Prague, 22 October 2020 - You can now enjoy premium-quality Costa Coffee products also in the comfort and safety of your home. Coca-Cola is introducing products of this popular coffee brand to the standard retail segment of the Czech and Slovak markets. In the Czech Republic, they are currently offered by Rohlík, Košík and Makro; in Slovakia by Tesco, Kraj and Metro. The company plans to expand the availability of these products to other retail chains on both of these markets and the whole product portfolio is also available in all Costa Coffee shops. The Czech and Slovak Republics are in first wave of 15 countries that now offer Costa Coffee in retail, out of a total of 28 planned countries.
Last year, Coca-Cola completed one of the largest global acquisitions worth 112 billion CZK. After last year’s local acquisition of Natura water, it seized on another opportunity to expand its portfolio by adding one of the fastest-growing categories in the world and to share carefully selected and produced coffee with its customers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. “By including the Costa Coffee brand into our offer, we enriched our excellent portfolio of Coca-Cola drinks in line with our long-term strategy: accompanying our customers 24/7 a week - from breakfast up to their evening relaxation,” explained Dan Timotin, CEO of Coca-Cola HBC for Czechia and Slovakia, who then added: “We want to make the premium coffee experience available at home for everyone, so that it can be enjoyed both as a morning cup at home or at work. This is important especially in today’s situation.”
Costa Coffee has become a legend and a synonym for the perfect quality that will no longer be exclusive to experienced Costa baristas. “It took the Costa brothers 112 attempts to create the unique Mocha Italia recipe, and the same strict rules and high standards that only 5 % of all grown coffee beans meet are still used up to this day. The whole production is supervised by coffee master GENNARO PELLICCIA, whose tongue has been insured for 10 million pounds,“ says Milan Baka, head of the coffee division of Coca-Cola HBC for Czechia and Slovakia.
The global popularity of the brand and growing community of its customers that proudly call themselves Costa Lovers is also reflected in the fact that since 2010 Costa Coffee has won the title of the Best European Coffee Chain within the prestigious European Coffee Awards, held by the Allegra Strategies agency, multiple times. The brand entered the Czech market in 2008 when the first Costa Coffee shop was opened in Prague. The Czech Republic thus joined the other 32 countries world-wide where Costa Coffee operates (the brand expanded to Slovakia in 2019). The brand has a total of 3820 coffee shops, out of which 60 can be found in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. “Czechs love high-quality coffee and we’ve been making it for 12 years. Costa Coffee prides itself not only on the quality of its coffee but also on supporting planters who supply us with highest quality coffee beans worldwide - 100% of them are holders of the Rainforest Alliance certificate. Responsible business operations are very important for us, which is why we have gradually been removing disposable plastics from our coffee shops and plan to get rid of them altogether by the end of the next year. We are also reducing our energy consumption and are preparing new services such as contactless orders via phone and coffee deliveries,” adds Aleš Fránek, manager of the network of Costa Coffee shops in Czechia and Slovakia, operated by Lagardère Travel Retail.
The community of coffee lovers is the target audience of the company’s playful communication campaign that will accompany the introduction to the market: “In today’s hurried times, even the simples daily tasks can go wrong if you don’t start your day with a cup of high-quality coffee. And that’s what our new campaign A Better Start with Costa is about. It will help us gain new Costa Lovers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia,” explained Kateřina Krčová, Brand manager of the Coca-Cola Company Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Coca-Cola is currently offering a wide range of premium-quality coffee blends for home use. You can purchase ground coffee, coffee beans or coffee capsules compatible with Nespresso coffee machines. These products can be purchased in four variants:
· Mocha Italia Signature Blend Medium (a balanced blend of Arabica and Robusta with a subtle taste of nuts)
· Mocha Signature Blend Dark (intensive, dark roast with a distinctive caramel aroma)
· Bright Blend (lighted, roasted from 100 % Arabica beans with a sweeter taste of chocolate, lemon zest and caramel)
· Colombian Single Origin (exotic, roasted from single-origin beans from Colombian valleys with distinct caramel flavor, available exclusively as capsules for Nespresso coffee machines).
All coffee beans are slow-roasted, retaining a larger amount of natural oils that lend them their delicious taste. In 2021 you can look forward also to capsules compatible with Dolce Gusto and to Ready-to-drink cans with low sugar content.
About Coca-Cola HBC Czech Republic and Slovakia
Coca-Cola HBC Czech Republic and Slovakia is a member of the Coca-Cola HBC group, one of the tree greatest producers of branded drinks of The Coca-Cola Company in the world. The group operates in 28 European, Asian and African countries and offers drinks to more than 600 million consumers. The headquarters of the group is in Switzerland and its shares are traded on the London, New York and Athens stock exchanges. It operates a manufacturing plant in Prague - Kyje, Natura water bottling plant in Teplice nad Metují and a number of commercial and distribution centres. More information is available here.
About the Coca-Cola company
The Coca-Cola company is the largest drinks producer in the world and offers its consumers in more than 200 countries over 500 brands of carbonated and uncarbonated drinks. Coca-Cola is continuously developing and improving its portfolio, for example by reducing the sugar content of its products or introducing new, innovative products on the market. The company also strives to reduce its impact on the environment by recycling the used water and supporting recycling. Together with bottling companies it employs more than 700,000 people and helps bring economic opportunities to local communities throughout the world. You can find more information at the address https://www.coca-colacompany.com and you can follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About Lagardère Travel Retail
The first Costa Coffee shop was founded by Italian brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa in 1971 in London, and since 2010 Costa Coffee has regularly won the award and title of the Best Coffee Chain in Europe within the prestigious European Coffee Awards held by Allegra Strategies. It was first introduced to the Czech Republic in 2008, at that time under the management of HDS Retail Czech Republic, which opened the first coffee shop in Prague in the Flora mall. This made the Czech Republic one of the 32 countries world-wide that house a total 3820 coffee shops and 8320 Costa Express coffee machines in Europe. Today, there are 60 coffee shops and 62 Costa Express coffee machines operated by Lagardère Travel Retail in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In 2019 the Costa Coffee brand was taken over by the Coca-Cola Company and in 2020 it began introducing Costa Coffee products into retail.