Thank you, partners

Every day, even through times of hardship and temporary store closures, our partners support the communities and neighborhoods we are a part of.

Through donations and community spirit, Starbucks partners across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) are helping to navigate COVID-19 and keep human connection remaining at the heart of what they do, creating a reimagined sense of community amid the chaos – at a time when our world needs it most.

We continue to make our communities stronger thanks to our partners proudly wearing the green apron.

Good things are happening, in numbers

June 11, 2020

So far, our UK store partners have given away 200,000 free beverages to NHS staff.

Whilst our UK and EMEA Distribution Centres have connected with local community groups and food banks to donate:

300,000 Beverages

150,000 Bottles of Juice

50,000 Packets of Biscuits

50,000 Bars of Chocolate

16,800 kg Whole Bean Coffee

10,000 Cakes

30 pallets of beverage components such as Hot Chocolate and other treats

Thank you, partners!

STARBUCKS SHARES A COFFEE WITH The front-line responders of Milan

May 19, 2020

At the beginning of March, Milan was one of the first cities in both Italy and Europe to face the outbreak of COVID-19. Starbucks partners responded quickly to ensure the safety of both partners and customers and shut stores across the country along with the Reserve Roastery Milano.

Partners next thoughts quickly went to those on the front-line – hospital workers, doctors, nurses, cleaning staff – who, day-in-day-out, are responding to the COVID-19 emergency.

From the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Piazza Cordusio, bags of ground coffee were sent to the city’s hospitals, ready to be enjoyed during the much-needed break from the intense work of a medical professional.

Partners even led a virtual coffee tasting, sharing the perfect brewing techniques along with information on the Roastery’s small-lot Kenya Baragwi Reserve coffee.

“It’s been intense and emotional to prepare a coffee press together with the nurses”, tells Greta, a Roastery partner. “I was happy to represent all partners on that occasion”.

This small act of kindness was a “message of closeness to the community that we passionately wish to serve”.

Starbucks On The Go gives 500,000 cups of free coffee to front-line responders

May 4, 2020

Half a million hot drinks are expected to be given away to frontline responders in the UK. Starbucks On The Go is handing out free hot drinks to emergency staff by partnering with petrol channel operators, such as Selecta. Starbucks On The Go has also donated instant coffee to 30 UK NHS hospitals, ensuring healthcare workers are stocked up for their much-needed coffee break.

Update from the Manchester Foundation Trust

April 29, 2020

To help provide a proper coffee break amongst the madness, several weeks ago we sent cups of Colombian coffee and caramel waffles to the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity - the largest trust in the country that supports ten different hospitals across Manchester and Trafford.

Starbucks waffles were packed up into wellbeing boxes alongside other donated items like fluffy socks and toiletries to help healthcare workers find a little respite after their shifts. The boxes are then handed out to NHS staff as a little pick-me-up, with more than 12,000 boxes being given out so far – almost half of the 25,000 staff working for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Every NHS worker that’s part of the efforts is included, from doctors and nurses to cleaners, porters and security guards.

Partners in Manchester gave the Manchester Foundation Trust Charity staff access to a Starbucks store next to their offices to provide some much-needed extra space, to be used as a little warehouse and store room where they can put all the wellbeing boxes together before distributing them to NHS workers across Greater Manchester and Trafford.

Scooting to Support

April 21, 2020

In the Netherlands, Sophia has been using her trusty retro scooter to support Dutch healthcare workers.

A five-year Starbucks partner (employee) and former Barista Champion, when Sophia’s Starbucks store closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, her first instinct was to think of others.

"What can we do, what are the tools and how can we use them?" Sophia asked her fellow partners, the answer was simple, coffee and community. "We came up with the idea of making coffee goodie bags for hospital staff, the people that are working so hard right now".

So she started making coffee goodie bags for hospital staff, packing up nearly 100 bags of coffee and delivering them to her local hospital, HagaZiekenhuis, by hand - via her trusty retro scooter named Iva. 

Sophia and trusty scooter, Iva.

It was far from straightforward on such a small scooter - "I had two huge shoppers full of coffee bags, my legs were hidden beneath, it was a bit of a puzzle but we made it work" – but Sophia could see first-hand how appreciated her efforts were.

"You could tell that they appreciated it a lot, even from a distance, you could see that they wanted to hug you and everything, that was a beautiful thing. They all waved and we were shouting to each other saying 'enjoy it' and 'thank you!'. To all feel part of one community, it's really nice".

With Starbucks partners and licensees all across EMEA stepping up to show their support, we’ve seen the real difference donations can make, and will continue to do all we can to support communities through COVID-19 and beyond.

Community giving continues across EMEA

April 17, 2020

Starbucks partner (employee) support for those working on the frontline of COVID-19 has continued over the last fortnight, with a further 50,000 single-serve coffees, 1600 chocolates and 1000 lemonades donated to front line services and key workers in Swansea.

Starbucks partners handed over the keys to one stores within the same building as the Manchester Foundation Charity Trust to allow staff more space to organise wellbeing packs for NHS workers which included Starbucks goodies donated by Starbucks UK a few days previously. On top of this, 50,000 units of Doubleshot espresso to Midlands NHS.

Starbucks Iberia has continued its efforts in April to donate food and drink to hospitals across Portugal and Spain. Since the beginning of the month 9,500 coffee capsules along with cups and sugar have been delivered to the Quirón hospital in Madrid, and the San José, Curry Cabral Hospital and Pedro Hispano Hospitals in Portugal.

And in France, partners have been donating coffee and pastries to local hospitals and secured special dispensation to be out of the house and reopen two Starbucks stores, specifically to provide coffee and comfort to vital frontline healthcare professionals.

