It’s time to hit refresh this summer - and Starbucks Refresha® range does just that, with the arrival of three refreshingly fruity flavours in Starbucks stores across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

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Joining the menu are two berry-flavoured options: the Pink Coconut Starbucks Refresha® Drink and Strawberry Açaí Starbucks Refresha® Drink, as well as the Cool Lime Starbucks Refresha® Drink, all developed to add a fruity burst to your day.

Hand-crafted with real fruit pieces, the drinks have been designed to offer ultimate hydration, with all the same personalisation, taste, and innovation you expect from the Starbucks Experience.

Pink Coconut Starbucks Refresha® Drink: Perfectly pastel pink in hue and ready to revitalise your afternoon, its a bold combination of strawberry flavours and creamy coconut dairy alternative, paired with real strawberry pieces for a drink that’s practically pink in every way.

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Strawberry Açaí Starbucks Refresha® Drink: Is strawberry your go-to summer staple? For ultimate summer refreshment, its unique flavour of açaí gives depth to the drink, before being topped with real strawberries for a fruity blast.

Cool Lime Starbucks Refresha® Drink: Say hello to a zingy and zesty blend of lime and citrus, shaken over ice and garnished with a slice of lime.

Real fruit, real cold, and of course, really delicious, availability at Starbucks stores across the region will depend on local market, while stocks last.

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Starbucks introduces new deliciously pink and zesty beverages for summer Refresha® range - Starbucks Stories EMEA

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Starbucks introduces new deliciously pink and zesty beverages for summer Refresha® range

It’s time to hit refresh this summer &#8211; and Starbucks Refresha® range does just that, with the arrival of three refreshingly fruity flavours in Starbucks stores across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Joining the menu are two berry-flavoured options: the Pink Coconut Starbucks Refresha® Drink and Strawberry Açaí Starbucks Refresha® Drink, as well as […]

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Adding a burst of colour to customer’s days and livening up their April, Starbucks is launching a bold new beverage to menus this week: the Bubbletastic Frappuccino® Blended Beverage.

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A feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds, the Bubbletastic Frappuccino® Blended Beverage features a sensational combination of icy blue bubblegum-flavour base, topped with whipped cream, and finished with hot pink popping candy to bring little bubbles of excitement to every sip.

A limited-edition drink, the eye-catching new addition owes its vivid blue hues to spirulina, a natural blue-green algae.

Launching at various dates from 10 April in Starbucks stores across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, the blue-tiful new drink is known under two different names depending on where you are in the world.

In the UK and Republic of Ireland, ask your Starbucks barista for the Bubbletastic when ordering, but in all other stores across the EMEA region, the same bubbly beverage is known as the Bubblepop, paying homage to its fizzy, popping candy topping.

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To celebrate the launch, Ru Paul Drag Race UK’s very own Blu Hydrangea incorporated all the sensational elements of the drink into a bespoke Bubbletastic Frappuccino® Blended Beverage inspired makeup look, combining an explosion of icy blues and hot pinks with bubble detailing.

Available in select EMEA markets from 10 April, with launch periods dependent on country. Check your local Starbucks App or website for availability. Or, to find your nearest store,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.starbucks.com/store-locator">click here.</a>

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Starbucks brightens up EMEA welcoming new Bubbletastic Frappuccino Blended Beverage - Starbucks Stories EMEA

Starbucks brightens up EMEA welcoming new Bubbletastic Frappuccino Blended Beverage

Adding a burst of colour to customer’s days and livening up their April, Starbucks is launching a bold new beverage to menus this week: the Bubbletastic Frappuccino® Blended Beverage. A feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds, the Bubbletastic Frappuccino® Blended Beverage features a sensational combination of icy blue bubblegum-flavour base, topped with […]

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https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2021/starbucks-brightens-up-emea-welcoming-new-bubbletastic-frappuccino-blended-beverage/

Starbucks celebrates 50 years with special Anniversary Blend A bold blend ethically sourced exclusively from Indonesia Testament to the past and a celebration of the future

At Starbucks, we celebrate milestones with coffee, from a single store at Pike Place Market to more than 32,000 stores globally, the limited-edition Starbucks® Anniversary Blend celebrates our milestone of 50 years.

