What Kind Of Coffee Beans Does McDonald's Use In Its McCafé Blends?

McDonald's McCafé is a popular choice for coffee drinkers around the world, whether you're ordering a hot cup to pair with a McDonald's breakfast biscuit or getting a pick-me-up for a late-night study session (yes, McDonald's serves coffee all day). In fact, McDonald's sells around 8 million cups of McCafé coffee per day. At $1.89, it's hard to beat the price for a simple cup of Micky D's coffee, but you might be wondering about the bean quality. Coffee lovers will be happy to know that the franchise brews fresh coffee every 30 minutes and uses 100% Arabica coffee beans. 

Arabica coffee is one of the most sought-after varieties of coffee, comprising 60% to 70% of the global coffee production. The beans are derived from the plant species, Coffea arabica, which is grown at higher elevations and requires more attention to care than other species such as Robusta plants, another popular coffee bean variety. Arabica is considered a premium coffee variety and has a sweeter profile, with notes of chocolate, fruit, and florals. The beans are typically roasted light to medium, giving the coffee a smooth taste with a fresh aroma.

If you're wondering who makes McDonald's coffee, the coffee beans are ethically sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. These sustainable coffee farms must follow strict guidelines determined by the Rainforest Alliance, including performing best practices to prevent deforestation, battling climate change, and protecting human rights of farmers and laborers. 

McCafé is an international brand and subsidiary of McDonald's that sells coffee and specialty espresso drinks, as well as bakery items and smoothies at some locations. Dependent on location, McCafé can operate as standalone coffee shop (like Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts) or as label for retail products sold within the traditional McDonald's restaurant. The first McCafé opened in 1993 in Melbourne, Australia, likely as a response to the growing coffee culture that shaped Melbourne's reputation as the coffee capital of the continent. 

Besides Australia, customers can find standalone McCafés in countries including, but not limited to, Canada, China, and France. China has over 3,000 standalone McCafé stores with plans to develop more. While McDonald's standalone coffee shop is growing as a competitor in this hot coffee market, it's still not near the level of U.S. coffee-giant Starbucks, which has around 6,800 locations in China as of 2023.

Unfortunately, standalone McCafés currently do not exist in the U.S. — you can only buy McCafé coffee and espresso drinks from regular McDonald's restaurants. However, the fast food giant has opened a new coffee-house style chain called CosMc's (separate from the McCafé brand), currently in limited U.S. locations (Illinois and Texas as of the start of 2025). 

In 2014, McDonald's began selling McCafé coffee products on store shelves including ground, whole bean, and single-serve coffee. Get your McDonald's coffee fix without leaving the house with McCafé Premium Roast Ground Coffee or McCafé Single Serve Coffee K-Cup Pods that can be purchased on Amazon.