Starbucks Celebrates 25 years of Coffee and Connections in Thailand

Market unveils 2^nd Community Store, with plans to expand to 800 stores and 8 Community Stores by 2030

This year, Starbucks Thailand celebrates 25 years of nurturing human connection, uplifting local communities and celebrating coffee. A testament to the dedication and commitment to the Thailand market, the milestone anniversary is celebrated with a nationwide anniversary promotion and a Starbucks® Rewards member event on 7-8 July for customers. The brand has also transformed the largest store in Thailand, Starbucks Reserve® Chao Phraya Riverfront at ICONSIAM, into the 2^nd Community Store in the market.

The 25-year journey of Starbucks Thailand has seen the brand expand across 465 stores with over 4,300 partners (employees) delivering the Starbucks Experience every day. Serving over 800,000 customers every week, the brand continues to nurture relationships with customers and communities, by creating more opportunities to connect over coffee.

“I am very grateful to our customers and partners for their continuous support of Starbucks Thailand throughout the years,” said Nednapa Srisamai, managing director, Starbucks Thailand. “We are committed to connecting with all cultures and customers while continuing to raise the bar on coffee quality and craft, elevating coffee experience for our customers for many years to come.”

The company plans to expand to 800 stores, including 8 Community Stores by 2030, reaffirming the commitment to accelerate growth across one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic markets and deepen its relations with local communities.

25^th Anniversary celebration event and limited-edition merchandise

On 7-8 July, the 25^th Anniversary Starbucks® Rewards member event took place at Suralai Hall, ICONSIAM 7^th Floor where Starbucks® Rewards members enjoyed celebration activities including engaging in fun games and tasting sessions of exclusive coffee such as Princi^TM Blend, Reserve Galapagos La Tortuga, and more. Limited-edition collectible merchandise such as the 25^th Anniversary Bling Cold Cup and community merchandise sourced from local Thai communities; Benjarong collection and Water Hyacinth tote bag, were also available only at the event.

Transforming the ICONSIAM flagship store to further uplift communities

The Starbucks Community Store creates an environment where partners can connect and engage with the communities they serve in unique ways. The new Community Store at ICONSIAM, Starbucks Thailand’s largest store, will have a meaningful impact on local communities through a profit-sharing business model where 10 baht (approximately 30 cents USD) from every handcrafted coffee beverage sold will be equally shared between two nonprofit organizations, Integrated Tribal Development Foundation (ITDF) and Scholars of Sustenance (SOS). Two community rooms will also be available as dedicated space to conduct training sessions and community activities by ITDF and SOS. This new Community Store supports Starbucks global commitment to open 1000 Community Stores by 2030.

“This new Community Store at ICONSIAM speaks to our brand promise to help nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection and move towards a more sustainable future, as we continue to focus on the wellbeing of our coffee farming communities in the northern part of Thailand,” added Nednapa.

Meaningful partnership to support and uplift communities

Starbucks Thailand is committed to supporting programs that create meaningful local impact, expanding on the company’s ambition to enhance the well-being of all who connect with the company, from coffee-growing communities to families in neighborhoods around its stores. 

Since the launch of Thailand’s first Community Store in 2013 in the Langsuan neighborhood of Bangkok, Starbucks Thailand has contributed over 17 million baht (approximately $500,000 USD) through a profit-sharing business model, with 5% of sales from Muan Jai™ Blend coffee bean and 10 baht from every Starbucks® beverage purchased at the Community Store going to support coffee farming communities in Northern Thailand. These contributions enabled The Integrated Tribal Development Foundation (ITDF) to implement initiatives ranging from providing clean drinking water, schools and facilities, to training for villagers and coffee facilitators to support hilltribe farmers in coffee quality control and C.A.F.E. practices.

With a focus on minimizing food waste and improving access to nutritious food for all, Starbucks Thailand partners with SOS to collect unsold food from participating Starbucks® stores in Bangkok, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai and Phuket, to deliver to communities in need.  From July 2022 to date, over 18,000 kg of meals have been collected from Starbucks Thailand stores and delivered to underserved communities, while more than 1.45 million baht ($44,620 USD) has been donated to SOS by The Starbucks Foundation to support SOS Rescue Kitchen Program to improve access to nutritious food in vulnerable communities. 

In addition to ITDF and SOS, Starbucks Thailand has a long history of working with Books for Children, which promotes literacy through local reading events, book corners and community libraries. Recent Global Community Impact Grants from The Starbucks Foundation are helping to expand the Reading Hero project to youth and families in underserved communities.

Sustainable growth, by giving more than we take

Starbucks Thailand is committed to delivering a sustainable future through the reduction of carbon emissions, wastewater, and waste footprint, starting with the introduction of  Starbucks Greener Stores in Thailand.

The framework, co-developed with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), includes a set of 25 performance-based standards across environmental impact areas such as energy efficiency, water stewardship, and waste diversion, designed to accelerate the transformation of retail towards lower-impact stores, supporting the company’s 2030 goals of reducing carbon, water, and waste footprints by 50%.

To date, Thailand has certified three Greener Stores that operate entirely on electricity and feature precise energy monitoring capabilities using a detailed energy management system (EMS) that captures energy use data in real-time to maintain high performance and efficiency. The system will enable the stores to identify inefficiencies and help control and conserve energy in the future.

In addition, Starbucks Thailand is supporting customers to make more sustainable choices through reusable programs such as For-Here-Ware and Reusable Cup Program, with customers receiving a 10-baht discount when bringing their own tumblers to stores, as well as the Grounds for Your Garden program, where everyone can pick up a bag of coffee grounds for free to enrich their gardens and compost at home.

“The future is not only about growth, but also about giving back to the families and communities of our coffee farmers, nurturing the wellbeing of our partners and their connections to coffee, serving quality cups of coffee and beverages to our customers, to give back more than we take and to uplift our communities through social impact initiatives,” said Nednapa. “With every cup, with every conversation, and with every community, Starbucks Thailand is working towards the mutual success of everyone; from coffee farmers to our partners (employees), to customers, to business partners, and to our local communities”.