Starbucks' 100th store in Beijing, China's first master coffee shop opens

Beijing, Nov. 26, 2012-Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq: SBUX) today announced a series of initiatives to further advance its development plans in China, with the official opening of its 100th store in Beijing, which will all be served by certified Starbucks coffee masters to further enhance Starbucks' coffee expertise and consistent Starbucks experience. Starbucks also announced the opening of Starbucks (China) University, officially launching this new talent development system.

"the Chinese market is of great significance to Starbucks' global development, and we are very proud to bring to Chinese customers such a store served entirely by certified coffee masters. This will further highlight our leading position in the Chinese coffee industry." Wang Jingying, president of Starbucks China, said at the ceremony, "Beijing is the place where Starbucks set sail in China. From opening its first store in Beijing in 1999, Starbucks now operates 100 stores in Beijing and more than 700 stores in the mainland." we are very proud. "

Starbucks has previously announced its vision of making China its second-largest market by 2014 and operating 1500 stores in more than 70 cities by 2015.

Starbucks Chinese executives toasted with guests to celebrate the opening of Starbucks' 100th store in Beijing.

China's first master coffee shop continues to improve coffee leadership and Starbucks experience

This store, located in the Blue Harbor International Business District, Chaoyang District, Beijing, is special in that all the star baristas are strictly certified Starbucks "coffee masters". Through complete coffee making skills and knowledge training, and strict examination certification, they can finally qualify to wear black aprons and become Starbucks coffee masters. Here, they will show extraordinary coffee enthusiasm and outstanding coffee skills, so as to bring an extraordinary Starbucks experience to customers.

"over the past 41 years, Starbucks has built its company and brand development on its consistent enthusiasm for coffee and its unremitting pursuit of high-quality Arabica coffee." Wang Jingying said, "Star baristas are the core of all our Starbucks stores, and in this store, Starbucks coffee masters will bring a more unique coffee experience to customers." and will highlight and define our leading position in the Chinese coffee market.

To be certified as a coffee master, star baristas must first undergo comprehensive training and rigorous examinations. The subjects of study range from the history and geographical origin of coffee to the theoretical knowledge of coffee agriculture, procurement, quality control of raw beans, roasting and mixing art. In addition, certified baristas shoulder the important practice of the last 10 feet of the coffee journey, namely how to make the perfect espresso, how to taste the coffee, share the coffee culture, and create emotional connections between people. After passing the first certification, they must continue to practice and reassess regularly in order to renew their certification qualifications, which is to ensure that they are not only masters of handmade coffee drinks, but also communicators who are willing and good at sharing coffee culture and Starbucks humanistic spirit.

The store will be equipped with different equipment from other stores to match the craftsmanship of coffee masters: the fully manual coffee machine La Marzocco shows the professional skills developed by coffee masters after long training at Starbucks; the unique funnel hand-brewed coffee allows customers to individually select and make their favorite coffee; and the coffee masters' excellent latte craftsmanship adds art to coffee drinks.

In addition, the store decoration based on Art Nouveau style is echoing Starbucks' humanistic spirit of paying attention to the environment. From the zigzag coffee trees on the wall, the round and full coffee fruit, to the carefully roasted Arabica coffee beans, it seems to bring people into the artistic coffee planting site, and then to the cup of Starbucks coffee in people's hands. it perfectly introduces the wonderful journey from a coffee bean to a cup of coffee, making Starbucks's unique "third space" complete.

Wang Jingying, President of China

Starbucks Chinese University promotes the Development of Local talents

The coffee enthusiasm, professional knowledge and humanistic spirit shown by the first Starbucks coffee master shop are undoubtedly the result of the long-term continuous learning and growth of Starbucks partners. In order to help all partners upgrade their coffee and service expertise, at today's ceremony, Starbucks announced the official opening of Starbucks (China) University, offering comprehensive and in-depth coffee courses, leadership training, and humanities-related courses. we will continue to strive to enhance the personal growth and career development of our Chinese partners.

"Partners (employees) are the core and soul of Starbucks' experience and the cornerstone of Starbucks' success. Therefore, we will unswervingly invest in the development of our partners, share the company's success with them, and help them achieve a brilliant future. " Wang Jingying pointed out, "these inputs are of great significance for us to realize our grand development plan in China."

Starbucks (China) University is committed to becoming a world-class corporate university that inspires coffee enthusiasm, is proficient in retail management, breeds humanistic spirit and connects with each other. As an excellent training center for talent development, Starbucks (China) University is special in that it will provide partners with courses that match their career development and personal preferences by creating personalized learning experiences, such as online mobile learning platforms, personalized learning modules, etc. At the same time, Starbucks (China) University first launched "partner professors", that is, selecting outstanding internal staff as lecturers in certain courses. These selected "partner professors" include store partners and functional partners who are proficient in a certain area of expertise, as well as senior management of the company.

The Starbucks (China) University training course will cover all aspects of Starbucks' China business. The most distinctive courses include not only coffee knowledge and coffee culture, but also professional knowledge and skills for retail stores and support departments, as well as leadership and management modules. At present, as the leading international coffee brand stationed in China, Starbucks already has one of the most systematic and comprehensive barista training and certification mechanisms. With the opening of Starbucks (China) University, Starbucks will customize and launch more than 200 training courses for partners at all levels by the end of 2015. In the future, Starbucks (China) University is also expected to cooperate with professional academic institutions and government agencies to strengthen its brand value proposition.

About Starbucks Coffee Company

Founded in 1971, Starbucks Coffee is committed to the business ethics of purchasing and roasting the world's finest Arabica coffee. Today, Starbucks with stores all over the world has become the world's leading professional coffee roaster and retailer. By 2014, China will become Starbucks' second-largest market after the United States; in 2015, Starbucks will achieve its goal of operating 1500 stores in China; today, Starbucks has more than 700 stores in more than 50 cities across the country. Through our star baristas, Starbucks always adheres to its commitment to excellent quality and service, follows our guiding principles, and creates a unique Starbucks experience for our customers every day through every cup of quality coffee.

Wang Jingying, president of Starbucks China, issues certificates to university professors.

About Starbucks star baristas

A "star barista" refers to a Starbucks partner who has passed certification in a store to provide services to customers. They must undergo at least two weeks and more than 80 hours of rigorous training in the store. The training includes comprehensive theoretical knowledge of coffee, skills of handmade Starbucks coffee drinks, coffee tasting ability, communication and service ability to enhance customer experience, and in-depth understanding of Starbucks' core values and mission-to stimulate and nurture humanistic spirit. After the training, you must also pass the certification examination of qualified trainers before you can finally get the Starbucks "star barista" qualification, wear a green apron, and begin to formally make drinks for customers and provide a pure Starbucks experience. Next, star baristas will go through a long and continuous journey of learning and growth, constantly improve their professionalism in practice, and develop towards a more experienced direction.

(responsible Editor: coffee zoe)