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Starbucks is coming to South Africa in 2016!
Coffee addicts, take note!
Starbucks Coffee Company and Taste Holdings announced a licensed partnership that will see Starbucks stores open across South Africa.
For the first time in Southern Africa, Starbucks will open full-format stores bringing the entire range of its food and beverages, including its ethically-sourced Arabica coffee, to South African consumers.
“We are proud to be bringing Starbucks to South Africa next year,” said the president of Starbucks Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Kris Engskov. “The coffee market here is vibrant and growing fast – we want to be part of that growth.”
The license agreement sees Taste owning the exclusive rights to develop Starbucks retail outlets in South Africa. As Taste is the licensee, it will own and operate the stores directly.
“We are very excited to be Starbucks partner in Southern Africa. As we’ve visited numerous Starbucks markets and partners around the world we’ve come to realise that we share similar core values, including a commitment to localisation and uplifting both direct and indirect partners,” explained Taste CEO, Carlo Gonzaga.
The partnership will see direct job creation opportunities as each Starbucks store opens, in addition to opportunities at the Taste support office in Johannesburg.
In addition, Starbucks and Taste have committed to continuing Taste’s Changing Lanes program, employing predominantly from currently unemployed youth directly from the communities in which they trade.
“Young people are the key to our success,” said Mr Engskov. “The majority of our workforce is aged between 17 and 25, so talented youth has always been a priority and we will equip our new partners with the skills necessary to succeed in today’s economy.”
Starbucks sources a considerable amount of its global, high-quality coffee from farms in sub-Saharan Africa, in partnership with its network of farmer support and agronomy centers in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania.
“We are proud to be able to offer some of the best African coffees in the world to more customers in the region. We’re looking forward to bringing the entire Starbucks experience to South Africa for the first time,” concluded Mr Gonzaga.
The first store will open in Johannesburg in the first half of 2016, with more locations to follow.
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