Starbucks Reserve Roastery opening inside the
historic Poste building in Piazza Cordusio is the company’s first
location in Italy, with plans to bring additional cafés to Milan
beginning late 2018
Designed as an homage to the Italian espresso
culture that inspired Howard Schultz 35 years ago to create the
Starbucks Experience, the 2,300-square-meter (25,000-square-foot)
Reserve Roastery showcases the theatre of coffee roasting, brewing
and mixology in the epicenter of fashion and culture
The premium Reserve experience will offer
limited availability, small-lot Arabica coffee sourced from 30
countries around the world, roasted for the first time in Europe
and paired with freshly baked artisanal food from local baker Rocco
Princi
Roastery opening creates nearly 300 jobs in
Italy; Starbucks also invests in additional career-building by
bringing its world-class Apprenticeship Program to Milan as well as
collaborating with the Fondazione Don Gino Rigoldi and La Scala
Academy
Today, Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) celebrates the opening of its
first store in Italy and the most beautiful Starbucks in the world:
the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan. The highly anticipated
Milan Roastery is the crown jewel of Starbucks global retail
footprint – a place where Italian customers can come to discover
the art and science of coffee in a breath-taking environment that
is both an homage to the city of Milan and a celebration of
everything Starbucks has learned about coffee in its 47-year
history. Following a grand opening celebration this evening, the
Roastery will open its doors to all customers tomorrow morning,
September 7, at 9 a.m. CET.
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Starbucks Reserve Roastery Milan exterior
(Photo: Business Wire)
“During my first trip to Milan in 1983, I was captivated by the
sense of community I found in the city’s espresso bars – the
moments of human connection that passed so freely and genuinely
between baristas and their customers. The opening of the Milan
Roastery is the story of Starbucks coming full circle,” said Howard
Schultz, chairman emeritus of Starbucks. “Everything we have
experienced, since that first moment of inspiration 35 years ago to
now being a daily part of millions of people’s lives around the
world, we bring with great respect to Italy. On behalf of the
350,000 partners who wear the green apron and millions before them,
I am so proud and humbled to bring our Italian customers an
experience that is the very best of Starbucks.”
Starbucks arrival in Italy – the company’s 78th global market –
is unlike any other market opening in its history. Milan marks the
first time Starbucks has established its retail presence in a new
country with the Roastery format, of which only two others exist in
the world: the Seattle Roastery, which opened in 2014, and the
Roastery in Shanghai, which debuted in 2017. Standing at 2,300
square meters (25,000 square feet), the Milan Roastery is in
Milan’s Palazzo della Poste on the Piazza Cordusio – only streets
away from iconic landmarks such as the Duomo di Milano, Galleria
Vittorio Emanuele II and Teatro alla Scala.
Starbucks opened its first store in Europe 20 years ago in
London. Since then, it has grown in partnership with strategic
licensees to more than 3,100 stores in 40 countries across Europe,
the Middle East and Africa. The introduction of the
company-operated Reserve Roastery in Milan reinforces the company’s
investment in its premium brand as part of its overall growth
strategy, which also serves as a pipeline of retail and product
innovation for its core stores around the world. Following the
opening of the Roastery, Starbucks will bring additional cafés to
Milan with licensed partner Percassi beginning late 2018. These
stores will reflect the unique coffee culture of the Italian
market, while also offering Starbucks iconic beverage and food
offerings.
“We have taken our time to ensure our entry into Italy is done
thoughtfully and respectfully,” said Kevin Johnson, chief executive
officer, Starbucks. “The introduction of our Roastery and premium
Reserve brand will set the stage for the long-term development of
our core store portfolio with our world-class licensee partner,
Percassi.”
Designed for The Italian Customer
At the Milan Roastery, heritage and innovation take center stage
against a backdrop of stunning design and immersive discovery. As
customers enter the building, they are met with a jaw-dropping view
that spans every aspect of the Roastery experience. Vibrant colors
reflective of the Italian fashion and design community greet each
person, and over the course of the day, the space transforms from
the light filtering through the glass ceiling.
