At Starbucks, we have always been about bringing people together and strengthening the communities we serve. Across Asia, Starbucks is working with like-minded organizations to drive positive impact in local communities, while bringing our partners and customers together to leverage our scale for good and achieve meaningful change.

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Providing Hunger Relief in the Philippines through Starbucks FoodShare program

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In March, we expanded the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2022/starbucks-strengthens-commitment-to-hunger-relief-in-the-philippines/">Starbucks FoodShare food donation program</a>, which donates unsold food and distributes it to people facing hunger. A program that started with 40 stores in the Metro Manila area has now expanded to 238 stores across the Philippines.

Starbucks partner Juan Carlo “JC” Cruz, a store manager in Manila, has played a key role in bringing this program to life. His store at Ayala North Exchange donates its end-of-day food to the Philippine Food Bank Foundation, which then distributes it to children and under-resourced families.

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“The FoodShare program opened my eyes to the fact that being a Starbucks partner goes beyond handcrafting beverages. It is about walking our talk in uplifting humanity through the different communities we are a part of,” says JC.

As the day ends, JC and his team sort through the unsold perishable food items, getting them ready for the Philippine Food Foundation to collect and distribute. Once checked for quality, food like the local sweet bread roll pandesal, Danish pastries, and sausage rolls are all donated to those in need.

As a partner and an active member of the community, JC has immersed himself in the program. “The FoodShare program elevates us in a way that we are able to show our dedication to fulfilling our social and civic responsibilities,” he says. “We always look for ways to help our community by joining organizations that advocate ending issues like hunger. As much as we can, we try to provide a greater impact, one store at a time.”

And JC can see the ripple effect on customers too.&nbsp; “ Programs like this raise awareness of the unseen struggles faced by the underprivileged,” he says.

Empowering Young People with The Starbucks Foundation Grants

The <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2022/supporting-youth-empowerment-hunger-relief-and-inclusion-diversity-in-asia-pacific/">Global Community Impact Grants</a> are part of The Starbucks Foundation’s commitment to invest US$30 million by 2030 to drive locally relevant impact. The Grants were announced in March 2022, and fund programs that create meaningful local impact, expanding on the company’s people positive ambition to enhance the well-being of all who connect with Starbucks.

In Asia Pacific, The Starbucks Foundation aims to invest in youth, and in 2022 awarded 24 grants across 10 markets in Asia Pacific, with a focus on uplifting, creating opportunities and building connections with young people.

Among the grantees is The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, the city’s largest youth service organization. The grant will support the Career Starter program, which aims to provide 60 young people with basic digital skills, internships, and core skills for work readiness.

“We are thrilled to work with Starbucks to launch the Career Starter that empowers young people and can unleash their potential,” says Vicky Kwong, Supervisor at The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups. “Career Starter will provide disadvantaged young people not only with digital skills, training workshops and job shadowing, but also with opportunities for internships and community services.”

With digital transformation and artificial intelligence reshaping the future workplace, teaching digital skills to young people is crucial to helping them reach their full potential. Beyond enhancing participants’ competitiveness and employability, the program aims to give young people a safe space to explore careers in the IT sector and more. To further support participants’ development of skills to succeed in the workplace, Starbucks partners will serve as guest mock interviewers to help build confidence and experience.

Elsewhere across the region, Starbucks is also promoting the love of reading with children in Cambodia, while uplifting girls and women in Malaysia through the support from the Starbucks Foundation.

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Since 2017, Starbucks has worked with The Asia Foundation in Cambodia on a project called "Let's Read!”, which is all about building positive reading habits in children.

With Starbucks support, the project has brought together local talent to create storybooks, including “Kaldi and the Dancing Goats” and “A Treat for Everyone”, which were sold at local Starbucks stores to raise money for “Let’s Read!”. Starbucks has also supported efforts to put more Khmer language books in the hands of children, including a digital translation event that brought together young volunteers and language experts to translate 20 storybooks exploring women’s empowerment.

