Costa Coffee

Bruno and Sergio Costa founded a coffee roastery in Fenchurch Street, London, in 1971, supplying local caterers. The family had moved to England from Parma, Italy, in the 1950s.^[8][9] Costa branched out to selling coffee and opened their first store in Vauxhall Bridge Road, London in 1981.^[10]

By 1995, the Costa Coffee chain had 41 stores in UK,^[11] and was acquired by Whitbread, the UK's largest hotel and coffee shop operator, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary. In 2009, Costa opened its 1,000th store, in Cardiff. In December 2009, Costa Coffee agreed to acquire the Polish chain Coffeeheaven for £36 million, adding 79 stores in central and eastern Europe.^[12]

The company's products (such as its coffee and drinks) were sold in Brewers Fayre and Beefeater until it was subsequently purchased by the Coca-Cola Company from Whitbread.

In 2018, Whitbread faced pressure from two of its largest shareholders, activist group Elliott Advisers and hedge fund Sachem Head, to sell or demerge Costa Coffee, the theory being that the individual businesses would be worth much more than the one company alone.^[13] On 25 April 2018, Whitbread announced its intention to fully demerge Costa within two years.^[14] On 3 January 2019 the Coca-Cola Company purchased Costa Coffee for $4.9 billion.^[3]

In March 2020, all UK coffee shops were closed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In late May some branches reopened for takeaway or drive-through orders.^[15] In 2022, Costa Coffee discontinued the Costa Book Awards that Whitbread had started 51 years earlier.^[16] At the end of July 2022 Jill McDonald stepped down as CEO of the company,^[17] and was succeeded by Philippe Schaillee in April 2023.^[18]

In August 2025, it was reported that Coca-Cola was exploring the sale of Costa due to sharply rising costs and competition. Coca-Cola would, however, keep its canned coffee range.^[19][20]

Costa branches sell hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, cakes and pastries, and snacks. In 2020, the brand collaborated with three Nestlé chocolate brands (Quality Street, After Eight and Terry's) for some of their limited-edition Christmas drinks.^[21]

Costa moved its roastery from Lambeth to Basildon, Essex, in May 2017 with an investment of £38 million, increasing their annual coffee-roasting capacity from 11,000 to 45,000 tonnes (12,000 to 50,000 short tons).^[22]

Costa Coffee employs Gennaro Pelliccia as a coffee taster, who had his tongue insured for £10m with Lloyd's of London in 2009.^[23][24]

In 2020, Costa Coffee introduced canned coffee and iced coffee.^[25]

In 2019, Costa Coffee committed to sourcing 100% cage-free eggs globally by 2025. Following this, the company has reported that approximately 75% of the eggs used in its global operations are cage-free, with full compliance already achieved in the United Kingdom and the United States.^[49] In 2025, the International Council for Animal Welfare (ICAW) started a campaign in support of Costa Coffee's cage-free pledge.^[50]

In February 2022, an investigation by BBC's Panorama found dairy cows supplying milk to Costa were being abused on a farm in Wales. Workers kicked and punched cows in the face and stomach, twisted their tails, and hit them with sharp metal shovels. Cows were left to die overnight and medical care was not provided when required.^[51]

In January 2023, an investigation by animal rights group Viva! reported the poor treatment of dairy cows at a farm that supplies Costa and various other customers. The animals were also handled roughly, with one being hit in the udder and others being slapped or having their heads pushed, footage suggested.^[52] Costa responded to say they had investigated the supplier and found that it complies with Red Tractor standards on animal welfare.^[52]

In February 2023, a 13-year-old girl died after drinking a hot chocolate from a Costa in East London. She suffered a severe allergic reaction and died in hospital despite being treated with an EpiPen.^[53] The inquest found that there had been a failure of communication between the girls' mother, who ordered the drink, and the Costa staff, causing the drink to be made with dairy milk. It also ruled that training provided to Costa staff on food allergies was not sufficient at the time, only consisting of a "tick-box exercise".^[54]

In July 2023, a Costa Express van had art depicting a trans man with top surgery scars, as part of a mural designed for Pride Month. The design provoked backlash from gender-critical commentators James Esses, Maya Forstater, and Helen Joyce.^[55] Costa defended the art, saying that it "showcases and celebrates inclusivity".^[56][57]

Costa Coffee was the sponsor of the Costa Book Awards (formerly the Whitbread Book Awards) from 2006^[58] to 2022.^{[citation needed]}

• List of coffeehouse chains