Starbucks Opens first Store in Yunnan Pu’er

New store in Pu’er brings to life Starbucks “bean-to-cup” experience in China’s Coffee Origin Community, honoring six years of close collaboration with the local farming community

21 June 2018, Pu’er, China – Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ:SBUX) today celebrated the grand opening of its first store in the coffee capital of China, Pu’er, Yunnan Province. For the first time ever, the store realizes Starbucks aspirations to pay tribute to China’s coffee origin community and to connect the customer to the entire coffee ecosystem, from the seedling at the “first ten feet” in coffee farms, to the unparalleled craft of brewing by a Starbucks barista at the “last ten feet”.

“The store honors the local coffee farming communities we serve and reflects our commitment and expertise to help accelerate the development of the collective coffee supply chain in China”, said Belinda Wong, ceo, Starbucks China. “As a coffee company deeply-rooted in China for 19 years, and guided by our Mission to ‘inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup, one neighborhood at a time’, we want to help the local farming community with agronomy management in order to improve the sustainability at their farms. Our 47-year relentless pursuit for the highest quality coffee is demonstrated at every step of the Starbucks ‘bean to cup’ value chain.”

Coffee Leadership from the “First Ten feet” to the “Last Ten Feet”

Located in Southwestern China, Pu’er is the most prominent coffee producing city in Yunnan, the country’s largest coffee growing region. A dedicated Starbucks Global Coffee team has been sourcing and purchasing high quality arabica coffee from around the world, including Yunnan.

The Starbucks “bean to cup” journey is long with each coffee bean traveling thousands of miles from the “first ten feet”. Coffee beans are meticulously handled by at least 34 pairs of hands, including those of farmers and agronomists, and undergo numerous layers of stringent quality assessments, before being roasted, handcrafted and served to the customer at the “last ten feet”. Of the premium Arabica coffee from Yunnan, only small-lots of specially-selected beans will be roasted and served at the Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Shanghai.

The Starbucks Pu’er Store is designed to provide a welcoming and enticing “third-place” for the local farming community to enjoy and connect over a cup of coffee. The design of the store has been specially curated to reflect the local Yunnan culture. Its smooth-curve facade resembles Yunnan’s mountainous landscape and upon entering the store, customers will immediately be greeted by two large paintings each depicting the deep partnership between Starbucks and the local Yunnan farmers. The paintings’ canvases are 5,600 coffee filter papers made by local artists to create an inviting atmosphere for the local community to immerse in the distinctive story behind each cup of coffee at the first and last ten feet. The display of local pottery and handicrafts adds further texture to the showcase of Yunnan’s unique heritage within the store.

The Starbucks Pu’er Store will offer premium arabica coffee beans from around the world brewed using the Black Eagle Semi-automatic Espresso Machine, Chemex, Siphon and the Pour-over method. The store will celebrate the Starbucks South of the Clouds Blend that features high-quality Yunnan arabica coffee beans, and will present seasonal offerings, including the Starbucks® Single-origin Yunnan coffee. Exclusive to the Starbucks Pu’er store will be a new coffee beverage introduced for the first time in China – the Sparkling Lemonade South of the Clouds.

Starbucks coffee leadership and “bean-to-cup” experience is brought to life by the Starbucks partners’ passion, dedication and love for coffee. Panda is one of the Coffee Masters who recently relocated home to serve at the Pu’er store. A Pu’er native, her father is a coffee farmer and it has always been her dream to be able to work at the Starbucks Pu’er Store. “I want to share my passion and coffee expertise with the coffee lovers in my hometown, the “first ten feet” of the coffee bean journey. The ability to personally handcraft the first cup of Starbucks coffee for my family gives my responsibility as a Coffee Master, at the “last ten feet”, even more meaning and joy.”

Deeply-rooted in Yunnan for Six Years to Elevate Coffee Quality

The Starbucks Yunnan coffee story started six years ago with the establishment of the first Asia-based Starbucks Farmer Support Center in Pu’er in December 2012. Through the introduction of the company’s Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices, which ensures high quality coffee is grown in a socially and environmentally responsible manner through rigorous guidelines for growing, processing, quality and sourcing, Starbucks has helped the local community improve the quality of Yunnan coffee, and share the premium quality coffee with the rest of China and the world.

The map of nine Starbucks Farmer Support Centers proudly displayed within the Pu’er Store signifies Starbucks long-term commitment to coffee farmers around the world. Starbucks is committed to bring the best of Yunnan coffee to the world-stage and to support the ambitions of Pu’er city to become one of the most important coffee-producing cities in the world. With firm support from the local and provincial Governments, the Starbucks China Farmer Support Center has trained nearly 17,000 farmers in Yunnan Province on sustainable farming practices. It has also certified over 1,678 farms, covering nearly 16,000 hectares, through C.A.F.E. Practices in the past six years.

“I hope this store will become the ‘third-place’ for the local coffee farming community, our partners at the Support Center and our Starbucks Coffee Masters, to connect and to share their experiences on all things coffee. I believe these moments of connection will inspire even greater passion and new vitality for the future of Yunnan coffee,” said Alan Tong, director of Starbucks Farmer Support Center.

About Starbucks

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.com or news.starbucks.com.