Is Costa Coffee closed in Qatar permanently?

Although Kaldi 850 appears to taken over most of Costa Coffee locations, it appears that Costa Coffee is still here to stay. And, for proof here’s a job advert posted about two months ago looking for employees for Costa Coffee Qatar.

Why have Costa’s branches in Qatar closed then?

The real reason is that the Costa Coffee franchise owner Jawad business group (JBG) is now Al ghanim industries so all Costa branches under Jawad business group have been closed. a

Is KALDI 850 coffee the replacement of Costa Coffee?

Some locations which JBG operated for Costa are now a self-developed coffee chain called Kaldi 850 Coffee. Kaldi being the herder whose goats discovered the coffee plant in the year 850. The Kaldi 850 coffee chain was started in 2019, which may be a result of the group wanting to start their own business rather than pay for a franchise.
However, the good news is for Costa Coffee fans is that Kaldi 850 coffee are using the existing stock of Costa Coffee and they aim to maintain the same roasting profile of Costa Coffee beans when they transition. JBG have also retained their staff. The future could be a bit hazy though as Costa fans might migrate back to Costa branches when Al Ghanim starts their operation of Costa Coffee in Qatar.

Why is the Corniche branch of Costa Coffee not a Kaldi 850 Coffee?

Al Ghanim has retained the Costa Coffee Corniche location and has since been reopened ( April 12, 2021) marking the return of Costa Coffee in Qatar. Costa Coffee Corniche location operates 24/7. This is the only Costa Coffee in Qatar as of now.

Will it be a win-win?

Al Ghanim Industries does seem a bit more organised with a better website than JBG so can they offer a better Costa Coffee experience? I didn’t have any complaints about the previous Costa service or experience as locations were abundant throughout Doha ( our previous Costa Vs. Starbucks article is now redundant).
If Kaldi 850 Coffee manages to retain its customers and decrease costs, through not being a franchisee, it might be a win-win afterall.

Follow Costa coffee in Qatar @costa.qatar and Kaldi 850 @kaldi850.qatar for news and updates from the brands.