Debut of Starbucks Reserve® Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle Will Redefine the 21st Century Retail Experience
December 05 2014 - 6:00AM
Business Wire
Company to Offer Rarest of Coffees From Around
the Globe, Roasted to Perfection in One-of-a-Kind, Immersive
Combination of Café, Roastery and Restaurant
Roastery to Catalyze Growth of Starbucks
Reserve® Coffee Expansion; Seattle Roaster First of Multi-city
Plan, with Asia Introduction Slated for 2016
Debut of Starbucks Reserve® Brand Creates
Segmentation at Super-Premium Level; Company Plans Over 100
Reserve-only Stores Around the World Including Chicago, Los
Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. in 2015
Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq:SBUX) today announced the
opening of its first Starbucks Reserve® Roastery and Tasting Room
in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, nine blocks away from
its original store in Pike Place Market. This interactive Roastery
and Tasting Room is dedicated to roasting, coffee education and
increasing availability of the company’s small-lot Reserve®
coffees; literally every Reserve® coffee bean sold to customers
will be roasted in this facility. The consolidation of
small-batch roasting will allow the company to expand its Reserve®
coffee line to 1,500 locations globally, as well as open at least
100 stores designed to highlight these rare coffees exclusively
starting in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and
Washington, D.C. An additional Roastery is planned for Asia in
2016.
Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting
Room (Photo: Business Wire)
“This Roastery is the fulfillment of a decade-long dream – an
homage to our relentless pursuit of coffee innovation that will
create for our customers the most immersive, sensory demonstration
of how we source, roast and craft the finest coffee from around the
world,” said Howard Schultz, chairman, president and chief
executive officer of Starbucks. “Everything we’ve ever done has led
us to this point. This is the moment of the next generation of
Starbucks.”
More than two years in development, this unprecedented
experience will allow customers to engage with Starbucks passion
for coffee through moments of education and discovery devoted to
beverage innovation and excellence. Every detail of the space was
chosen with intention and reflects the handcrafted nature of coffee
from bean to cup.
Some of the unique characteristics of this experience
include:
- The Roastery is 15,000 square feet with
6,654 square feet devoted to the Starbucks Café and Tasting Room
designed to have 360 degree views from any vantage point within the
space.
- The new facility will allow Starbucks
to double the number of its Reserve® offerings over the coming
year. A projected 1.4 million pounds of small-lot coffee will be
roasted in the first year at the Roastery, which will supply all of
the Reserve® coffee store needs around the world.
- The building dates back to 1920, which
was originally part of the historic “Auto Row” of Seattle.
Starbucks restored it back to its original façade working to
reclaim many of the original building’s materials, including wood
in the decorative ceiling and original Terrazzo and concrete
flooring – 95% of the materials and finished pieces used for the
Roastery are made in America.
- Coffees will be roasted on one of two
roasters—the Probat G-120 Roaster and the Probat P25 Roaster.
Freshly roasted beans will be delivered to a whole bean scooping
table or a custom-made bar where baristas will brew handcrafted
beverages on one of six brewing methods including: Pour Over,
Chemex, French Press, Siphon, Espresso and Clover-brewed
coffee.
- Starbucks teamed up with acclaimed
Seattle chef Tom Douglas to create unique food offerings inspired
by Starbucks Reserve® coffees which honor the pair’s collective
roots in Pike Place Market. The food menu was created to complement
the complex flavors of the coffees offered. Tom’s local approach to
food will be showcased at the Roastery, whether it’s
fresh-out-of-the-oven, seasonal pizzas from the Serious Pie
restaurant inside the building, or the pastries, sandwiches, salads
and sweets offered in the Roastery café.
- The Roastery integrates digital
innovation into the experience including a “Clacker” board with
mechanical flaps displaying what’s roasting and by whom; a Coffee
Passion Projection Wall made of smart glass displaying images of
coffee at origin on the company’s own farm in Costa Rica; and in
the coming year, will debut iBeacon technology that allows
customers to access information about freshly brewed coffee via
their smartphone.
“We have designed a space that will heighten all the
senses. This is a real-life Willy Wonka experience with coffee
as the heart and soul, where customers will see coffee being moved
through the roasting process right before their eyes,” said Liz
Muller, vice president, creative and global design for Starbucks.
“We have opened up the world of sourcing, roasting and brewing so
that our customers at any one point are only feet away from the
theater and artistry in a sophisticated yet relaxed environment.
Each visit will bring new discoveries while setting the standard
for what customers can expect for the future of retail.”
Ten years ago, Starbucks first brought these premium coffees to
customers with their line of Black Apron Exclusives®. Formally
launched in 2010 as Starbucks Reserve®, this exceptional collection
of unique, small-batch arabica coffees became available in select
stores and online – some of which have sold out in less than 24
hours. In 2011, Starbucks opened its first international Reserve®
store in Tokyo, Japan and has since expanded to 22 countries,
including China. Recently, Starbucks opened its first-ever
Reserve® location in Latin America as part of a three-level store
serving 100 percent Colombian coffee.
In addition to expanding this in-store offering, the company
will create a specialized store experience devoted to highlighting
these rare, limited-availability coffees in at least 100 locations
in the next five years. The first stores will open in Chicago, Los
Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
About Starbucks
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to
ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today,
with stores around the globe, the company 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 us in
our stores or online at www.starbucks.com. You can learn more about
the Starbucks Reserve® Roastery and Tasting Room here:
www.Starbucks.com/roastery
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:
http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20141205005080/en/
Starbucks Coffee CompanyMedia Relations,
206-318-7100press@starbucks.com
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