Starbucks Finally Goes to Italy

In 2017, the coffeehouse chain will open its first location in Milan.

March 01, 2016

SEATTLE – It’s been many years in the making, but Starbucks will return to its Italian roots with its first Italian outlet opening in Milan next year, Marketing Daily reports. “There are very few markets and stores that I’m as intimately involved in as this,” said Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks. “Everything we’ve done to date sits on the foundation of wonderful experiences that many of us have had in Italy.”

Starbucks has partnered with the Italian company Percassi, which will operate and own the stores through a licensing agreement. “We know that we are going to face a unique challenge with the opening of the first Starbucks store in Italy, the country of coffee, and we are confident that Italian people are ready to live the Starbucks experience, as already occurs in many other markets,” said Antonio Percassi, president of the company.

Thirty-three years ago, Schultz took his first business trip to Milan and Verona, a journey that changed his life forever. Inspired by the craftsmanship of the Milanese barista, the spirit of the Italian people, their passion for community, their friendliness and taste for quality, Schultz’s vision for Starbucks began to take root.

“Starbucks history is directly linked to the way the Italians created and executed the perfect shot of espresso,” Schultz said in a press release. “Everything that we’ve done sits on the foundation of those wonderful experiences that many of us have had in Italy, and we’ve aspired to be a respectful steward of that legacy for 45 years.

“Now we’re going to try, with great humility and respect, to share what we’ve been doing and what we’ve learned through our first retail presence in Italy,” Schultz continued. “Our first store will be designed with painstaking detail and great respect for the Italian people and coffee culture. And, my hope is that we will create a sense of pride for our partners—so much so that every partner who sees our store or walks through the doors will say: ‘We got it right.’”

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