Acquisition closed
Coca-Cola acquires Costa Coffee
Coca-Cola bought Costa Coffee from Whitbread, its first move into a large hot drinks platform and its entry into physical coffee retail.
Who owns Costa Coffee?
Costa Coffee is owned by Coca-Cola (the United States, NYSE: KO), which acquired the brand on 3 January 2019 for $4.9 billion from Whitbread.[1][2] Before Coca-Cola, Costa Coffee was owned by Whitbread from 1995 to 2019.[2]
Evidence: The Coca-Cola Company Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-02-20, SEC EDGAR, 20 February 2026. Verified from filings; last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- The Coca-Cola Company verified
- Owned since
- · deal details
- Acquisition price
- $4.9 billion (enterprise value)
- Previous owner
- Whitbread (1995–2019)
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Atlanta, Georgia
- Origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom, London
- Founded
- 1971 by Sergio Costa, Bruno Costa
- Category
- Restaurants & foodservice › Quick-service restaurants › Coffee & café chains
- Parent ticker
- NYSE: KO
- Trademark registrant
- Costa Limited (USPTO)
- Last verified
- · 3 sources
About Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, who began by roasting and supplying coffee to caterers before opening their own shops. It grew into the largest coffee chain in the United Kingdom. Coca-Cola bought it from Whitbread in January 2019 for about $4.9 billion.
Trademark record for Costa Coffee
The USPTO record for the Costa Coffee mark lists Costa Limited as the owner of record (serial number 86415572). A trademark is often held by a group company rather than the listed parent, so the registrant's name can differ from the owner named above.[3]
Ownership timeline of Costa Coffee
- 1995 – 2019 Whitbread — sold 3 January 2019 [2] verified
- 2019 – present Coca-Cola — acquired 3 January 2019 [1][2] verified
Where Costa Coffee sits in Coca-Cola
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Coca-Cola ownership tree →
See the full Coca-Cola brand portfolio (24) →
Other brands owned by Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola controls 24 brands on Brandtree.
Founded in the 1970s
Other brands in coffee & café chains, and who owns them
The 22 brands in coffee & café chains on Brandtree belong to 17 owners. The largest is Jollibee Group, with 4.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Compose Coffee | Jollibee Group | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
| Coffee Couture | Famous Brands | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| Elios Craft Cafe | BMMI | 🇧🇭 Bahrain |
| CHAGEE | Chagee | 🇨🇳 China |
| Dutch Bros | Dutch Bros | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Dunkin' | Inspire Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Jeronymo | Jerónimo Martins | 🇵🇹 Portugal |
| Luckin Coffee | Luckin Coffee | 🇨🇳 China |
About the owner: Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a publicly listed company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, founded in 1892. Brandtree records 24 brands under its control, and it is listed as NYSE: KO.
The Coca-Cola Company is an Atlanta beverage company incorporated in 1892. It owns brands and concentrate, and mostly does not bottle its own drinks: independent and partly owned bottlers such as Coca-Cola Europacific Partners handle production and distribution.
🇬🇧 Costa Coffee and other British brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 552 brands that began in the United Kingdom. 291 of them (53%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Costa Coffee among them.
- A.1. — Kraft Heinz 🇺🇸
- ASOS Design — ASOS 🇬🇧
- Aero — Nestlé 🇨🇭
- Air Partner — Wheels Up 🇺🇸
- Alexander McQueen — Kering 🇫🇷
- Allevyn — Smith+Nephew 🇬🇧
Deals involving Costa Coffee
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Costa Coffee?
The parent company of Costa Coffee is Coca-Cola, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United States.
Is Costa Coffee British or American?
Costa Coffee originated in the United Kingdom in 1971, but it is owned today by Coca-Cola, which is headquartered in the United States. So Costa Coffee is a British-origin brand under American ownership.
When did Coca-Cola buy Costa Coffee?
Coca-Cola completed its acquisition of Costa Coffee on 3 January 2019, after announcing the deal on 31 August 2018. The deal was valued at $4.9 billion (enterprise value).
Who owned Costa Coffee before Coca-Cola?
Before Coca-Cola, Costa Coffee was owned by Whitbread from 1995 until 2019.
Is Costa Coffee still owned by Coca-Cola?
Yes. As of 27 September 2026, Costa Coffee is still owned by Coca-Cola. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (3) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] The Coca-Cola Company Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-02-20 — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K, published 20 February 2026; retrieved 16 September 2026.
- [2] The Coca-Cola Company Annual Report on Form 10-K — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K; retrieved 16 September 2026.
- [3] USPTO: COSTA COFFEE, serial 86415572, registration 5080231 — United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark registry; retrieved 27 September 2026.
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