Though coffee was first discovered in the middle eastern region 3 centuries back, the beverage went on to become more popular in Europe, followed by USA and other parts of the world. China is among the top consumers of coffee per capita in the world after a few top European countries. Due to its increased popularity with Westerners, International Tourists visiting the country as well as its citizens, Japan celebrated its first “National Coffee Day” in 1983 which has now been embraced by many countries worldwide including India, America, Austria, Canada, Indonesia, Norway, Sweden, India among others.
Starbucks, the globally renowned American coffee retail chain with over 32,000 outlets across the world, turns 50 this year. The company has over 15,000 cafes in the US followed by 4,700 in China, 1,400 in Japan and 1,100 in Canada. India has a little over 250 cafes, which are constitute a JV with the TATA Group. Though there has been a steep fall in its revenues during FY 2020, the company still managed to report USD 23 Bn in Sales, through its coffee, beverages and food sold at its cafes alongside bottled products and grounded coffee beans. Nestle acquired the distribution rights for Starbucks’ packaged products in 2019 for USD 7.5 bn which allows the FMCG company to sell the latter’s products outside the Starbucks cafes through it’s distribution network.
In celebration of Starbucks 50th anniversary, Starbucks is inviting customers to bring in a clean, empty, reusable cup into participating cafe locations in the U.S. on National Coffee Day, Sept. 29, to receive a free cup of Pike Place® Roast brewed coffee. Starbucks is marking the milestone anniversary with customers to share how grateful the company is to be part of their communities and daily lives. Pike Place Roast represents Starbucks decades of coffee roasting experience, knowledge and passion. Named after the location of the original store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market that opened in 1971, Pike Place Roast is Starbucks signature medium roast coffee served in stores everyday around the world. Pike Place Roast was introduced in 2008 and was created using input from nearly 1,000 customers who spent almost 1,500 hours providing feedback on what’s important to them in a cup of coffee. Master blenders and roasters at Starbucks then artfully created the coffee. The result is a smooth, well-rounded blend of Latin American coffees with subtly rich flavors of chocolate and toasted nuts.
