Costa to win over the Hungarian market – the domestic launch comes with coffee experiences and a brand ambassador

The Coca‑Cola Company acquired Costa Coffee for 4.9 billion dollars in 2019. The company only chooses the best coffee as their product: Costa Coffee’s excellent quality is guaranteed by the fact that the Costa Brothers blended 112 variations of beans to create Mocha Italia, their Signatura Blend. Less than 1 in 20 beans is good enough for Costa coffee - this equal to less than 5% of beans in the world. The Master of Coffee’s team taste every batch of roasted beans before they are packaged to ensure the quality is perfect. That means 5000 times a year – it is no surprise that the tongue of Gennaro Pelliccia, Costa’s Master of Coffee was previously insured for 10 million pounds – almost 4 billion forints – by the company. Costa Coffee’s Signature Blend is expertly slow roasted to create a perfectly balanced flavor, defined by its smooth and nutty taste, with caramel aroma.

A sustainable brand

Beside quality, sustainability is also of high importance to the company, that is why only Rainforest Alliance Certified beans are used to make Costa Coffee all around the world. And with this we can be sure that for every cup served, we invest back into coffee growing communities to improve farmers’ livelihoods and protect the environment. When it comes to choosing packaging materials, it is also an important aspect for Costa to only use Rainforest Alliance Certified materials.

This is how we drink it

In Hungary, 85% of the adult population consume coffee and drink an average of 2.7 cups a day.  91 percent of coffee drinkers have coffee at home every day, and 53 percent also had coffee on a daily basis at work – at least before the epidemic. The most popular packaging is ground coffee.

Dóra Szeles, Coca‑Cola HBC Hungary’s Coffee Development Manager said that the company’s focus will be on At Home and Away from Home coffee-consumption. Costa Coffee was voted the United Kingdom’s favourite coffee shop for the last 10 years, a fantastic achievement when one considers the level of competition in the market.

The Coffee Development Manager noted: “Our research shows that for the majority of Hungarians, drinking coffee is functional, as the main goal is to wake up in the morning. For most of them, enjoying coffee is only a secondary feature, although adding milk and sugar to it is a common custom. More and more people are drinking coffee with the intention of enjoying it and more and more people are looking for quality coffees and coffee-drinking experiences. Coffee consumption is going through a similar change and development as wine did a decade ago, followed by pálinka. Although it is not yet typical At Home, there is a growing demand for coffee specialties and premium quality grounds in the HoReCa outlets.”

Coca‑Cola HBC Hungary wants to make entering to the domestic market an experience too, therefore they started a cooperation with the renowned media figure and media owner Kriszta D. Tóth.

Kriszta D. Tóth, Costa’s Hungarian brand ambassador has a gastronomic interest that extends to coffee. The brand’s history and its commitment to quality, sustainable, and conscious consumption has opened the door to the collaboration that will lead to 5 different exciting conversations on social media this year.

Costa and CCHBC

Costa Coffee is being sold by Coca‑Cola’s larges bottling partner, Coca‑Cola HBC being present in 28 countries including Hungary. According to their strategy as the leading beverage partner, Coca‑Cola HBC Hungary aims to offer beverages that meet consumer occasions around the clock with its portfolio. Hungary’s leading beverage company already has sparkling soft drinks, water, functional beverages, premium spirits and energy drinks – coffee was the missing link in their portfolio. With Costa Coffee, their portfolio offers more than 100 products in more than 500 different formats.

Costa has so far introduced four types of ground coffee and beans in Hungary. These are the medium and dark roast Signature Blends made from the unique combination of Arabica and Robusta beans; the 100% Arabica Bright Blend, and the Columbia Single Origin which is also made from 100% Arabica beans. The offer will be expanded with Nespresso-compatible coffee capsules soon.