Caffe Bene is a coffee franchise in South Korea. It was founded in May 2008. The founder and CEO of Caffe Bene is Kim Sun-kwon, who has Italian-themed restaurants named Black Smith and drug stores named "December 24" as well. The head office of Caffe Bene is in "Cheongdam-dong", "Gangnam-gu", Seoul. In 2009, Caffe Bene started to gain brand recognition by promoting through the soap opera celebrities such as "Han Ye-seul", and "Choi Daniel". The brand’s first-ever overseas store opened in New York in February, 2012, introducing drinks based on Korean traditional beverages such as the "misugaru" latte, a drink made of mixed grain powder. In August, 2013, Caffe Bene grew to over one thousand stores.