Israeli startup Raito, behind NBA All-Star Deni Avdija's TURBO, invests NIS 7 million to enter the black coffee market with the Israeli comedy trio Ma Kashur.
Raito, the Israeli trend-spotting company behind NBA All-Star Deni Avdija's TURBO protein brand, is investing NIS 7 million to enter Israel's black coffee market with the Israeli comedy trio Ma Kashur. Trio members Zion Baruch, Shalom Michaelshvili and Assi Israelof are partners in building the brand, not paid endorsers, according to ynet. Elite's Turkish coffee leads the category, according to Israeli press reports.
How is the Ma Kashur coffee brand structured?
The coffee brand is a partnership in which the three Ma Kashur members help found and develop the product, not a one-off advertising campaign, according to ynet's October 9, 2026 report. The trio developed a distinctive black coffee blend that will be produced in Israel. Hebrew outlets including Ice.co.il and Mako reported the plan earlier in October, and Mako said the trio had worked on the brand for close to a year.
Ofer Shaltiel, Raito's vice president of product, told ynet that Raito's talents are not the poster, they are full partners in developing their own products. Ynet's report does not give the brand's name, launch date or price, and a later ynet report said the coffee had not yet launched.
Why is Raito targeting Elite's share of black coffee?
Raito is targeting Elite because black coffee is a habit-driven Israeli category that one brand dominates. Ynet's October 9 report valued the category at roughly NIS 500 million a year and said Elite's Turkish coffee controls most of it. A later ynet report put the black coffee market at about NIS 1 billion a year and said it is not growing, because drinkers are shifting to coffee capsules and cafes. Olam could not reconcile the two figures.
Elite is owned by Strauss Group, whose corporate site says Elite's Turkish and instant coffee brands hold leading positions in Israel. Olam covers the parent company in its Strauss Coffee profile.
Michael Osadon, Raito's co-founder, said black coffee carries strong consumption habits and years of loyalty, and that Raito believes there is room for a new brand that speaks to consumers differently. His stated goal is to take meaningful market share, reach every home in Israel, and later reach Israelis and Jews abroad.
Shaltiel said the category fits the trio because coffee is an everyday Israeli product that connects people, and Ma Kashur speaks to every part of Israeli society.
Who else is entering Israel's black coffee market?
Aroma, the Israeli cafe chain, is entering the black coffee market at the same time with its own brand, Kafe Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Coffee), backed by NIS 20 million and the Israeli singer and actor Idan Amedi. Amedi is both a partner and the face of the brand, and Aroma says he was involved from choosing the blend to designing the packaging.
Ynet reported that Aroma has an edge over Ma Kashur's coffee, which had not launched yet: it can promote the product in its own branches and roasts coffee for the whole chain at its roastery in the Emek HaElah area. Ynet said both ventures rest on the assumption that reservists, many of them young, drink black coffee in the field, and framed both launches as attempts to unseat Elite after roughly 60 years of dominance.
What track record does Raito bring to coffee?
Raito brings two creator-led Israeli brands with reported sales and social media results, both described by ynet using company figures. Raito builds each brand around a creator who is a full partner in development, and it uses artificial intelligence to track consumer trends before choosing a category.
| Brand | Creator partner | Category | Reported results |
|---|---|---|---|
| TURBO | Deni Avdija, NBA All-Star forward for the Portland Trail Blazers | Protein products | Over 1 million units in the first year, a partnership with El Al, entry into Super-Pharm, more than 2,000 points of sale, activity worth tens of millions of shekels |
| Daniz cakes | Daniel Amit, Israeli content creator | Packaged cakes | Described as the fastest-growing patisserie brand in Israel, with a Lotus cake launch that drew over 5,000 organic videos and over 100 million views |
Ynet also reported that Daniz drew public controversy over its pricing, which Osadon dismissed, saying buyers returned to purchase the cake again.
How do TikTok and Wolt fit into Raito's sales model?
Raito links TikTok videos directly to Wolt delivery, so a viral video becomes a sales channel and the product arrives within 30 minutes. Osadon said the model was inspired by TikTok Shop, and described the arrangement as the first time Wolt has made a move of this kind.
TikTok in Israel does not yet offer in-app purchases, so Osadon described the partnership as a first test of the idea before TikTok builds the feature itself. TURBO is already sold through Wolt and in convenience chains, according to ynet.
Where does this fit in Israeli consumer, food and sports business?
Raito's coffee move connects four Israeli business sectors: consumer brands, food, sports and entertainment. It is an Israeli startup selling an Israeli staple product through creators who are famous in Israel, and one of its partners became the first Israeli named an NBA All-Star in February 2026, according to the Associated Press.
Olam covers each thread in its hubs for retail and consumer brands, Israeli agriculture and food tech, Israeli sports business and investment, and Israeli media and entertainment. For Avdija's wider business profile, see the Israeli sports and entertainment capital map.
Who founded Raito?
Raito was founded by three longtime friends: Michael Osadon, Eli Zilberman and Ofer Shaltiel. Osadon previously founded the startup BOND, which was sold to an international company, according to ynet. Zilberman runs day-to-day operations, and Shaltiel leads product and brand strategy, after earlier roles that included an executive position at REEF.
Raito means "light" in Japanese. The founders named the company after Or Eshkar, Osadon's close friend, who was killed in the March 9, 2023 terror attack on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, in which Osadon was seriously wounded.
The coffee brand's first test is Elite, and Raito says it intends to win a meaningful share of the market from it.
How we report: Olam stories draw on public filings, company disclosures and named sources, checked by our editors. Read our methodology · Corrections
