Starbucks opens largest coffee destination in Southeast Asia

Coffee retailer Starbucks has opened its largest destination in Southeast Asia, the Starbucks Dewata Coffee Sanctuary, in Bali, Indonesia.

The 20,000-square-foot sanctuary includes a 1,000 square-foot coffee farm out front and a seedling nursery on the second floor of the store where customers can plant seeds. Visitors can have coffee tasting at the Starbucks Reserve bar with small-batch coffees and preparation classes and they can also participate virtually in the planting process through an interactive digital wall where they are shown how coffee is planted, processed, roasted, shipped and brewed into a cup of espresso.

The store, which features traditional Balinese craft and Indonesian art, features more than 100 Dewata-exclusive handcrafted beverages, food and merchandise, including the Lavender Latte.

According to Starbucks, their new store pays tribute to the important role that Indonesia, the fourth largest Arabica coffee growing region in the world, plays in offering high quality coffee to coffee lovers.

“We began sourcing Indonesian coffees more than four decades ago and have always been struck by the sense of community and care for the coffee journey at every step,” said Kevin Johnson, Starbucks CEO.

“The Starbucks Dewata Coffee Sanctuary amplifies our passion for the coffee journey, our ongoing commitment to Indonesia’s rich coffee culture, and our tireless pursuit of fostering moments of connection between our partners and customers.”

The new destination is one of Starbucks’ Reserve stores, which are upscale versions of the coffee chain’s typical stores. These stores are part of the company’s high-end strategy which they have introduced to their customers to give them a unique, hands-on experience at Starbucks.

There are 185 Reserve locations globally, most of them in Asia. The new Starbucks Dewata Coffee Sanctuary is the 10th Reserve location in Indonesia.

The Dewata store is also a bit similar to the four Starbucks Roasteries located in Seattle, Shanghai, Milan and New York City.

Starbucks announced it will open two more Roasteries this year, one in Tokyo and one in Chicago.

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