Starbucks Opens its Doors in Brazil

Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ:SBUX) and Starbucks Brasil today announced that its first two stores in Brazil will open this week in São Paulo at Shopping Morumbi. The first store is located in the new wing of the mall and the second at the opposite next to the Saraiva Bookstore. "São Paulo will serve as a springboard for Starbucks strategic expansion into Brazil – a country with a very rich coffee heritage and tradition that we greatly cherish and respect,” said Martin Coles, president of Starbucks Coffee International. "The opening of our first two stores in São Paulo represents another significant milestone for Starbucks in our goal toward building a global brand.” Customers in São Paulo and throughout Brazil will now have an opportunity to enjoy Starbucks high quality coffee, legendary customer service, and comfortable Third Place environment, which serves our customers more than 40 million times per week worldwide. Starbucks looks forward to complementing the established coffee culture in the world’s largest coffee producing country with its version of the coffeehouse experience. "We are thrilled about opening our first Starbucks stores in Brazil,” said Maria Luisa Rodenbeck, general manager for Starbucks Brasil. "I believe our partnership with Starbucks will greatly benefit the coffee industry in Brazil. Brazilians will have career opportunities with one of the most recognized brands in coffee, new premium-quality coffees to choose from, and a sophisticated, welcoming environment where they can connect with friends and family while discovering new handcrafted beverages and food offerings.” "We are delighted to open our first stores in Brazil in São Paulo,” added Buck Hendrix, president, Starbucks Latin America. "I am particularly excited to bring the Starbucks Experience to a region that is the source of many of our extraordinary coffees and home to some of the best coffee producers in the world. We are looking forward to contributing to São Paulo’s vibrant café culture and to building a great relationship with the people of Brazil.” Among the many unique and inviting elements that make Starbucks special are its welcoming baristas, each donning a green apron and ready to prepare a customer’s favorite coffee beverage. "The customization of drinks to each customer’s specifications is one of the things that makes Starbucks special and a lot of fun for our customers,” said Flavio Guimarães and Bruno Pappa, the first two store managers for Starbucks Brazil. "Our store partners look forward to helping customers find their favorite beverage and sharing with them their coffee knowledge. We’ll take customers on regular coffee journeys where they will enjoy different varieties of coffee from Brazil and around the world.” In addition to opening its first stores in the country, Starbucks is looking forward to supporting community social projects in Brazil. Prior to opening its operations in Brazil, Starbucks partnered with Todos pela Educacao (Everybody for Education), a non-governmental organization committed to supporting educational initiatives. On November 30, the evening before the grand opening, Starbucks will host a charity event to benefit São Paulo’s Oswaldo Aranha High School. Funds raised at the event will be matched by Starbucks and used to help rebuild the school’s library. "Contributing positively to the communities in which Starbucks does business is a fundamental part of Starbucks culture,” said Hendrix. "Besides helping to build a new, larger and more modern library, we will provide all the books needed to create a better studying environment for the students,” said Rodenbeck. Oswaldo Aranha High School, which has more than 1,600 students, was selected by Starbucks because of its excellent standards and its commitment to providing the best education possible to its students. "Starbucks Brasil is pleased to have formed such a mutually beneficial and rewarding partnership,” added Rodenbeck. "We are looking forward to being involved in the local community.” About Starbucks Coffee Company Through the dedication of our passionate partners (employees), Starbucks Coffee Company has transformed the way people in 37 countries enjoy their coffee, one cup at a time. Starbucks is the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world, with more than 12,000 retail locations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. The Company is committed to offering its customers the highest quality coffee and human connection through the Starbucks Experience, while striving to improve the social, environmental and economic well being of its partners, coffee farmers, countries of coffee origin, and the communities which it serves. Through Ethos Water, Starbucks demonstrates its long history of integrating a social conscience into all aspects of its business. The Company surprises and delights its customers by producing and selling bottled Starbucks Frappuccino® coffee drinks, Starbucks DoubleShot® espresso drinks and Starbucks® superpremium ice creams through its joint-venture partnerships, and Starbucks™ Coffee and Cream Liqueurs through a marketing and distribution agreement, in other convenient locations outside its retail operations. The Company’s brand portfolio includes superpremium Tazo® teas, Starbucks Hear Music™ compact discs, Seattle’s Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia. These brands’ unique and innovative personalities allow Starbucks to appeal to a broad consumer base. About Cafés Sereia do Brasil Participações S.A. For approximately 30 years, Maria Luisa and Peter Rodenbeck, Cafés Sereia do Brasil Participações’ principals, have been at the forefront of bringing and leading several international brands in Brazil. Prior to joining Outback Steakhouse Brazil as chief financial officer, Maria Luisa was actively involved in the hospitality industry with leadership positions at United Airlines and American Airlines. Peter is renowned for having successfully introduced McDonald’s and Outback Steakhouse to the Brazilian market. Alsea S.A. de C.V., a leading operator of recognized global brands in Latin America is an equity holder in Cafés Sereia do Brasil (Starbucks Brasil). Alsea is the leading Mexican restaurant company operating Starbucks, Dominos Pizza, Burger King, Popeye’s Chicken & Seafood Grill & Bar in Mexico with more than 800 locations. Together with Starbucks Coffee International, Alsea began offering the Starbucks Experience to customers in Mexico in September, 2002. Alsea’s extensive experience in introducing global brands to Latin America includes bringing Dominos Pizza to Brazil and Burger King to Argentina and Chile. The company stock is traded in the Mexican Stock Exchange under the symbol ALSEA. http://www.businesswire.com/cnn/sbux.shtml