The merger turned heads in the coffee world, raising concerns that Blue Bottle was moving away from its original ethos. Nestlé generated $10.5 billion from its operations in 2016. Blue Bottle executives last year said that with the backing of Nestlé, the company would be able to develop its technology and open more domestic and international cafes and roasters. "There are people who are worried that this will mess up the things that they love about Blue Bottle," the coffee company's CEO, James Freeman, told The Chronicle last year when addressing the public's concerns over the merger with Nestlé.