Starbucks finally opens in the home of espresso

Milan : US coffee giant Starbucks opens its first branch in Italy yesterday, with the sprawling Milan ‘roastery’ at the avant garde of an ambitious plan to conquer the spiritual home of espresso. The Seattle-based multinational is taking on a mainstay of Italian culture: a thick thimbleful of powerful black liquid served at the bar in cafés throughout the country, six billion times a year, according to Italian catering federation FIPE.

Not surprising then that Starbucks, which is well-established elsewhere in Europe, has already delayed its entry into the Italian market, originally planned for early 2017. Outspoken former CEO Howard Schultz -- who quit the chain in June amid talk that he could run for the White House in 2020 -- has repeatedly said that the company would come to Italy with “humility”.

“During my first trip to Milan in 1983, I was captivated by the sense of community I found in the city’s espresso bars – the moments of human connection that passed so freely and genuinely between baristas and their customers,” said Schultz, now chairman emeritus after masterminding Starbucks worldwide expansion. The company hopes that its 2,300-square-metre (25,000 square foot) Reserve Roastery -- “the most beautiful Starbucks in the world” -- will entice customers in for a new coffee experience.