South Africa: Starbucks to open first stores in 2016

Starbucks has announced it will partner with Taste Holdings for the opening of its first outlets in South Africa in 2016.

According to a company statement, the license agreement sees Taste owning the exclusive rights to develop Starbucks retail outlets in South Africa and it will own and operate the stores directly.

“We are proud to be bringing Starbucks to South Africa next year,” said Kris Engskov, president, Starbucks Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). “Working with Taste, our partner, we’re going to deliver a great Starbucks experience”.

"Starbucks sources a considerable amount of its global, high‐quality coffee from farms in sub‐Saharan Africa, in partnership with our 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”, he added.

Carlo Gonzaga, CEO of Taste, commented: “We’re looking forward to bringing the entire Starbucks experience to South Africa for the first time. That includes 100% ethically sourced Arabica coffee, Starbucks full menu offering and of course beautiful coffee houses”.

Source: Starbucks