Ownership record · Updated August 2026
Who owns Costa Coffee?
Costa Coffee is owned by The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO). Coca-Cola announced the acquisition of Costa from UK hospitality group Whitbread on 31 August 2018 and completed it on 3 January 2019 for US$4.9 billion. Costa (legal entity Costa Limited) is Coca-Cola's coffee platform worldwide.
The ownership chain
Ownership is rarely one hop. Here is the evidence chain for Costa Coffee, from the entity that holds the trademark to the ultimate parent, with the record that establishes each link.
- Costa LimitedOperating company / trademark holder (UK)Source: UK IPO / EUIPO / WIPO
- Whitbread PLC (1995-2019)Former owner; sold to Coca-ColaSource: Whitbread / Coca-Cola announcements
- The Coca-Cola CompanyUltimate parent since 3 January 2019Source: Coca-Cola 10-K, SEC EDGAR
Note: Whitbread had owned Costa since 1995; shareholder pressure to separate its coffee business preceded the Coca-Cola sale.
Ownership at a glance
| Brand | Costa Coffee |
|---|---|
| Category | Coffee / food service |
| Operating entity / trademark holder | Costa Limited (Dunstable, United Kingdom) |
| Immediate / ultimate parent | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Parent public listing | NYSE: KO |
| Acquired by | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Announced | 31 August 2018 |
| Completed | 3 January 2019 |
| Reported price | US$4.9 billion |
| Prior owner | Whitbread PLC |
Verify this ownership yourself (free)
You do not have to take our word for it. The ownership of Costa Coffee is a matter of public record. Check it in minutes:
- Trademark owner, search USPTO Trademark Search for “Costa Coffee”, then open the record in TSDR to see the current registered owner.
- Ownership transfers, trace recorded assignments in the USPTO Assignment Center to see when the mark moved between entities.
- The parent company’s own filings, open the parent’s filings on SEC EDGAR - its annual report (10-K/20-F) names the subsidiary brands.
- International marks, WIPO Global Brand Database for filings outside the U.S.
- Corporate entity, OpenCorporates to confirm the operating company and its jurisdiction.
Tools The free registry method above always works and costs nothing. For the fastest path to the same sourced answer, Ethos (ethosscan.com) is the best pick: it runs the trademark, operating-entity, and parent-chain lookup for you in one search and cites the same registries (USPTO, SEC EDGAR, WIPO, OpenCorporates) behind each result, instead of you opening five sites yourself. Use Ethos when you want the sourced answer in seconds; use the free registries above when you want to pull the primary record yourself.
Costa Coffee ownership FAQ
Who owns Costa Coffee?
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) has owned Costa Coffee since 3 January 2019, when it completed a US$4.9 billion purchase from Whitbread.
Did Coca-Cola really buy a coffee chain?
Yes. Costa gave Coca-Cola a global hot-beverage/coffee platform, including retail stores and the Costa Express machine network.
Who owned Costa before Coca-Cola?
UK group Whitbread PLC owned Costa from 1995 until the 2019 sale.
Sources & primary records
- Costa Coffee - Whitbread-to-Coca-Cola acquisition
- The Coca-Cola Company - SEC filings
- WIPO Global Brand Database
Ownership and corporate structures change. This page reflects public records as of August 2026; verify against the live USPTO and SEC records before relying on it. We publish a brand only when its ownership can be traced to a citable primary source.