Costa Coffee has been presented with Best Coffee Chain in the UK and Ireland at this year’s Allegra European Coffee awards.

Held in Paris on 27 November at The European Coffee Symposium, Hotel Pullman Paris Montparnasse, Costa achieved three Best Coffee Chain awards: Best Coffee Chain - Southern Europe, Best Coffee Chain - UK & Ireland and Best Coffee Chain – Europe.

In the UK & Ireland category, Harris + Hoole was given second place, while Pret A Manger took third and was “highly commended”.

Now in its sixth year, the awards recognise and promote company and individual excellence across the sector. The event was attended by more than 350 senior executives from across the coffee and food-to-go sectors.

Jason Cotta, managing director Costa UK Retail, said: “These awards are a testament to our passion for coffee, our people and our continuous work to bring an unbeatable coffee experience to customers across the world.

“This fantastic achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the support and dedication we receive from our partners and baristas, and it means a great deal, having been voted for by our industry peers.”

Companies and individual award-winners were recognised through a targeted voting campaign, run by organiser Allegra Strategies, from July to October 2013, in which more than 1,000 senior industry executives took part.

Also, seven individual awards were given to people identified for their outstanding contribution to the coffee industry in their country or across Europe. This included Andrew Tolley, co-founder of Harris + Hoole.

Other winners included: Nicolas Riché, CEO of Columbus Café; Peter Van Eijl, founder, Doppio Espresso; Jonathan Teoh, founder, Doppio Espresso; Johan Damgaard, CEO, Johan & Nyström; Nana Holthaus-Vehse, CEO, Barista World; and Steve Leighton, managing director, Has Bean Coffee.

The Lifetime Achievement award was given to Piero Bambi, technical and design director of Italian artisan espresso machine-maker La Marzocco.

Full list of winners:

COUNTRY AWARDS

Best Coffee Chain – France

Winner
Columbus Café

2nd Place and Runner-up
McCafé

3rd Place and Highly Commended
Starbucks Coffee Company

Best Coffee Chain – Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg

Winner
Doppio Espresso

2nd Place and Runner up
Coffee Company

3rd Place and Highly Commended
Le Pain Quotidien

Best Coffee Chain - Germany, Austria & Switzerland

Winner
Starbucks Coffee Company

2nd Place and Runner up
Balzac Coffee

3rd Place and Highly Commended
McCafé

Best Coffee Chain - Nordic Region

Winner
Espresso House

2nd Place and Runner-up
Stockfleths

3rd Place and Highly Commended
Joe & the Juice

Best Coffee Chain - Southern Europe

Winner
Costa Coffee

2nd Place and Runner-up
Caffè Nero

3rd Place and Highly Commended
Caffè Pascucci

Best Coffee Chain - UK & Ireland

Winner
Costa Coffee

2nd Place and Runner-up
Harris + Hoole

3rd Place and Highly Commended
Pret A Manger

EUROPEAN AWARDS

Best Coffee Chain Europe

Winner
Costa Coffee

2nd Place and Runner-up
Espresso House

3rd Place and Highly Commended
Starbucks Coffee Company

Best Independent Coffee Shop – Europe

Winner
Workshop Coffee Co

2nd Place and Runner- up
Johan & Nyström


3rd Place and Highly Commended
Espressofabriek

Best Forecourt Operator for Food & Coffee – Europe

Winner
Autogrill


2nd Place and Runner-up
BP M&S Simply Food & BP Wild Bean Café

3rd Place and Highly Commended
Shell Deli2go


Most Ethical Brand – Europe

Winner
Caffè Pascucci

2nd Place and Runner-up
Starbucks Coffee Company

3rd Place and Highly Commended
Costa Coffee

Best Coffee Roaster – Europe

Winner
Tim Wendelboe

2nd Place and Runner-up
Square Mile Coffee

3rd Place and Highly Commended
Solberg & Hansen AS


Best Equipment Supplier- Europe

Winner
La Marzocco

2nd Place and Runner-up
Nuova Simonelli

3rd Place and Highly Commended
La Cimbali


Best Food Supplier – Europe

Winner
Erlenbacher Backwaren

2nd Place and Runner-up
Délifrance

3rd Place and Highly Commended
Vandemoortele

Best Non-Coffee Supplier – Europe

Winner
Monin

2nd Place and Runner-up
Beyond the Bean

3rd Place and Highly Commended
Happy Cups

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS



‘Outstanding Contribution to the European Coffee Industry’

Nicolas Riché, CEO, Columbus Café & Co.
Andrew Tolley, co-founder, Harris + Hoole
Peter Van Eijl, founder, Doppio Espresso
Jonathan Teoh, founder, Doppio Espresso
Johan Damgaard, CEO, Johan & Nyström
Nana Holthaus-Vehse, CEO Barista World
Steve Leighton, managing director, Has Bean Coffee

Lifetime Achievement Award
Piero Bambi, La Marzocco