Political Audit: Costa Coffee
# Costa Coffee — V-POL Audit (Political Forensics)
**Target:** Costa Coffee (wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company since January 2019)
**Audit phase:** V-POL
---
## Corporate Communications & Public Stance
No standalone public statement by Costa Coffee itself on the Israel-Palestine conflict has been identified; all corporate-level commentary traced in this audit originates from parent The Coca-Cola Company rather than the Costa brand [^14][^26][^37]. No public evidence identified of a Costa-branded statement on the conflict.
The Coca-Cola Company's standing corporate FAQ states that "Coca‑Cola does not fund military operations in any country" and that "the claim that Coca‑Cola's income is transferred to Israel is completely untrue," positioning the company as a neutral global operator that "does not support any country, government or policy, political or religious belief" [^11][^12].
A comparative asymmetry in crisis response has been documented: Coca-Cola publicly and rapidly suspended its business operations in Russia on 8 March 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine, stating "our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events" [^23]. No equivalent operational suspension or solidarity statement toward Palestinian civilians has been identified following the October 2023 Gaza war, with contemporaneous reporting characterizing the company as "silent on Israel attacks despite [its] history of support for social justice" [^26].
At the January 2024 Davos summit, CEO James Quincey, asked whether Coca-Cola is a "pro-Israeli" company, responded by citing the company's operational footprint — "we have an Israeli bottler and a bottler in Gaza" — a symmetry-framing statement rather than a substantive human-rights position [^24].
In October–November 2023, after backlash over pro-Palestinian content posted by a Black Lives Matter chapter, Coca-Cola quietly removed references to its 2020 $500,000 Sprite donation to Black Lives Matter from its website; U.S. Senator Ted Cruz publicly demanded an explanation, calling the removal "a tacit admission that the criticisms... have merit" [^25]. This episode reflects comparative political repositioning adjacent to, though not directly about, the Israel-Palestine conflict.
No public evidence identified of Costa Coffee or Coca-Cola publicly framing its Israeli or Palestinian market operations as a distinctive geopolitical partnership in annual reporting or public relations materials; the operations are instead framed in available sources as standard bottler/franchise market presence [^1][^29][^33].
## Operations in Occupied or Contested Territories
Costa Coffee has no identified independent corporate presence, franchise, or ownership structure in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories; Coca-Cola Company brands, including Costa Coffee, are distributed in Israel exclusively through the Central Bottling Company (CBC), the Coca-Cola Israel franchisee [^1][^37].
CBC's wholly owned subsidiary, Central Beverage Distribution Company, operates a regional distribution center and cooling houses in the Atarot Industrial Zone in occupied East Jerusalem, land expropriated in 1970 from the Palestinian village of Beit Hanina [^1][^3][^6].
CBC's 92.5%-owned subsidiary Tabor Winery produces wine from grapes sourced from vineyards on occupied land, including in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc (Alon Shvut) in the West Bank and the Ortal and Keshet settlements in the occupied Golan Heights [^2].
A structurally distinct relationship exists through the Palestinian National Beverage Company, a separate Coca-Cola franchisee founded by Zahi Khouri, which has bottled Coca-Cola products in the West Bank since the late 1990s and opened a $20 million bottling plant in Gaza in December 2016, directly employing approximately 120 people and reportedly supporting roughly 1,200 Palestinians indirectly through its value chain [^29][^33].
CBC ownership is held by David Wertheim (62.99%), with Reuven Becher, Gil Orion, and Chen Amir each holding 12.33%; CBC is led by CEO Nir Levinger and has recently established its first-ever board of directors [^1][^41].
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights maintains a database, pursuant to Human Rights Council Resolutions 31/36 and 53/25, of business enterprises involved in specified settlement-related activities; the original 2020 report listed 112 enterprises, and the database was most recently updated in September 2025 [^7][^8][^9]. Search-based review conducted for this audit did not identify Coca-Cola, Costa Coffee, or the Central Bottling Company by name in available summaries of that database, though direct line-by-line confirmation was not achieved.