Commenting on the initiative, The Asia Foundation said: “Starbucks was an early and consistent supporter of “Let’s Read!”. Our collaboration with Starbucks has created fun and educational stories for children in Cambodia and built strong reading habits.”

Starbucks and The Asia Foundation will launch a local community reading campaign later this year, whilst conducting additional library refurbishments, and provide read aloud training in schools.

In Malaysia, Starbucks is contributing to the Vocational Training Opportunity Centre (VTOC) transformational project, a community-led initiative by YWCA Kuala Lumpur. The grant will be utilized over three years to enhance the VTOC courses, as well as equip the students with the knowledge and abilities required to thrive in an ever-changing, dynamic, and uncertain environment.

Kartiyani Palaniandy, who graduated from the program in 2017, reflects on her experience.

“The program really helped me build my confidence, both externally and within myself,” she says. “The program facilitators helped us get out of our shells and made us proud of ourselves and everything we are capable of. They taught us how to be brave, confident, and to think smarter. It really helped me a lot.”

When asked about the most useful skills she learned from the program, Kartiyani says beauty and hair. Today, Kartiyani is proudly self-employed, running her own makeup artist business – an achievement she credits to the skills she learned and confidence she gained through the program. She’s also an assistant teacher for the VTOC’s beauty care class.

No matter what goals other women and girls have, she thinks there is value in going through the program: “VTOC is a great place to find strength within ourselves, achieving things we didn’t think were possible. The facilitators have given us a helping hand and appreciated everything that we do. I truly believe that VTOC has made us all better versions of ourselves.”

As we build on the momentum of these inspiring initiatives, together with our partners, non-profit partners, and local communities, we’re committed to making a continued positive impact on the communities that we serve across Asia and beyond – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.

Doing good together: How Starbucks is making communities stronger in Asia : Starbucks Stories Asia

Starbucks Stories Asia

Doing good together: How Starbucks is making communities stronger in Asia

At Starbucks, we have always been about bringing people together and strengthening the communities we serve. Across Asia, Starbucks is working with like-minded organizations to drive positive impact in local communities, while bringing our partners and customers together to leverage our scale for good and achieve meaningful change. Providing Hunger Relief in the Philippines through […]

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https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2022/doing-good-together-how-starbucks-is-making-communities-stronger-in-asia/

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Every day, across the globe, our partners support the communities in our stores and the neighborhoods we are a part of. Our success at Starbucks is because of our partners (employees) and we are committed to supporting them as they achieve their dreams. As we embark on the company’s next chapter together, we are sharing the inspiring stories of three partners from across Asia, showing how their Starbucks journey has helped them feel welcome, while enhancing their well-being and growth.

“It’s a place where people can really develop themselves”: Vennibell Jotiol, supervisor at the Penang Signing Store, Malaysia

In Malaysia, the Starbucks Penang Signing Store is an inclusive store format where partners have created a welcoming environment to engage, represent, and connect with the communities they serve. Through the partnership with the Penang Deaf Association, Starbucks offers professional training and development for both Deaf and hard of hearing partners and hearing partners to provide service to customers in Malaysian Sign Language.

Starbucks Malaysia partner Vennibell Jotiol started working there in November 2019, after learning about the development opportunities it created for Deaf and hard of Hearing people.

At the store, partners feel a sense of belonging. Vennibell says, “The local Deaf community has always been supportive. We routinely host gatherings for Penang Deaf Association Committee members to meet and interact.”

“Since I joined, I’ve progressed into a shift supervisor role, which is a big achievement for me,” Vennibell says. “At Starbucks, we learn a lot of things and are at the frontlines, where we serve customers and develop ourselves to the next level.”

When thinking about her long-term career at Starbucks, Vennibell shared her aspiration, “My goal is to become the first Deaf store manager. Starbucks has taught me so much and it’s a place where people can really develop themselves, I have the opportunity to grow and achieve my dream.” “My favorite thing about my job is serving and meeting new people and being able to find ways to communicate with our customers, whether they are Deaf or not,” Vennibell says. “To be able to see how people are willing to adapt to your disability is very meaningful for me.”

