M&S Collection Colombian beans review: Fairtrade everyday beans that are hard to price online

This M&S Collection Colombian beans review looks at M&S’s Fairtrade Colombian whole-bean coffee in a 227g pack, the kind of bag you might grab with your weekly shop at M&S or add to an Ocado order. I haven’t tested this in person. My verdict is based on M&S’s own listing, the UK retailers that sell it and the owner reviews and published write-ups I could find, all named and linked below. I’ll be upfront that two things were hard to pin down: a live price and any current review of the beans themselves.

M&S Collection Colombian beans review: the short answer

Buy the M&S Colombian beans if you shop at M&S or Ocado and want a Fairtrade, all-Colombian whole bean with an easy nutty, caramel profile for everyday brewing. I couldn’t confirm a live price, so check current price at Ocado or in store before you decide.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants a fixed, checkable price online before they buy. M&S doesn’t show a price on its own site, and I couldn’t read Ocado’s live page.

Skip them if you want plenty of up-to-date reviews before you spend. I couldn’t confirm any owner ratings for the beans, and the only hands-on review I found is more than a decade old.

Who it isn’t for: anyone after a gift-worthy tin. For that, the Fortnum & Mason Piccadilly Blend is the smarter-looking choice, though it’s far from cheap.

What it costs right now

• M&S Collection Colombian Coffee Beans, 227g, at Ocado: Check current price. The research only found search-engine copies of Ocado’s page, which gave two different figures, and I couldn’t check the live page to confirm either one. So I’m not giving a number. See it at Ocado
• In M&S stores: Check current price. M&S’s website lists the beans but doesn’t show a price, as M&S Food is sold in its shops and through Ocado. See the listing at M&S
• Offers: I couldn’t confirm whether there’s any offer or multi-buy on these beans, so I can’t tell you whether the price you see is the usual one.
• Other shops: I didn’t find the bean pack listed at any other UK retailer.

What’s in the pack: beans, flavour and spec

M&S lists this as a 227g pack of whole Arabica beans, all from Colombia, with Fairtrade certification. Its tasting notes point to nutty and caramel flavours in a full-flavoured cup. That points to a smooth, easy-going cup rather than something sharp or experimental, which is what most people want from an everyday bag.

There’s a naming wrinkle worth knowing about. M&S has renamed the beans as part of its Collection range, while Ocado still lists them as M&S Fairtrade Colombian Coffee Beans. Both are 227g packs of Fairtrade Colombian beans, so the research treats them as the same product, but that couldn’t be fully confirmed. Check the pack size and the Fairtrade mark if you’re buying online.

M&S doesn’t state a roast level on its page, and I couldn’t confirm a strength number for the current pack, so I won’t give one.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants a bold, very dark roast and needs to know the roast level before buying. It isn’t stated.

Storing and brewing them

M&S says the beans are packed in a protective atmosphere. Once you’ve opened the bag, it advises keeping them in an airtight container and using them within about two weeks if kept in the fridge, or about four weeks if frozen. A 227g pack is a manageable size to get through in that window if you make coffee most days.

Because they’re whole beans, you’ll need a grinder. That’s no bad thing: you can grind them fine for espresso or coarser for a cafetière or filter machine, so one bag covers most ways of brewing. If you’re still choosing a grinder, my guide to the best burr grinders under £100 is the place to start, and coffee scales help you keep your dose consistent from one cup to the next.

Who it isn’t for: anyone without a grinder. If you’d rather buy ground coffee, my Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Colombian ground review covers a ready-ground Colombian from another big UK shop.

What reviewers and owners say

There’s not much to go on, and I’d rather tell you that than dress it up.

• Owner ratings: M&S’s product page shows no ratings. I couldn’t load Ocado’s live page, so I can’t confirm whether it has any reviews there.
• An old hobby review: the Coffee Judge site reviewed M&S Colombian beans in about 2012. Its reviewer enjoyed the lively citrus notes and smooth aftertaste, though they wanted a little more strength. That’s interesting, but it’s so old that the beans and the pack have very likely changed since, so I wouldn’t lean on it.
• Published tests: I found no current independent test of this bean pack. Which? included the ground version of M&S’s Fairtrade Colombian in a supermarket ground-coffee test, but that’s a different product and I don’t have its result. The Independent’s best supermarket coffee roundup picked M&S’s Fairtrade Italian beans as its bean winner, which is a different M&S coffee, so don’t mix the two up.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants recent, well-documented feedback before buying. The beans may well be good, but there’s little current evidence either way.

M&S Colombian vs Fortnum & Mason Piccadilly Blend

These are the two department-store bean packs I’ve covered.

• Price: I couldn’t confirm a live price for the M&S beans, so check current price. The Fortnum’s tin is £15.95 for 250g at Fortnum & Mason, price at time of research (28 Sep 2026).
• Beans: M&S’s pack is all Colombian; Fortnum’s blends beans from Brazil, Colombia and India.
• Certification: the M&S beans are Fairtrade, according to M&S. Fortnum’s listing shows no third-party mark.
• Flavour, as listed: M&S lists nutty and caramel notes; Fortnum’s lists chocolate, hazelnut and toffee.
• Where to buy: M&S stores and Ocado, against Fortnum’s own shops and website only.

For everyday brewing with a Fairtrade mark, the M&S beans make more sense. For a gift, the Fortnum’s tin has the edge. My Piccadilly Blend review has more.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants the presentation and name of a Fortnum’s tin. The M&S pack is a plain everyday bag.

Downsides

• No confirmed price. M&S shows no online price, Ocado’s live page couldn’t be read, and the search copies disagreed.
• Little current feedback. I couldn’t confirm any owner ratings, and the only hands-on review I found dates from around 2012.
• Roast level not stated. M&S doesn’t give one for the beans.
• Two names. The M&S and Ocado listings use different names, which could cause mix-ups when you’re ordering.

Where to go next

For other beans from big UK shops, see my Tesco Finest Sumatra beans review and my Lavazza Qualità Oro and illy Classico reviews. If you’d like beans delivered regularly instead, my best coffee subscriptions guide compares the options. And if you’re choosing a machine, try my best espresso machine under £300 or bean-to-cup machines under £500 guides.

FAQ

How much are M&S Colombian coffee beans? I couldn’t confirm a live price. M&S doesn’t show one online, and I couldn’t check Ocado’s live page, so check current price at Ocado or in store.

Are the M&S Colombian beans Fairtrade? Yes, M&S lists them as Fairtrade certified.

What do they taste like? M&S’s tasting notes point to nutty and caramel flavours. That’s M&S’s own description, and I haven’t found a current independent one.

Where can I buy them? In M&S food stores and through Ocado. M&S’s own website lists them but doesn’t sell them online.

How should I store them once opened? M&S advises an airtight container, and using them within about two weeks in the fridge or about four weeks in the freezer.