Civil society and boycott campaign attention to these operations is extensive. The BDS National Committee added Coca-Cola to its priority boycott list in late 2024, citing the Atarot distribution center and imagery of Israeli soldiers receiving Coca-Cola products during the Gaza war [^3][^42]. In March 2025, the UK's Palestine Solidarity Campaign named Coca-Cola and its brand portfolio — explicitly including Costa Coffee, Schweppes, Sprite, Fanta, Innocent, Appletiser, and Smart Water — as strategic targets of its "Don't Buy Apartheid" campaign, with Friends of Al-Aqsa and PSC tracing the boycott's origin to December 2014 [^4][^5]. Local UK actions have specifically targeted Costa Coffee retail locations, including an April 2024 campaign in Macclesfield naming two Costa branches for boycott action [^41 (n/a)][^41].
Coca-Cola has not divested from or altered its Atarot operations in response to the boycott campaign; in June 2024 the company ran an advertisement in Bangladesh claiming "even Palestine has a Coke factory" — referring to the Atarot facility, which is legally situated in an Israeli settlement rather than Palestine — that was pulled from social platforms for roughly five hours following backlash and threats before being reinstated with comments disabled [^13][^14]. Coca-Cola sales reportedly declined approximately 23% in Bangladesh following the controversy [^13]. By September 2025, Coca-Cola's bottling partner had reportedly lost market share in Turkey (down five percentage points to 54%) and Pakistan (down four percentage points), attributed to boycott calls tied to the Gaza war [^34]; company-wide Q3 2024 results also showed a 2% unit-case volume decline in the Europe/Middle East/Africa region, though the earnings release did not explicitly attribute this to boycotts [^22]. No public evidence identified of Costa Coffee, as distinct from parent Coca-Cola, being named as a defendant or subject in any legal or regulatory action tied to occupied-territory operations.
## Internal Governance, Content & Retail Policies
No public evidence identified of HR actions, disciplinary measures, or legal proceedings specifically involving Costa Coffee staff and pro-Palestinian speech, symbols, or union activity.
No public evidence identified regarding platform or editorial moderation policy, as Costa Coffee does not operate a content or algorithmic platform relevant to Israel-Palestine speech moderation.
No public evidence identified of Costa Coffee-specific product labeling or sourcing controversies tied to Israeli settlements. Costa Coffee's supply chain is described in company-linked material as centered on coffee-bean sourcing through its charitable foundation's coffee-growing-community programs, with no identified Israel or Palestine nexus [^37].
## Brand Heritage & State Partnerships
No public evidence identified of Costa Coffee using military heritage, defense-sector ties, or state-security origins in its own commercial branding; Costa Coffee's founding narrative traces to Bruno and Sergio Costa, Italian immigrant brothers who founded a coffee-roasting wholesale business in London in 1971 [^37].
By contrast, at the Israeli-franchisee level, CBC founder Moshe "Muzi" Wertheim was a former Mossad intelligence officer — recruited during his studies at Hebrew University and serving as an agent in Switzerland and Italy before leaving the service at age 35 — who also served in the pre-state Palmach militia and founded the Central Bottling Company in 1967 with American investor Abraham Feinberg [^15]. Wertheim reportedly "tirelessly and generously supported" the Jabotinsky Institute, an organization dedicated to the legacy of Revisionist Zionism founder Ze'ev Jabotinsky, and as Coca-Cola Israel chairman approached the Institute about republishing a rare 1882 text in modern Hebrew [^17].
No public evidence identified of Costa Coffee accepting state honors, hosting government officials, or entering formal partnerships with Israeli state or academic institutions, or of sponsorship of "Brand Israel"-type cultural or public-relations campaigns.
## Lobbying, Advocacy, Financing & Logistics
In a letter dated 24 July 2015, Coca-Cola explicitly assured the Anti-Defamation League that it "does not support, endorse or sanction the BDS movement," issued in response to ADL concern over public BDS advocacy by Zahi Khouri, head of Coca-Cola's Palestinian franchisee [^18]. Separately, in 2015 the Zionist Organization of America publicly criticized Coca-Cola over its Palestinian franchisee's BDS-supportive statements, while an unnamed Israeli NGO reportedly threatened legal action over the same issue [^30][^32] — indicating Coca-Cola faced simultaneous pressure from pro-Israel advocacy groups seeking disavowal of its Palestinian partner's BDS sympathies and from BDS/Palestinian-solidarity groups seeking an end to Atarot operations.