At the heart of the environment is a fully functioning Scolari
coffee roaster, manufactured just miles outside of the center of
Milan. To the right, customers will find the main bar, where
classic espresso beverages mingle with cutting-edge coffee
innovation. The wood-fronted bar features fluting, which echoes a
motif found in Italian architecture throughout history, and is
topped with marble sourced from the world-famous quarries of
Tuscany. Upstairs on the mezzanine, customers can discover
ArriviamoTM Bar – where mixologists are on hand to create specialty
cocktails behind a 10-meter-long (30 feet) marble bar carved from a
single block of Calacatta Macchia Vecchia. And finally, to the
left, customers will see upon entering a PrinciTM Bakery, complete
with a wood-fired oven, built brick by brick, onsite by hand using
a crew of masons and artisans.
“We have spent the past year living and breathing the city of
Milan, working closely with dozens of local artisans to bring to
life our most beautiful retail experience that engages each one of
our customers’ senses – sight, sound, touch, smell, and of course,
taste,” said Liz Muller, chief design officer, Starbucks. “From the
palladiana flooring that was chiseled by hand to the bright green
clackerboard made by Italian craftsman Solari, everything you see
in the Roastery is intentional, offering moments of discovery and
transparency.”
Throughout the Roastery, the physical retail environment is
complemented by an interactive augmented reality (AR) experience,
encouraging customers to use their mobile device to uncover more
about Starbucks Reserve® coffees, the roasting process and the
company. The centerpiece of the AR experience is a
floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall visual representation of Starbucks
history and its coffee – engraved in brass by local craftsmen,
burnished to an ombre finish and backlit to bring warmth to the
story.
Outside on the building’s terrace, customers can enjoy the full
range of Roastery coffees, cocktails and cuisine in a distinctly
European environment – that of a street-side café. Also adorning
the Roastery’s portico is a striking statue of a siren – the symbol
of Starbucks steeped in classical lore – completely hand-carved in
Carrara marble by Tuscan sculptor Giovanni Balderi.
Coffee from Around the World Roasted, Brewed and Packaged in
Milan
At the heart of Starbucks premium Reserve brand are the rare and
exotic high-quality Arabica coffees, ethically sourced from more
than 30 countries around the world. Each coffee is handpicked by a
team of Starbucks coffee quality experts, offering both unique
taste profiles and stories from the regions where they were
grown.
These coffees are brought to life by seven highly skilled
roasters who have spent nearly a year training in Starbucks
roasting plants around the world, immersing in Starbucks 47 years
of experience and leadership in coffee roasting. They apply their
craft daily in the Milan Roastery, which is the first place in
Europe where Starbucks unique, small-lot Reserve coffee will be
roasted. The Roastery provides customers unprecedented visibility
to all aspects of the roasting process, with a 360-degree
walk-around view of the manufacturing site. This transparency into
the science and craft starts with green coffee being poured out of
burlap sacks, continues through the roaster and sweeping cooling
trays, and reaches a dramatic crescendo as the 6.5-meter-high (22
feet) bronze cask unfolds like a blooming flower, allowing a
glimpse inside of the de-gassing chamber – a natural part of the
roasting process. From there, coffee whizzes overhead through
copper pipes directly to silos at the coffee bars, where customers
can enjoy a fresh cup of Reserve coffee, or to the in-house pack
line to be packaged for distribution in Starbucks stores across
Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The coffee bar will serve as the stage where hundreds of
baristas will handcraft a menu of more than 115 beverages across
multiple brewing methods: ModBar® Pour Over, Chemex, Coffee Press,
Siphon, Espresso, Cold Brew and the proprietary CloverTM
Brewed coffee. The main bar will also feature a first-for-Starbucks
affogato station, where ice cream is hand-crafted, made-to-order,
using a unique and theatrical liquid nitrogen finish to create the
perfect ice cream to be paired with a delicious shot of
espresso.
And for customers wishing to take a piece of the Roastery
experience home, is the Scooping Bar, where guests purchase
specially packaged, freshly roasted coffee beans from Starbucks
Reserve coffees, including some that are exclusive to the Milan
Roastery. The display of coffee in bins and scooping silos and the
grocery scales and paper packaging are evocative of the experience
of buying dry goods by the gram, freshly packaged.
Showcasing the Best of Milan Baker Rocco Princi
In 2016, Starbucks announced a strategic partnership with
Italian baker Rocco Princi, making his artisanal, freshly baked
food the exclusive pairing to the company’s premium Reserve brand.
Following the introduction of Princi food to the Seattle and
Shanghai Roasteries last year, Princi is now available in the first
Reserve store located in Starbucks headquarters in addition to the
first standalone U.S. Princi store that opened this summer in
Seattle.