Starbucks France Supporting the Unsung Healthcare Heros

April 15, 2020

Doctors and nurses across the world are supported by an integral network of hospital porters, these vital, yet often forgotten, healthcare professionals keep hospitals moving by ensuring the smooth flow of patients and equipment around a hospital site -- without them, hospitals would literally come to a standstill.

Porters at Georges-Pompidou Hospital in Paris, France, reached out to Starbucks for any support they could offer and the Starbucks France and Benelux Leadership team were quick to act. Within the week, the partners acquired the keys to two Starbucks stores, along with a permit to be out of the house and began providing coffee and comfort to the vital frontline healthcare professionals.

After making all the necessary arrangements over the phone, Majda, one of the eight partners involved in the project, recalls the first delivery the team made: "The first time we met [the hospital porters], they were so happy, we would have liked to hug each other but, of course, during this time we cannot -- it was so frustrating, honestly. It's a small thing but we are happy to do it, to support and recognise those who are doing a great job around the clock."

Preparing the large takeaway containers is no simple feat, the partners meet at 6 a.m. 3-4 times a week, spend up to two hours brewing the coffee before personally delivering. For the "full Starbucks Experience" they also include paper cups, sugar, stirrers and sweet treats from Starbucks bakery selection.

The partners are currently supporting eight hospitals and one care home, when asked how long they would be able to continue this bespoke service, Majda simply said: "as long as we have coffee and hands we will continue".

Giving Back

To our Partners

Our strength as a company comes from our partners, and as a business we are constantly assessing how else we can support our partners manage the crisis as smoothly as possible.

So today, Wednesday 8 April 2020, we’re launching our Global Partner Emergency Relief Fund, a first-of-its-kind initiative to help support our partners who find themselves facing financial hardship during these unprecedented times.

The global programme will see an initial $10million invested in providing support to the extraordinary needs of partners affected by COVID-19 in markets across EMEA, aiming to cover expenses including (but not limited to) loss of household income, urgent travel needs, back-up child care, sudden loss of home, death of a family member or partner and related funeral expenses.

It will be available from Thursday to equity partners across the UK, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Italy, and as a business we are constantly assessing how else we can support our partners and navigate our way through the chaos of COVID-19 together, as smoothly as possible.

To our UK National Health Service (NHS)

NHS workers are at the frontline of UK efforts to combat COVID-19 and Starbucks partners (employees) have been keen to show their appreciation and support.

It started with partners giving away free filter coffee to NHS, council and emergency workers and writing notes of thanks on coffee cups.

Then, when Starbucks UK announced that it would be temporarily closing all stores, partners rallied to distribute as much surplus stock as possible. Hospitals, food banks, shelters and care homes received food and drink donations from us and although stores had closed, partners took this opportunity to connect with their local communities and show their support for key workers.

More recently, Starbucks UK partners have been in touch with NHS Trusts and charities across the country to determine where the greatest need is for stock that may go to waste in Starbucks distribution centres. This includes donations from Starbucks partners themselves. Known as “mark-out”, all Starbucks partners can take home a weekly free pack of coffee to enjoy, but as stores are closed, partners are now donating their allowance to the NHS instead – with all donations being matched by Starbucks.

Early on 30 March, a delivery of 12,000 packs of Via – equivalent to 144,000 cups of coffee – was donated on behalf of partners from “mark-out” to eight health care facilities across Coventry and Manchester, England. Nearly 40,000 units of biscuits and chocolate, and over 9500 units of juice were donated at the same time.

Donations won’t end there, we also provided 50,000 coffees, 1600 chocolates and 1000 lemonades to front line services, including the NHS, in Swansea.

Partners are continuing to work with local authorities and charities to identify where there is the greatest need and where Starbucks might be able to help.

To our Communities:
Partners bring coffee and comfort across EMEA

Throughout the EMEA region partners have been supporting their local communities.

In the Middle East, Starbucks partners handed out 23,000 beverages on day one of the healthcare and frontline responder giveaway. Those receiving free drinks included scientists from Kuwait’s Ministry of Health carrying out research to better understand how best to tackle COVID-19.

Similarly, partners across the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have been donating coffee and food packages to hospitals and ambulance stations – and for the added Starbucks touch, they too have been adding words of support to their donations to thank emergency workers.

In the Netherlands, Dutch partners have donated 1,260 litres of milk, 38.5 kilograms of oranges and 21 kilograms of coffee to community cafes serving sick, elderly, care workers, refugees and the homeless. Like other markets, Dutch partners also distributed cups of coffee to local healthcare workers and local police forces.

Staying connected during COVID-19

While many Starbucks stores are temperately closed and partners are not seeing each other day-to-day, that hasn’t stopped partners being creative in the way they connect, online.

In Italy partners have created a virtual academy to connect and learn from each other and from partners globally. External speakers have also delivered seminars - such as TED talker Paolo Gallo who spoke on the importance of constant learning.

In Spain to encourage the all-important ‘hamaiketako’ (11 o’clock light refreshment), live coffee tastings have been broadcast daily via Instagram. For their most recent “café a las 11” (coffee at 11), Coffee Master Maria shared her top tips for preparing the perfect French Press.

Partners and customers alike have also been sharing pictures of their furry friends in Spain as, for many, their household pets are the only company they have while in lockdown.

And in the EMEA Support Centre, teams have shown ingenuity, creativity and fun in the ways they've chosen to stay connected. From team fitness sessions to virtual pub quizzes.

Looking Ahead

We’ve already successfully navigated many challenges throughout our 49-year history, and dealing with COVID-19 will be no different.

There is no mistaking the challenge of this moment, but with our Missions and Values at the forefront of every decision we make, we know we have the resilience to come back stronger.