At the US parent level, The Coca-Cola Company Nonpartisan Committee for Good Government has been FEC-registered since 17 May 1976 [^21]. In the 2024 election cycle, Coca-Cola's PAC contributions totaled $1,367,724 and reported federal lobbying spend was $4,930,000 [^19][^20]. No public evidence identified linking specific PAC contributions or lobbying filings to Israel-Palestine-related legislation, anti-boycott legislation, or trade policy, as the aggregate disclosure records reviewed do not itemize by geopolitical topic.
Central Bottling Company (Coca-Cola Israel) donated 50,000 shekels (approximately $13,850) to the right-wing group Im Tirtzu in 2015, which described the donation as support for "protecting Zionist interests and protecting the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces from persecution and defamation"; Im Tirtzu sought confidentiality for the disclosure, which the Israel Corporations Authority refused, and CBC did not respond to press inquiries at the time [^10]. No public evidence identified of a Coca-Cola- or Costa Coffee-level (as opposed to CBC-level) donation to FIDF, JNF/KKL, or other named military-welfare or settlement organizations.
No evidence has been identified of a direct, attributable Coca-Cola corporate donation of product to IDF soldiers during the post-October 2023 war. A long-running civilian initiative known as "Operation Juha," started in memory of a fallen Israeli officer, has for years distributed Bamba and Coca-Cola products to Israeli soldiers — reportedly reaching over 100,000 soldiers on one occasion — but is described as a volunteer/civilian-organized effort accepting donations from various organizations and individuals rather than an official corporate Coca-Cola contribution [^31]. Coca-Cola's official position, per its corporate FAQ, is that the company "does not fund military operations in any country" [^11].
## Corporate Structure & Primary Mission
No public evidence identified of Costa Coffee's corporate charter, ownership structure, or founding documents being tied to state geopolitical goals. Costa Coffee began as a private family coffee-roasting business in 1971, was acquired by Whitbread plc in 1995, and was sold to The Coca-Cola Company for $4.9 billion in January 2019 [^37]. No golden-share, state-ownership, or state-mandate structure has been identified for Costa Coffee or its Coca-Cola Company parent.
At the Israeli-franchisee (CBC) level, secondary commentary characterizes CBC's 1967 founding as arising in the context of Israel's contested Coca-Cola market entry against the Arab League boycott, associated with founder Moshe Wertheim's Mossad background [^15]; this characterization pertains to the Israeli franchisee rather than to Costa Coffee or The Coca-Cola Company itself.
## Executive & Leadership Footprint
Philippe Schaillee was appointed Global CEO of Costa Coffee, announced via a Coca-Cola Company press release in 2023 [^35]. No public evidence identified of personal statements, donations, or board affiliations by Schaillee, or by predecessor Costa Coffee executives, related to Israel-Palestine, FIDF, JNF, or settlement organizations.
The Coca-Cola Company's CEO James Quincey's only identified public comment specific to the Israel-Gaza conflict is his January 2024 Davos exchange characterizing the company's position by reference to having "an Israeli bottler and a bottler in Gaza" — a statement of operational symmetry rather than substantive human-rights commentary [^24]. No public evidence identified of a signed letter, op-ed, or dedicated statement by Quincey on the conflict.
At the CBC/Israeli-franchisee level, founder Moshe "Muzi" Wertheim (d. 2016) was a former Mossad intelligence officer and Palmach militia veteran, and a documented supporter of the Jabotinsky Institute [^15][^17]. His son, David Wertheim, now holds 62.99% ownership of CBC and has been reorganizing CBC's management, including installing the company's first-ever board of directors [^1][^41]. No public evidence identified of David Wertheim's personal donations to FIDF, JNF, or settlement organizations, or of personal board seats in pro-Israel advocacy organizations, despite targeted research on this line of inquiry.
Costa Coffee's charitable arm is described in company-linked material as funding education and coffee-growing-community infrastructure, with no identified Israel or Palestine program [^37].
