Press release -
Costa Managing Director kicks off construction of Basildon roastery
Today (4 November), Christopher Rogers, Managing Director for Costa, formally kicked-off construction of ‘Paradise Street’, the brand new roastery in Basildon – representing over £36 million in fresh investment.
Accompanied by the Mayor of Basildon, Councillor Don Morris, and local Costa staff at the roastery’s breaking ground ceremony, Christopher Rogers set in motion the countdown to the facility’s opening and announced the new facility will be called ‘Paradise Street’.
The former Visteon Site in Prologis Park on Christopher Martin Road will now be transformed into a state-of-the-art roastery, supporting Costa’s national and international growth – roasting up to 45,000 tonnes of coffee every year.
Christopher Rogers, Managing Director for Costa, said:
‘This is an important milestone in a truly exciting project for both Costa and Basildon. We are taking great pride in our new roastery – ensuring we deliver the very best facility in the world to meet customer demand in the long-term and support our growth.
‘I am therefore delighted to announce the new roastery will be called ‘Paradise Street’, named after our original ‘Old Paradise Street’ roastery in Lambeth, London. As a British-grown company, it is fantastic to be basing our operations right here in the UK. Our heritage is the lifeblood of our business and Paradise Street will be a new chapter in our rich history - as we continue to roast the same irresistible Mocha Italia blend first produced by the Costa brothers in 1971 in Lambeth, London.
‘Our new roastery is a vote of confidence in Basildon and we are proud that the town will be a vital hub of our global business. We are very much looking forward to making a positive contribution to the local economy and local community.’
The new roastery is an extension of Costa’s current and original roastery on Old Paradise Street in Lambeth, London – which has been roasting coffee for over 30 years.
Phil Turner, Basildon Council Leader, said:
‘We are delighted that Costa has shown confidence in our area with this £36 million investment in their state-of-the-art facility. Basildon Council’s Planning Committee unanimously granted planning permission for the new roastery, and Costa has taken bold steps to move this along quickly as this ‘ground breaking’ event showed. Basildon Council is delighted to be moving forward with them and working with Costa in the future.’
Once the new roastery is completed, Essex will be integral to Costa’s global business – with Costa’s raw beans being imported from around the world to Tilbury Docks, just 14 miles from the site of the new roastery.
The new roastery is scheduled to open in early 2017.
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Founded in London by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa in 1971, Costa is the UK’s favourite coffee shop, having been awarded “Best Branded Coffee Shop Chain in the UK and Ireland" by Allegra Strategies for five years running (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & November 2014).
With over 1,999 coffee shops in the UK and more than 1,168 shops in 30 overseas markets, Costa has diversified into both the at-home and gourmet self-serve markets. There are now more than 4,275 Costa Express self-serve machines in the UK.
In the UK Costa employs over 16,000 people and creates around 1,500 jobs each year.
Costa is committed to looking after coffee-growers. That's why we've established The Costa Foundation, a registered charity. The Costa Foundation's aims are to relieve poverty, advance education and the health and environment of coffee-growing communities around the world. So far, The Costa Foundation has funded the building of 46 schools and improved the social and economic welfare of coffee-growing communities.
