What else behind a cup of Starbucks? A coffee wonderland

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US coffee company Starbucks has kept its “promise” – bringing its Reserve Roastery to Shanghai, the brand’s first high-end store outside of the US. The founder, Howard Schultz, said that store is a symbol of company’s determination to continue investing in China.

“This facility is emblematic of our long-term commitment to the growth of Starbucks China, to the investment and our belief in China’s future economy and Chinese consumers,” Schultz explained.

China is Starbucks' fastest growing market and the largest international market.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Shanghai, China. /VCG Photo

Over 18 years, the coffee giant has built over 3,000 stores in China. Now, it’s time for the company to accelerate that growth, according to Schultz.

Based on Starbucks’ annual report, it plans to double its number of stores to 5,000 in the next five years, and hopes to profit from the fast-evolving coffee market in China.

“It’s no doubt in my mind that we will have more stores in China, at some points, than [stores] we have in the US today,” Schultz said.

Not only zooming the number of stores, Schultz noted that the company would also target the local coffee bean. Based on Schultz’s word, Starbucks has already started the cooperation with coffee bean farmers from southwestern Yunnan Province.

The founder of Starbucks, Howard Schultz /VCG Photo

“We now believe that there is a opportunity to create super premium coffee from [Yunnan]. I wouldn’t be surprise in a couple of years, if Starbucks coffee company is sharing with the rest of world coffee from Yunnan,” Schultz said with confidence.

Schultz is a legend within the retail business, having installed both takeout coffee and socializing in coffee shops as American institutions. He acted as CEO and chairman of Starbucks from the time of his purchase of the company in 1987. He resigned as CEO in 2000, but returned to the top job eight years later, after a sales decline.

In his second tenure, Starbucks’ stocks went from trading below 10 US dollars to an all-time high above 60 US dollars last year. He resigned as CEO earlier this year to direct the focus of his work to the Reserve Roastery.

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