Partners at the Penang Signing Store are encouraged to share and celebrate sign language culture with customers, while building deeper relationships within the community.

“What we’ve done together at our store is to actively teach our customers basic sign language and also how to sign their favorite beverages,” Vennibell says. “Most of our customers and colleagues are from the local Deaf community. They enjoy communicating with us and that has allowed us to get to know a lot of people from the Deaf community, who will also bring their Deaf and hearing friends from overseas to visit the store.”

“I’m really thankful for the closing shift. It means I can attend college during the day because of the flexibility working in the evening provides.” Mona Metri, shift supervisor at the Maker Maxity Mall Store, Mumbai

Mona Metri, an eight-year Tata Starbucks partner, believes that anything is possible with the right mindset, and refers to Starbucks as her second home. In India, it is essential for companies to provide the required conditions for women to work night shifts in India. Committed to provide an inclusive and supportive work environment, Starbucks launched The Women Transportation Program in October 2021, offering female partners who work late closing shifts a safe way to get home with a chauffeur-driven car with GPS tracking.

“Previously, only male partners worked closing shifts,” Mona, who currently leads the closing shift at the BKC Jio Drive Store, something made possible with the Women Transportation Program explains. “We used to worry about doing it alone, but once I had worked a late shift, I realized it was no big deal. You just have to focus and thoroughly understand the system. My family was invited to the store by the leadership team, who provided reassurance to partners and their families by addressing all of our concerns and questions.”

This program enables our female partners to make career choices that support their growth by offering them the flexibility and safety to choose shifts that meet their personal needs and career aspirations.

“I find my personal values align perfectly with my work,” Mona says. “I can attend college during the day because of the flexibility night shifts provide. My store’s management team is extremely helpful and adaptable.”

Mona has learned a lot in the role, including inventory management, checking for variances, and setting the store up for the next day. But she says the best part about working the closing shift is singing with her friends as they head home in a chauffeured car: “singing, cracking jokes, dancing, whatever it is – it all helps to build self-confidence. I’m really thankful for the exposure the closing shift provides. It’s a beautiful experience. I feel knowledgeable and empowered.”

“The best part for me was making true friends with my fellow partners”: Byung Yup Kim, assistant store manager at Starbucks Coffee Korea

In South Korea, partners are participating in the College Achievement Plan, which provides tuition support. To date, 228 partners have achieved four-year bachelor’s degrees from Hanyang Cyber University with more than 1,500 partners participated in the program . Last year, assistant store manager Byung Yup Kim graduated with honors and reflects on the experience of earning his degree while working as an assistant store manager.

“I had to take classes after work on the days when I had morning shifts, and on days I went to work in the afternoons, I had to take classes before going to work,” Byung Yup says. “Perhaps I could have been less stressed if I took it more lightheartedly. But I was eager to do it right, and as a result, I graduated with good grades.”

The university offers 35 majors online, and Byung Yup decided to major in English Studies after having studied conversational English at a language academy. The program allowed him the flexibility to balance his studies with his career at Starbucks.

“I think this degree is a kind of medal that I have received for studying at the same time as working,” he reflects. “And no matter what hardships come along my way in the future, I want to use this degree to remind me of how strong I was in the past, and to help me to move forward.”

Byung Yup’s time at the store was rich experience – he learned new skills and made life-long friends.

“It’s especially interesting to work together closely, such as in the bar area, and achieve something together,” he said. “It allowed me to build bonds to the point where I’d be able to really get to know other partners personally, their strengths and weaknesses, habits, preferences, and more.”

Now that Byung Yup has earned his degree, he has been thinking about new goals for himself, which include further studies and developing his skills and career growth as a manager.

