
