## End Notes
[^1]: https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/4081
[^2]: https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/4073
[^3]: https://bdsmovement.net/news/coca-cola-quenching-israel%E2%80%99s-genocidal-soldiers%E2%80%99-thirst
[^4]: https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/ethical-shopping/boycotts/coca-cola
[^5]: https://palestinecampaign.org/campaigns/dont-buy-apartheid/
[^6]: https://www.alhaq.org/cached_uploads/download/2020/06/02/atarot-settlement-interactive-1591084307.pdf
[^7]: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/regular-sessions/session31/database-hrc3136
[^8]: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2020/02/un-rights-office-issues-report-business-activities-related-settlements
[^9]: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/un-human-rights-office-updates-database-businesses-involved-israeli
[^10]: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2017-05-07/ty-article/coca-cola-israel-donated-to-left-bashing-group-im-tirtzu/0000017f-f6fa-d887-a7ff-fefe86c30000
[^11]: https://www.coca-cola.com/xf/en/about-us/faq/does-coca-cola-send-any-of-its-profits-to-the-israeli-army
[^12]: https://www.coca-cola.com/pk/en/about-us/faq/why-do-people-think-you-have-connections-to-israel-is-this-claim-true
[^13]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/12/coca-cola-ad-in-bangladesh-sparks-backlash-for-denying-ties-with-israel
[^14]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/08/12/coca-cola-boycott-israel-gaza/
[^15]: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/business/2016-08-31/ty-article/muzi-wertheim-who-built-a-fortune-with-coca-cola-dies-at-age-86/0000017f-f372-d487-abff-f3feef0c0000
[^16]: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/business/2012-01-16/ty-article/mozi-wertheim-splits-coca-cola-holdings-between-his-children/0000017f-f7ee-d887-a7ff-ffee59d40000
[^17]: https://en.jabotinsky.org/media/9968/english54.pdf
[^18]: https://www.adl.org/resources/letter/coca-cola-assures-adl-it-does-not-endorse-boycotts-israel
[^19]: https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/C00012468/summary/2024
[^20]: https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/summary?id=D000000212
[^21]: https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00012468/
[^22]: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/media-center/coca-cola-reports-third-quarter-2024-results
[^23]: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/media-center/coca-cola-company-suspends-business-russia
[^24]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2024-01-18/coca-cola-ceo-on-obesity-drugs-israel-war-diet-soda-video
[^25]: https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2023/11/icymi-from-the-daily-mail-sen-ted-cruz-demands-coca-cola-explain-why-it-scrubbed-all-support-for-black-lives-matter-from-its-website
[^26]: https://peachtreetimes.com/stories/650697936-coca-cola-operator-of-20-million-bottling-plant-in-gaza-silent-on-israel-attacks-despite-history-of-support-for-social-justice
[^27]: https://www.tbsnews.net/features/panorama/yes-coke-has-gaza-factory-its-israel-ties-run-much-deeper-874451
[^28]: https://www.tbsnews.net/features/panorama/why-are-people-so-mad-coca-cola-878046
[^29]: https://fortune.com/2016/12/01/coca-cola-gaza-strip-bottling-plant/
[^30]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-ngo-threatens-to-sue-coca-cola-over-palestinian-partners-bds-support/
[^31]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/over-100000-soldiers-to-receive-bamba-and-coke-thursday/
[^32]: https://zoa.org/2015/06/10287317-zoa-quoted-in-article-about-coca-cola-outfit-supporting-bds/
[^33]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahi_Khouri
[^34]: https://english.alarabiya.net/business/markets/2025/09/08/coca-cola-loses-ground-in-two-big-markets-due-to-boycott-calls-over-israel-s-war-in-gaza
[^35]: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/media-center/costa-coffee-announces-new-ceo
[^36]: https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5923-economy-occupation-economy-genocide-report-special-rapporteur
[^37]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Coffee
[^38]: https://ngo-monitor.org/reports/francesca-albaneses-assault-on-global-corporations/
[^39]: https://www.alhaq.org/advocacy/20931.html
[^40]: https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-david-wertheim-to-shake-up-coca-cola-israel-management-1001111111
[^41]: https://macclesfield.nub.news/news/local-news/macclesfield-palestine-supporters-call-for-boycott-of-big-companies-226419
[^42]: https://jewishvoiceforliberation.org.uk/article/boycottcoke-coca-cola-is-now-on-the-bds-priority-list/ ```