BOGOTA, Colombia – Starbucks Coffee Company yesterday debuted its first store in Colombia honoring the country’s rich coffee heritage and the company’s 43-year history purchasing premium arabica coffee from Colombian farmers.
Located in the stylish Parque de la 93 in Bogota, the three-level store is serving 100 percent Colombian coffee while offering customers the opportunity to experience Starbucks Reserve Coffee and the Clover Brewing System for the first time anywhere in Latin America.
At the Bogota store opening ceremony, Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer Howard Schultz said, “Our admiration and respect for Colombian coffee farmers dates back to our humble beginnings in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1971 when we first began purchasing and roasting Colombian coffee.
Over the past 43 years, we have proudly shared Colombia’s finest coffee with billions of people around the world and today we are honored to bring the Starbucks Experience to Colombia for the first time.”
Starbucks stores in Colombia will be operated by a joint venture with two of the company’s longest-term business partners in Latin America – Alsea and Grupo Nutresa. Alsea has partnered with Starbucks for nearly a dozen years in the region and currently operates more than 520 Starbucks stores in Mexico, Argentina and Chile, through an alliance that employs more than 8,000 partners (employees).
Colcafe, a subsidiary of Grupo Nutresa, Colombia’s leading food company, worked with Starbucks to create Starbucks VIA Ready Brew soluble coffee and continues to be an innovative, strategic partner in manufacturing and now retail.
Starbucks entry into Colombia marks an expansion of Starbucks relationship with Grupo Nutresa and Colcafe as the companies partner to offer Colombian customers locally sourced and roasted espresso, drip and packaged coffee at Starbucks stores in Colombia.
Serving 100 Percent Colombian Coffee
Starbucks stores in Colombia will be the first anywhere in the world to serve exclusively locally sourced Starbucks coffee. The Parque de la 93 store offers customers five different varieties of Colombian coffee, including Starbucks Reserve Colombia El Peñol, the single-origin Colombia Nariño, Colombia Espresso, Colombia Espresso Decaf and Colombia Blend. The store also offers a selection of whole bean packaged coffee from other markets around the world.
“We are very proud to be roasting 100 percent Colombian coffee for Starbucks and to be the first market in the world to serve exclusively locally sourced Starbucks coffee,” said Carlos Gallego, chief executive officer of Grupo Nutresa, joining Schultz at the Parque de la 93 store.
“Our coffee roasting capabilities and local market knowledge combined with Alsea’s proven track record operating Starbucks stores across Latin America will allow Starbucks to offer an exceptional experience to Colombian customers in a way that honors our country’s distinct coffee tradition.”
Alsea chairman Alberto Torrado, who also attended the debut of the Parque de la 93 store, added, “We are proud to be one of Starbucks strategic partners in the Latin America region and for this important and historic coffee market.
Over the next five years we plan to add 50 stores and more than 1,000 partners (employees) in Bogota and other major cities across Colombia. The joint venture with Starbucks and Grupo Nutresa will further strengthen our expansion strategy for Starbucks across Latin America as we pursue disciplined and profitable growth in a way that celebrates local cultures and coffee traditions.”
Today Starbucks operates more than 700 stores and employs more than 10,000 partners (employees) across 13 markets in Latin America.
First Starbucks Reserve and Clover Store in Latin America
The Parque de la 93 store offers customers an inviting destination to relax, recharge, and connect in one of Bogota’s most thriving and cosmopolitan neighborhoods while exploring five different varieties of Colombian coffee through several different brewing methods. It is Starbucks first store in Latin America to offer Starbucks Reserve Coffee and the Clover Brewing System. The Starbucks Reserve line is a special collection of unique, small-batch arabica coffees available only in select stores for limited periods of time.
The first Reserve coffee to be featured in Colombia is Starbucks Reserve Colombia El Peñol, which is sourced from 160 small farms near the town of El Peñol in the Antioquia department in association with Cooperativa de Caficultores de Antioquia. Starbucks Reserve Colombia El Peñol, which was created exclusively for the Colombia market, is elegant and balanced with flavors that highlight black currant and bittersweet chocolate mousse.