This year’s Starbucks® Anniversary Blend – a full-bodied, robust, and undeniably bold coffee – is ethically sourced exclusively from Indonesia, the esteemed coffee growing region that has inspired us since 1971.

In terms of taste, Anniversary Blend has herbal characteristics, layers of spice notes and a smooth buttery mouthfeel, synonymous with the Indonesian growing region. It is a smooth coffee, with complex notes of smoked cedar, allspice, lingering accents of black truffle, and fresh tarragon.

We created Starbucks® Anniversary Blend in 1996 to celebrate our 25th anniversary. The siren is the star of the bag, with each Anniversary Blend having it’s very own uniquely created siren. This year’s siren, specially designed for Starbucks 50th, is reflecting on our heritage and boldly looking to the future…

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The coffee tree in the sirens hands represents that coffee is at our heart, inspiring our craft and driving innovation—in our drinks, our food, our stores, and new ways we bring the Starbucks Experience to you wherever you are.

<a href="https://www.conservation.org/partners/starbucks">Conservation International and Starbucks</a>, joined by more than 130 other organisations, have a collective mission to make coffee the world’s first sustainable agricultural product. Today, 99 percent of the coffee Starbucks buys around the world is verified under its<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2018/coffee-farming-adapts-in-the-face-of-climate-change/">&nbsp;Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices</a>, which has helped farmers improve their environmental performance and weather the impacts of climate change for more than 15 years.

As we celebrate our 50th anniversary this year, we’re excited to share this amazing coffee with you, and raise a cup in celebration of our future.

Anniversary Blend is available for a limited time at participating stores across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. To find your nearest store,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.starbucks.com/store-locator">click here.</a> Order in store, via the Starbucks App, or on Starbucks Delivers.

Anniversary Blend, the coffee that encapsulates 50 years of Starbucks - Starbucks Stories EMEA

Anniversary Blend, the coffee that encapsulates 50 years of Starbucks

Starbucks celebrates 50 years with special Anniversary BlendA bold blend ethically sourced exclusively from IndonesiaTestament to the past and a celebration of the future At Starbucks, we celebrate milestones with coffee, from a single store at Pike Place Market to more than 32,000 stores globally, the limited-edition Starbucks® Anniversary Blend celebrates our milestone of 50 […]

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https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2021/anniversary-blend-the-coffee-that-encapsulates-50-years-of-starbucks/

Introducing the newest way to enjoy your coffee: Starbucks™ Original Nut Blend, the latest dairy alternative to join Starbucks growing vegan line-up.

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Joining oat, almond, soya, and coconut, Starbucks now offers five dairy alternatives in select EMEA markets, the arrival of new Nut Blend follows in the footsteps of recent plant-based innovations in EMEA, including the Vegan Whipped Topping in EMEA in 2020, as a dairy-free alternative to whipped cream, as Starbucks continues to drive menu innovation and expand our plant-based options to meet the growing interest of customers.

Starbucks™ Original Nut Blend is available in select markets across Europe, including the United Kingdom, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, in-store, at the Drive Thru or via Starbucks® Delivers.

Nut Blend Headers for Starbucks Stories EMEA

Make your next one a Starbucks Original Nut Blend - Starbucks Stories EMEA

Make your next one a Starbucks Original Nut Blend

Introducing the newest way to enjoy your coffee: Starbucks™ Original Nut Blend, the latest dairy alternative to join Starbucks growing vegan line-up. Here’s five things you need to know: Made from a blend of light rice, sweet hazelnuts with subtle chocolatey notes, and buttery cashews, it’s got a delicate flavour and deliciously silky texture. Specially […]

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Starbucks new menu is sure to put a spring in your step, with the arrival of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Latte to menus across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, just in time for longer days and warmer weather.

