Starbucks today announced it is celebrating a milestone in its commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean opening its 1,500th store in the region and its first cafe in the iconic city of Antigua, Guatemala, to be operated by its business partner Premium Restaurants of America . Coinciding with Starbucks 20th anniversary of retail presence in the region, the store is designed to honor Antigua’s rich coffee heritage.
“We are pleased to open our 1,500th store in Latin America & the Caribbean,” said Michael Conway, group president, International and Channel Development for Starbucks. “Antigua has long been a pillar of Starbucks coffee community, and this latest store opening represents our continued investment in the region in partnership with our ten trusted licensed operators, through store expansion and by innovating and elevating the coffee experience for the thousands of customers we serve daily.”
Having shared the finest Guatemalan arabica coffee with millions of customers around the world since the company’s founding in 1971, Starbucks has worked for decades with the coffee-growing communities of Guatemala. The opening of the first Starbucks store in Antigua reflects the company’s deep respect and admiration for Guatemala’s coffee, its farmers, and its communities. Building on the company’s 50-year history with the city, Antigua became a natural destination for Starbucks to celebrate its 1,500th store.
Starbucks retail operations started in Guatemala in 2011 in partnership with PRA, which currently operates Starbucks stores in Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador. Since then, it has grown to 12 stores in the market, employing more than 200 partners (employees) in Guatemala – including the 25 newest partners located in the city of Antigua.
“We are honored to introduce the Starbucks Experience to the historic and vibrant city of Antigua,” shared Francisco Rovira, President of Premium Restaurant of America. “We look forward to continuing to drive meaningful growth in the market as we aim to deliver the Starbucks Experience to Antigua’s people, while honoring the country’s distinct coffee culture and traditions.”
As Starbucks opens its first store in the iconic city of Antigua, the company is committed to bringing the Starbucks Experience to more customers in locally relevant ways by celebrating local coffee culture and traditions.
This new store will provide customers with high-quality arabica coffee from Guatemala, featuring Guatemala Antigua year-round, as well as a selection of coffees from around the world through Starbucks handcrafted beverages prepared by passionate Starbucks barista partners, using different brewing methods like Pour Over and Chemex, as well as the traditional French Press, among others.
Located at the heart of the city and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, the new store was developed as a one-of-a-kind adaptive reuse project. The LAC Starbucks design team, in partnership with PRA, was committed to protecting and preserving the original beauty and history of the building – a private residence dating back to the 1930s – by restoring its architectural features as well as honoring Guatemala’s coffee culture through the unique design of the store and elevated coffee experience for its customers.
