Starbucks has invested in an Italian bakery brand, and the meal will be added to some stores.

Starbucks announced a partnership with Princi, an Italian bakery and restaurant.

The company, called Princi, cooperates by buying a stake, but neither side has disclosed the exact amount. More than financial investment, Starbucks has won the right to operate Princi outside Italy, and Starbucks will sell Princi meals in its own high-end stores.

These premium stores include Starbucks Coffee Roasters and Roastery (hereinafter referred to as Coffee Roasters) and the new Zhenxuan exclusive stores (Reserve Only).

Starbucks Coffee Roaster and selection Restaurant (Roastery) in Seattle

The only existing coffee roaster is in Seattle. Starbucks plans to open a coffee roaster in Shanghai and New York in 2017 and 2018 respectively (click on the link to see our report). Unlike the average Starbucks store, the coffee roaster has coffee roasting equipment, counters that sell coffee beans in bulk and a new menu of nearly 40 beverage choices. After the partnership, Princi will provide exclusive food supply to Starbucks coffee roasters in Shanghai and New York.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that the selection of exclusive stores (Reserve Only) is different from the existing selection stores (Reserve). It is known that only Starbucks selected coffee beans are used in the selection of exclusive stores. Starbucks is expected to launch new business type, which selects its own stores, in 2017.

The meals sold by Princi include chocolate bread, croissant, salad, beef lasagna and pizza. It currently has four stores in Milan and another one in London.

According to Starbucks officials, Princi is famous for its classic recipe of handmade bread. Princi, a 24-hour restaurant, is also very fashionable. Its in-store design is undertaken by architect Claudio Silvestrin, and the interior design style is relatively simple and abstract. The uniforms of the staff in the store are specially designed by the designer. In short, this may be a restaurant that young people like to patronize.

The partnership is reminiscent of La Boulange, a San Francisco bakery that Starbucks bought in 2012. But later, because it was "not in line with the company's long-term development", it closed 23 La Boulange stores in California and integrated bread products into the coffee store menu.

But Starbucks and Princi should be different. "We have never baked food in Starbucks stores in 45 years, and this unprecedented partnership will change all that," Howard Schultz said. " In addition to baking Princi breads and cakes in its stores, Starbucks will also be involved in Princi's expansion: it plans to open its first Princi store in Seattle next year, which will be the Italian restaurant's first American store.

Starbucks has recently been enriching its food choices: in the United States, it launched Bagel Ball last year, as well as seasonal products such as Trifles cakes. There is no doubt that increasing the choice of meals other than drinks is one of the ways to increase the income of individual stores.