Mondelez International has announced the UK rollout of a range of coffee capsules compatible with Nestlé’s Nespresso machines.

Launching into supermarkets from 11 February under the Carte Noire brand, the 10-capsule packs have an rsp of £2.79. The Carte Noire capsules would come in four flavours: N°3 Élégant, N°5 Délicat, N°7 Aromatique, N°9 Intense, and would be “widely available” in UK stores, said Mondelez.

“We are excited to be one of the first major brands available in supermarkets to offer coffee capsules,” said Carte Noire brand manager Hortense Foult-Rothenburger.

The company said the pods, which were launched under its Jacobs and Carte Noire brands in Austria, France, Germany and Switzerland last year, were compatible with all machines bought before July 1 2013 and most bought after that date.

Official Nespresso capsules are available only from specialist Nespresso stores or online, where prices range from 29p to 35p per capsule. However, while Nestlé has kept official capsules exclusive to its own retail channel, Nespresso-compatible pods have come to market in recent years.

Nestlé has been involved in legal disputes with rival capsule suppliers, but Mondelez said it had “conducted full due diligence, and would continue to monitor the changing legal landscape”. “We can not speculate on the legal outlook of our competitors,” said Foult-Rothenburger.

Nestlé declined to comment on the launch.

Topics