Beverage group Kofola has acquired a 52% majority stake in Czech speciality coffee chain Cøkafe, as it looks to strengthen its presence in the café and foodservice sector.

Cøkafe founder Richard Mauler will retain a stake in the business and continue to oversee the development of the brand alongside Kofola.

The deal builds on Kofola’s growing investment in the coffee supply chain. Last year, the group acquired a family coffee farm in Boquete, Panama, following earlier experience with coffee cultivation in Colombia.

Kofola has also established its own roasting facility in Strážnice, South Moravia, giving the company greater control over coffee production from cultivation through to roasting and, with the Cøkafe investment, the final consumer experience.

Jannis Samaras, owner and CEO of Kofola Group, said: “We can only guarantee long-term value and quality when we know the origin of the raw material and understand the entire process. With coffee, we started from the very beginning – on plantations in Latin America. But we wanted to tell our coffee story all the way to the end, directly to the customer in the cup.”

He added that the partnership with Cøkafe reflected the companies’ shared focus on craftsmanship, quality and customer experience.

Founded by Mauler, Cøkafe has developed a network of cafés alongside its own bakery and confectionery operations. Kofola said the brand will bring specialist coffee expertise, an established customer community and distinctive store concepts to the wider group.

The acquisition will also expand Kofola’s foodservice portfolio, which already includes the UGO Freshbars and Salaterie network, as well as pub, café and rum bar concepts across its markets.

Kofola plans to support Cøkafe with its experience in expansion, management and franchising, including through its UGO business.

Marek Farník, CEO of UGO, said the group sees “huge potential” in developing a coffee chain with a strong brand story, pointing to potential synergies with its existing franchise expertise.

The partners plan to invest in Cøkafe's customer experience, production and logistics capabilities before gradually expanding the chain into additional Czech cities.

Mauler said the aim was not to grow “at any cost,” but to develop the business while retaining the qualities that have built its existing customer base.

“We want to open cafes that people will love to return to, continue to improve our products, and at the same time build a company where great people will want to work and grow,” he added.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.