Overview

For more than 50 years, Costa Coffee has been serving millions of customers across the UK and beyond. Behind the scenes, their Treasury team plays a vital role in keeping cash reconciliation processes running seamlessly across 1,500+ stores nationwide.

As a trusted Trintech customer for over 25 years, Costa Coffee has continuously evolved its financial operations in step with the company’s growth and increasing complexity. Staying true to their company-wide vision of “Better before Bigger,” they rely on Trintech to deliver the flexibility, scalability, and automation needed to support agility and long-term success.

Why Cadency Match by Trintech

Costa Coffee already had a long-standing relationship with Trintech, so when it came time to modernize, Cadency Match was a natural choice. The solution stood out because it empowers the Treasury team to take ownership of their processes. With Cadency Match, they can configure rules, create file formats, and optimize workflows without having to rely on external support. This autonomy not only accelerates process improvements but also enables continuous optimization as business needs evolve. Just as importantly, the scalability of the solution means Costa Coffee can expand beyond reconciliations into other areas of finance in the future.

“What drove the decision was very much the fact that we could have the autonomy in-house to make changes. We could customize it, continue to review and improve processes, and be more proactive,” said Catarina Abreu, Treasury Consultant at Costa Coffee.

Implementation & Transition

Like most technology transformations, implementation required patience and perseverance. Initially, some stakeholders were skeptical about moving away from long-established processes. However, once they experienced the benefits of automation and ease-of-use, adoption grew quickly.

“Like every change, coming out of your comfort zone can be challenging, but after the first experience with Cadency Match, it became easier and clearer that we can achieve a lot more with this solution,” continued Abreu.

Trintech’s implementation team partnered closely with Costa Coffee, ensuring business as usual processes were maintained while supporting configuration changes.

Solution in Action & Measurable Results

Costa Coffee’s Treasury team now leverages Cadency Match daily to reconcile cash across approximately 1,500 stores in the UK. Since implementing the solution, the team has dramatically improved its reconciliation efficiency. “In one month, we managed up to 200,000 transactions with around 90% automated matching,” explained Abreu.

Their results:

• Increased Match Rates: from ~40% to 70-90%, reaching 99.6% across 3.5M transactions
• Cost Savings: Lowered costs by eliminating bank fees and manual slip book expenses

The improvements have also led to notable productivity gains. By automating a significant portion of the reconciliation work, the team reduced staffing needs to 1 FTE, freeing up valuable time to dedicate to higher-value projects and process improvements. In addition to efficiency gains, Cadency Match has delivered measurable cost savings by eliminating certain monthly bank fees and the costs associated with manual slip books, while also optimizing headcount through automation.

Perhaps most importantly, Cadency Match has given the Treasury team greater agility and control. They can now configure file formats and rules in-house, which allows them to respond to business changes more quickly without relying on external support. “The biggest benefit is that Cadency allows us to be more agile and proactive with our processes. It has completely changed how we work,” said Abreu.

Advice for Other Organizations Looking to Transform and Automate

Costa Coffee encourages companies to see automation not just as a technology upgrade, but as a chance to rethink how work gets done. Building the right project team with clear roles and realistic expectations is essential to success. Equally important is resisting the temptation to simply replicate old processes—automation creates an opportunity to simplify, redesign, and make workflows more efficient. Above all, adopting a mindset of continuous improvement allows teams to keep evolving and maximizing the value of their investment.

Abreu reflected, “Every system change is an opportunity to add value. With Cadency, we gained visibility, efficiency, and agility—making the investment worthwhile.”

Conclusion

Costa Coffee’s transformation to a highly automated and agile process demonstrates the power of Cadency Match to deliver efficiency, accuracy, and control. With measurable cost and time savings, improved accuracy, and a strong foundation for future growth, Costa Coffee has set itself up for continued financial process excellence.