The Princi Bakery in the Milan Roastery is anchored by a
wood-fired oven made using an ancient technique, with a unique
method of radiating heat using fire, creating Rocco Princi’s
ultimate tool for making bread the way it’s meant to be done. The
facing is a rough-cut Porfido Giallo, sourced nearby in the
Lombardy region. In this area guests can also see the dough being
made from the finest flour and water, a view of the whole process
that is similar to the coffee journey on display elsewhere in the
Roastery. Items baked in the Princi Bakery will be available both
here and throughout the Roastery for customers looking to pair
their coffee with the perfect bite – be it savory or sweet.
“Over the past few years with Starbucks, I’ve had the incredible
privilege to share the flavors and passion of the Milanese people
with customers in the U.S. and in China. I’m now grateful to return
the same hospitality as I join the people of Milan in welcoming
Starbucks to Italy,” said Rocco Princi, founder of Princi
Bakeries.
Taking a Page from the Italians, Aperitivo Debuts at
Arriviamo
Inspired by the Italian aperitivo – social cocktails paired with
small delicacies in the early evening hours – the Milan Roastery
will be the first Starbucks location to feature an Arriviamo Bar.
Located on the mezzanine at the top of a sweeping staircase,
Arriviamo is a destination for a carefully crafted cocktail or
special coffee service.
At Arriviamo, a team of mixologists create beverages from a
bespoke menu that draws on both the Italian palate and Starbucks
coffee heritage. From classic Italian favorites such as the Spritz
and Negroni to cold-brewed coffee cocktails that infuse flavor and
craft, customers can witness a whole new theatre of experience that
is both distinctive from and complementary to the bars on the main
Roastery floor. In addition to serving aperitivo in the evening,
customers can also enjoy coffee on the mezzanine – all while
observing the Roastery and manufacturing experience from a new
vantage point up above.
Creating Opportunity for Milanese Youth
In preparation for opening, nearly 300 new careers began earlier
this year as the Roastery hired on its inaugural team of partners
(employees) – spanning barista and mixology positions, coffee
roasters and manufacturers, and Princi bakers. Partners underwent
minimum three months’ intensive training and will continue to see
investments in learning and development as they grow their careers
with Starbucks. Starbucks also brings its award-winning
Apprenticeship Program to Milan at opening. Starbucks is already
offering apprenticeships to baristas and mixologists, with six
apprentices already enrolled. Each apprenticeship is a three-year
program, through which partners receive 260 hours of off-the-job,
sector-specific training to develop their talent and equip them for
lasting, rewarding careers. As Starbucks grows in Italy, it will
continue to invest in programs to advance meaningful careers for
its partners.
Beyond its own doors, Starbucks will also focus on creating
educational and career opportunity for youth across Milan. The
Starbucks Foundation is partnering with the Fondazione Don Gino
Rigoldi to create a bespoke program to support young people from
disadvantaged areas of Milan who are at risk of marginalization and
face significant barriers into employment. Simultaneously, The
Starbucks Foundation is supporting programs in partnership with La
Scala Academy, focused on scholarships, employability training and
community engagement that offer students greater access to
education and employment.
“Core to our business is creating positive social impact in the
communities we serve around the world,” said Vivek Varma, president
of The Starbucks Foundation. “We established The Starbucks
Foundation more than 20 years ago to advance this mission, and with
these initial investments in Italy, we aim to create new
opportunity for youth in Milan while also laying a foundation for
longer-term commitments to the Italian market.”
Opening Celebration
To mark the occasion, Starbucks partnered with the Comune di
Milano and La Scala Academy to create a theatrical production that
brings the stories of Mr. Schultz and Starbucks to life through a
combination of film, live opera and orchestral performances. The
event, with the patronage of Comune di Milano, will culminate in
the Roastery being presented as a tribute to the city of Milan.
Footage for media purposes will be shared online on Starbucks
Newsroom in the coming days.
About Starbucks
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to
ethically sourcing and roasting
high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 25,000
stores around the globe, Starbucks is the premier roaster and
retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering
commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the
unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through
every cup. To share in the experience, please visit our stores or
online at news.starbucks.com and Starbucks.com.
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Starbucks Media Relations206-318-7100press@starbucks.com
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