Reinforcing Starbucks commitment to partners

Whether it’s building communities, providing partners with peace-of-mind or giving them the flexibility to pursue their ambitions, we are committed to elevating the partner experience. To find out more about how Starbucks is creating meaningful opportunities to our partners visit: <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/opportunity/">https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/opportunity/</a>

“I know I have the opportunity to grow and achieve my dream”: Meet 3 partners across Asia achieving their dreams with Starbucks : Starbucks Stories Asia

“I know I have the opportunity to grow and achieve my dream”: Meet 3 partners across Asia achieving their dreams with Starbucks

Every day, across the globe, our partners support the communities in our stores and the neighborhoods we are a part of. Our success at Starbucks is because of our partners (employees) and we are committed to supporting them as they achieve their dreams.As we embark on the company’s next chapter together, we are sharing the […]

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https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2022/i-know-i-have-the-opportunity-to-grow-and-achieve-my-dream-meet-3-partners-across-asia-achieving-their-dreams-with-starbucks/

A coffee newbie turned Regional Barista Champion; a barista who became a district manager; a regional latte art coach who shares her love of coffee; and a Regional Coffee Stories Champion who now shares her coffee knowledge online: meet four Starbucks partners reaching new heights through their passion for coffee.

Yong: A love for coffee that has carried her around the world

When Nopparat Arpornsuwan, known as “Yong,” started working at Starbucks Thailand in 2002, her favorite beverage was hot chocolate. But her passion for coffee was sparked when she experienced her first coffee tasting through a fellow barista’s demonstration instore. “My first coffee love was a Caffe Verona pairing with a chocolate fudge brownie,” she says.

Since then, Yong’s love for coffee has grown, and through her passion and dedication in crafting the perfect cup for customers, she has progressed from part-time barista to District Coffee Master and became the district manager of the Langsuan-Chidlom area. In 2016, she took up the challenge to participate at the Regional Barista Championship in Hong Kong, where she won against competition from across the Asia Pacific region to be crowned Regional Barista Champion.

Yong was determined to make Thailand proud through her coffee craft. “The Championship was my first business trip abroad, and I wanted to show everyone my culture, and how there’s been a smile at every step of my coffee-making journey,” says Yong.

As Asia Pacific’s barista champion, Yong was invited to Seattle to experience working as a barista at the original Starbucks Pike Place store, and visited the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. “It was a dream come true to share my coffee craft with our partners and customers in Seattle,” says Yong. “I miss them every day!”

Sharing her passion for coffee is now a big part of her life. Yong now invites partners on coffee journeys through sharing her knowledge and skills on coffee craftmanship, inspiring partners the same way she was inspired in the beginning. Her advice to aspiring baristas: “Come and explore the world of coffee. Leave your comfort zone and experience new things like I did in the Barista Championship. You have no idea how far your coffee journey could take you.”

Miguel: A flourishing career shaped by his passion for coffee

“I have been here for eight years, starting when I was only 21,” says Miguel Bautista from Starbucks Philippines. “My journey guided me as I matured in life.”

Like Yong, Miguel’s coffee journey started from the very beginning. He came to Starbucks because he trusted the brand and saw it as a leader in the Philippines, not because he loved coffee or knew much about it. “I just thought I needed a job, and might as well work for a brand that I trust,” he says.

Miguel has never been more nervous than on his first day with the company. But his attention was quickly taken by the way partners worked with each other and interacted with customers. After witnessing that, he says “I knew I had made the right choice.” His curiosity developed as he learned from his colleagues, particularly his mentor, the District Manager.

Fast-forward to the present day, and Miguel is now a Coffee Master, and Coffee Ambassador of Starbucks Philippines.

And only three years after joining as a part-time barista, Miguel won the first Starbucks Philippines Barista Championship, in 2017. When he entered the competition, he didn’t think he would be able to deliver, but his district manager supported him every step of the way.

“When they announced me as the winner, I didn’t know how to feel. I didn’t realize what winning meant until my family and colleagues greeted me back at the airport.” They had made a banner congratulating him. “It made me so emotional to know my story touched the hearts of so many people. It inspired me even more,” says Miguel.

