Starbucks celebrates 50 years of growing coffee-loving communities

Starbucks is celebrating its 50th anniversary globally, marking the golden occasion with a renewed focus on building a company based on human experience, connection and community.

Adrian Maizey, CEO of Rand Capital Coffee, the licensee of Starbucks in SA, says the celebration coincides with Starbucks South Africa’s 5th anniversary and comes at a historic time for the world, as it begins to emerge from Covid-19. “Starbucks is in a wonderful position to help create community and encourage human connections in an increasingly important ‘third place’ – a place outside of your home or office where we nurture and inspire the human spirit, and where our message to every visitor is ‘be my guest’.”

Starbucks Southern Africa joins the world in celebrating the coffee brand’s historic 50-year milestone with an exceptional 50th Anniversary Blend in breath-taking packaging, made from rare Sumatra coffee beans that are carefully aged and combined with other specialist coffees. “This exquisite blend delivers a complex and hearty flavour with spice notes that make for memorable tasting moments – moments worth sharing.” Along with the limited-edition Anniversary Blend, Starbucks is sharing the opportunity to celebrate this special occasion through a beautiful range of commemorative merchandise featuring a golden variation of its iconic Siren logo, also only available for a limited period in selected stores around the country.

Maizey adds that Starbucks South Africa is taking the opportunity of the 50th anniversary to launch an overarching brand campaign that speaks to what Starbucks stands for. “’Be my guest’ is at the heart of who we are, who our partners on the ground in every store are. We share the ethos in our collective efforts to improve the future of our people and planet through café conversations and the reality of high-quality, ethically sourced coffee.

“As South Africans, we are deeply proud of where we live and the hospitality we offer, and our partners (baristas) in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town look forward to inviting you to ‘be my guest’ whenever you want to feel at home away from home and enjoy our iconic ‘third place’ experience that is a hallmark of the brand around the world,” Maizey says.

Starbucks started with one store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1971 and now has close on 33,000 stores worldwide. It has consistently been motivated by purpose-driven efforts to grow communities within neighbourhoods, working with partners across the coffee supply chain. “The over-arching revelation from Starbucks in this milestone year is just how powerful positive actions can be when done together – and this year, Starbucks is proud to highlight our commitment to a mutual thriving, to doing better together,” says Kevin Johnson, Starbucks’ CEO.

Did you know?

The limited-edition Starbucks 50th Anniversary merchandise features the iconic Siren logo, which has been in existence since its launch in 1971, and is a symbol of optimism for the next 50 years as she heralds a sustainable future for coffee. While a Siren might seem an unusual choice for the face of a coffee company, there’s an interesting backstory as to how it came to be. It was 1971, and the founders had landed on the name Starbucks, inspired by the name of a character in the novel Moby Dick. Next up: creating a logo. While scouring some old marine books, something stood out. A siren in an ancient Norse woodcut. The mysterious, nautical figure called to them, as sirens do. They loved its look, and it tied into what they felt Starbucks stood for, which is where the creative team got their inspiration.

For more information, visit www.starbucks.co.za.

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ISSUED ON BEHALF OF STARBUCKS BY ANGELFISH PR & EVENTS. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT ANNIE HODES ON 083 325 4445.

About Starbucks

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with almost 33,000 stores worldwide, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of speciality coffee globally. 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 us in our stores or online at  www.starbucks.co.za.