Has Costa lost its way?

The other week, I went to Costa Coffee and the lady in front of me asked the barista, “Do you do matcha?” “No, we don’t do matcha,” was the response.

She sighed and walked out.

I thought to myself, well, there’s a missed opportunity.

Having been in my fair share of Costas, Cafe Neros, Starbucks, and independents over the years, today I tried Black Sheep Coffee for the first time.

Ironically, I didn’t go for coffee — I went for matcha green tea. However, I was certainly impressed by their range of options on the self-order screen.

Nevertheless, it did get me thinking. Since The Coca-Cola Company bought Costa in 2019, it does seem to have gradually gone downhill. That’s not just my opinion — it’s backed up by the fact their profits have fallen sharply in that period.

Why could that be?

Well, it’s become blander — or just too familiar. Apart from the odd seasonal special, you know what you’re getting. There’s been a lack of innovation and trendsetting.

And that’s just the menu. Costa hasn’t had a major brand overhaul since 1995.

But you also notice other things. For example, today I was given a saucer (with “LEAVE THE HERD BEHIND” printed on it) for my drink instead of an unnecessarily big tray that took up the width of the table. The decor was nicer and there was a plethora of plug sockets — clearly designed to encourage longer-than-average stays (with the tenuous hope that each customer buys more than one drink).

Given the matcha hype on social media (which has led to a worldwide shortage), this seems like an obvious trend to jump on. Others have, so why haven’t they?

I can only think it’s because Costa has grown too corporate, too bureaucratic, and too monolithic. That’s stifled them from getting their priorities in order.

While they still have a commanding lead over the rest of the pack in the UK, if they don’t buck their ideas up, further decline is inevitable.