“The high street is in flux” – Scott Martin’s Unity wants to shake up how, where and when we order coffee

World Coffee Portal speaks to Scott Martin about the market shift that made Unity Coffee possible, the technology inside the box, and why the coffee-to-go category is overdue for a reckoning

The pioneer behind Costa Express has raised £2m ($2.6m) to take on the coffee chains with a new generation of AI-powered self-serve machines. World Coffee Portal speaks to Scott Martin about the market shift that made Unity Coffee possible, the technology inside the box, and why the coffee-to-go category is overdue for a reckoning

Scott Martin has spent the better part of three decades building the UK coffee-to-go market into the category it is today. He is now convinced that the wider branded coffee shop market needs a bold new approach.

“We’re left with something close to a monopoly,” says the Unity Coffee founder, “which not only restricts choice but keeps pushing prices higher. Consumers are deserting that category like a sinking ship.”

Taking on the chains: Scott Martin (centre) promoting Unity Coffee’s competitive pricing in London, UK | Photo: Unity Coffee

Unity Coffee – the AI-powered self-serve challenger brand Martin soft-launched in London’s Soho in September 2025 – is his answer to a market he believes has been coasting on captive demand for too long.

With economic and labour pressures eroding the efficacy of established coffee shop business models, Martin believes the segment is ripe for disruption.