Since winning, his passion for coffee has grown and grown. Miguel has helped train partners, opened Reserve stores, and met customers from different places who were inspired by his story. And alongside that coffee journey, Miguel has grown in his role and responsibilities. He’s progressed from barista to barista trainer, to shift supervisor, to store manager trainee. He now aspires to become a district manager.

Reflecting on his time with Starbucks Miguel says, “My Starbucks journey is the best I have ever had. My experiences have helped me to look at the beauty in everything. Believe in yourself despite the challenges that may seem hard to overcome.”

Evelyn: Learning and growing through competition

Evelyn Chiu from Taiwan always tells aspiring baristas, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.”

In her time with Starbucks, Evelyn has been inspired to improve her coffee skills through competitions, and is now passionate about sharing latte art. For her, Starbucks is a place where you can thrive and develop your skills.

Evelyn joined Starbucks as a barista in 2018. Her enthusiasm for coffee grew as she learned on the job, and met more people through coffee. “I had a lot of questions of coffee at first,” she says. “I found that the more I learned about coffee, the more attractive it became to me.”

The passion and enthusiasm of other partners also inspired her, and the results are clear. She became a supervisor within a year of joining. The next year she became a Coffee Master.

In 2021, Evelyn was crowned the Starbucks Taiwan Latte Art Champion. She’s trained contestants from Taiwan for Latte Art competitions, and was a special judge for the Singapore Latte Art Throwdown, an experience she calls, “unforgettable”.

The competitions have been fun experiences for Evelyn, but above all, they’ve been opportunities to learn and grow. “From my first competition onwards, I have had the mindset that I want to test my skills. Competitions have always been a way to enhance my abilities.”

Evelyn has also converted her friends and family into coffee enthusiasts: her mom now enjoys different roasts, and her friend is now experimenting too. “It feels like a real accomplishment when I help people love and understand coffee.”

She also shares her passion by conducting online lectures about latte art, and has become the region’s latte art coach. "Every day is busy, but also fulfilling,” she says.

Evelyn’s next ambition is even greater: “I want to stand on the world stage of latte art.”

Shafiqah: Challenging herself by learning every day

Shafiqah from Singapore educates customers and partners about coffee using social media – for example sharing information about ethical sourcing on YouTube.

That meant pushing herself always be learning – something she’s continued in her current role. “As a barista, I continuously seek out coffee knowledge. If I learn something that I did not know before, I share it with other partners.”

In 2021, she won the Title of Regional Coffee Stories Champion. “It was a great honor and pleasure for me to be able to represent my partners in Singapore and make them proud,” she says. “I joined the competition as the theme of sustainability resonates with what I believe strongly about, which is to leave a legacy behind for future generations.”

She shared her coffee passion by hosting a coffee tasting for partners from the Asia Pacific region. It’s something she believes motivated more partners to enter coffee competitions. She is also continuing to inspire others as a guest judge for Starbucks Singapore competitions.

Shafquah’s next goal is to win a spot or even a title at the National Coffee Competition. That means she’s spending even more time immersing herself in the world of coffee. “Coffee has so much more going on behind it than meets the eye”, she says.

“With a wider audience, I hope to make coffee more accessible and enable more people to appreciate and learn about it.”

She tells aspiring baristas to challenge themselves by being open to continuous learning. “There is so much to know about coffee that the learning does not stop. The connection people have with coffee is so magical. Nothing beats it.”

Meet Four Starbucks partners reaching their personal bests through their passion for coffee : Starbucks Stories Asia

Meet Four Starbucks partners reaching their personal bests through their passion for coffee

A coffee newbie turned Regional Barista Champion; a barista who became a district manager; a regional latte art coach who shares her love of coffee; and a Regional Coffee Stories Champion who now shares her coffee knowledge online: meet four Starbucks partners reaching new heights through their passion for coffee. Yong: A love for coffee […]

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8,535 lattes, 35 brewed coffees, 16 French Presses and 300 espresso-based beverages.&nbsp; This is the number of beverages passionate Starbucks partners handcrafted at the China, Japan and Asia Pacific Regional Barista Championships 2022.

