Starbucks launches in Rosebank

Starbucks South Africa opened its doors on the cold, misty morning of 21 April.

People started queuing from midnight outside the doors just to be the first to taste the fare. Opened by Starbucks Coffee Company and Taste Holdings, it is located on the corner of Cradock and Tyrwhitt avenues in Rosebank. The store offers a wide range of Starbucks beverages and food, including Starbucks’ ethically-sourced 100 percent arabica coffee.

Present at the official opening was Starbucks vice president, licenced operations Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and UK retail, Rhys Iley, who commented, “This is a milestone for Starbucks and we are delighted to have arrived in South Africa. With Taste Holdings, we will deliver the special Starbucks experience for our new South African customers, a place for the community to gather and connect over a great cup of coffee.”

The Rosebank-based store combines inspiration from the very first Starbucks store located in Pike Place in Seattle, USA, and the vibrant Rosebank neighbourhood, according to IIey.

“This store will not only offer amazing coffee and world-class customer service, but it is a representation of our commitment to South Africa through its localised design,” said Taste Holdings chief executive officer, Carlo Gonzaga.

“We also carefully considered South African customers’ tastes when we developed our menu and customers can expect local products such as rooibos tea,” added Gonzaga.

“I have been in this line for the past two hours in the cold, but it is so worth it,” commented Kristen Dalton, a customer.

For the coffee connoisseur, the store hosts an intimate coffee theatre and tasting experience with its Starbucks Reserve Bar. The bar offers single origin, small batch coffees sourced from around the world, with a variety of brewing methods including syphon, pour-over, the Clover™ brewing system, and all espresso beverages will be made with a Black Eagle espresso machine. Starbucks sources coffee from nine countries in Africa and two of the first reserve coffees on offer will be Burundi Morambi and Kenya Kaganda.

“I am so overjoyed with the experience. I woke up at 4.30am just to come stand in the line. It feels amazing, it feels like I was on holiday the moment I tasted the coffee,” expressed a happy customer, Nazia Dinat.

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Details: www.starbucks.co.za