Costa Love

A few fun facts about Costa, my coffee obsessed location where I now spend most of my days...

Within the UK, Costa Coffee is now bigger than Starbucks and Cafe Nero combined, we are enormous, and are just getting bigger. Globally, we are the third biggest coffee retailer in the world after Starbucks in the USA at number one and Tim Hortons in Canada at number two.

We've just launched our first TV ad, not sure if I'm a fan, it's kinda cute, but I think it sends a deeper message than 'look at the monkey's try to make coffee', like it or not, it was a statement which got people talking. (FYI: The agency who did our ad also did the Ikea cat advert, or so I've heard.) Five professional monkeys were used in the making of our ad and was computer generated to appear like there was a whole studio of monkeys.


A new drink has made it's way on to the menu since the last time I worked at Costa, the flat white. I have heard of a flat white, but only because I've been hanging out with Aussies the last couple of years and they describe a flat white as a latte with no foam which is not really how we make it at Costa, our flat white has it's own unique recipe, a stronger coffee with smooth, velvety milk, different from anything on the menu.

There is a lady from New Zealand who comes into my shop, and I asked her the other day how our flat white compares to a flat white down under. She seemed to think that is was comparable and the closest she could find in the UK to one she would get back home. One point Costa.