From 11 to 20 October 2022, after months of market competitions which saw 17,775&nbsp;partners compete for a coveted place in the regional championships, 60 Starbucks partners from 14 markets made it to the regional competition.&nbsp;

The two-week virtual championships saw competitors come together to compete across three competitions; Coffee Stories, Latte Art and a new event for Green Apron partners, designed to celebrate teamwork and elevate beverage quality and customer experience, the Ultimate Barista Team Challenge.

Congratulations to the three competition Champions and to all partners who participated

Coffee Stories Champion - Victoria Kater, Starbucks Philippines Market Latte Art Champion - Irwan Syahril Fajar, Starbucks Indonesia Market Ultimate Barista Team Challenge - Starbucks Thailand Market partners Phakamat Kenglee, Phiraphat Phraaphaiwong, Hathairat Kaewprachu Thoop

Victoria, Coffee Stories Champion, said “This has been an amazing journey filled with learning and growth and it has been honour to represent my market. This competition gave me the chance to showcase how Starbucks creates a sustainable coffee future for all and a platform to be able to inspire other partners to do the same and help where they can.”

This year’s competition submissions raised the bar, making the job of our experienced judging panel even more difficult.&nbsp; After the excitement of the semifinals, the finalists competed for the title of Champion in the Grand Final, as partners cheered them on online and at watch parties across the region.

Irwan, Latte Art Champion, was overwhelmed by the support he received and had a special message for partners.&nbsp; “I thank you for being a support system for me…without the help and support of a team I would not have been able to give my best performance.

An event for all partners

The championships were not just an event for competitors. Partners across the region joined the fun through the new Coffee Community website, watching LIVE competitions, earning cherries on the website, creating their own barista avatars and pouring their own latte art.&nbsp;

This year, the Pour Your Heart Challenge really captured the imagination of our partners with 4 latte art challenges held over the two weeks; heart, rosetta, tulip and swan.&nbsp; 8,369 talented partners submitted their designs which were reviewed by a team of dedicated HKSC judges, with the top 10 from each design celebrated on the @partnercoffeestories Instagram and shared through the RBC e-newsletter.

Celebrating our partners' love for coffee

The Regional Barista Championships is not only a showcase of barista skill and craft, it also provides an opportunity to create moments of connection and storytelling over coffee and embraces the Starbucks mission and values.&nbsp; Inspired by our partners and their passion for coffee, this annual event is truly a platform to celebrate their commitment to working to ensure a sustainable future of coffee for all.

“Our partners are the heart and core of Starbucks and I am so proud of the work our baristas do every day, and I am delighted that we are able to hold an event in our region that represents the work of our green and black apron partners that creates meaningful moment for our customers,” said Emmy Kan, president, Asia Pacific Region. “This event continues to inspire me in what is possible through passion for coffee and connections”.

Starbucks celebrates partners’ coffee talent and craft at Barista Championships 2022 : Starbucks Stories Asia

Starbucks celebrates partners’ coffee talent and craft at Barista Championships 2022

Starbucks celebrates coffee talent and passion at Barista Championships in Asia Pacific.

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On September 1, Starbucks stores in Japan will offer new seasonal beverages developed by four Starbucks partners (employees) for a limited time. The partners, who've earned the title of Starbucks Coffee Ambassador through a nation-wide competition, collaborated to create a lineup that celebrates fall flavors, autumn ingredients and the passionate coffee craft of Starbucks partners.

Available across Japan, the Marrone Cassis Frappuccino® blended beverage features an exquisite combination of earthy chestnut, bright and sweet blackcurrant, and Starbucks signature coffee.

Customers in East Japan, Central Japan and West Japan will also be able to try new region-exclusive beverages:

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New fall beverages created by Starbucks Japan baristas : Starbucks Stories Asia

New fall beverages created by Starbucks Japan baristas

New beverages designed by Starbucks Japan partners arrive in stores this fall.

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