Available for a limited time only, the brand new Chocolate Chip Cookie latte combines the iconic teatime flavours of coffee and biscuits with Starbucks Signature® Espresso Roast and velvety steamed milk. For that all important biscuit dunked texture, this next level latte is finished with a sprinkling of beautifully crunchy chocolate cookie crumble topping for a coffee break like no other.

Available in stores across EMEA from March 3 – May 5 2021, Starbucks customers can enjoy the new menu in any number of convenient ways, be it takeaway, Drive Thru or Starbucks® Delivers.

Spring means change is in the air - and the perfect time to try something new.

With over four million customisation options at your fingertips, customers can revamp their go-to coffee order to try out a different coffee roast, taste test their usual order with a dairy alternative, or add a syrup for some extra flavour.

Turn your usual latte into a Starbucks Blonde® Vanilla Latte instead, by adding a few customisations to your coffee.

Starbucks has two different coffee roasts to choose from which are free to switch between: Starbucks Signature® Espresso Roast or the lighter flavoured Starbucks Blonde® Roast.

Fancy a flavour boost? Vanilla syrup pairs perfectly with the naturally sweet, citrus notes of Starbucks Blonde® Roast, and there’s also a sugar-free vanilla syrup to try out too.

For the warm weather – ask for it iced instead. To make your next drink vegan, try out a dairy alternative, opt for the Vegan Whipped Topping, or in select EMEA markets, NEW Starbucks™ Original Nut Blend.

To find your nearest store,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.starbucks.com/store-locator">click here.</a>

Starbucks adds Chocolate Chip Cookie Latte to Spring menu - Starbucks Stories EMEA

Starbucks adds Chocolate Chip Cookie Latte to Spring menu

Starbucks new menu is sure to put a spring in your step, with the arrival of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Latte to menus across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, just in time for longer days and warmer weather. Available for a limited time only, the brand new Chocolate Chip Cookie latte combines the iconic […]

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Starbucks baristas will write romantic notes on customers cups this Valentine’s The one-off personalised romantic notes will be available across the UK with Starbucks Delivers

Left it too late to send a Valentine’s card this year? Say it with coffee instead, as this Valentine’s weekend, Starbucks customers (England, Scotland, and Wales) can request for their coffee cups to be decorated with romantic notes to surprise their family, friends, or other half.

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Available for free on all Starbucks® Delivers orders from Just Eat and Uber Eats over Valentine’s weekend (Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 February), in over 200 locations across the UK.

To add a message to your order, simply let Starbucks know in the ‘Order Notes’ section of the app if you want your items personalised before they are delivered, at no extra cost.

Starbucks baristas will then lovingly add a message to your loved one’s Latte, Frappuccino, Cold Brew coffee, or whatever else their heart desires, to let your Valentine know you’ve ‘bean thinking about them a latte’ or to tell someone how much ‘I love brew’.

Whether you go all out and pop the question on their favourite beverage, or play it cool if you’ve not been dating long with a fun ‘How you brewing?’, Starbucks personalised delivery service hopes to help customers remind their loved ones just how much they mean to them.

Starbucks® Delivers is available in over 200 locations across Great Britain, including areas in Scotland and Wales. To find out whether your Valentine lives in a Starbucks Delivers area and is eligible for a personalised beverage:

Starbucks UK personalised delivery service also coincides with the Limited Edition Valentine’s Day menu featuring the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate and Be My Valentine Shortbread, available now until the 15th February.

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*Offerings and prices vary, check your local Starbucks website, app, Just Eat, or Uber Eats.

A Whole Latte Love - Starbucks Stories EMEA

Starbucks baristas will write romantic notes on customers cups this Valentine’s The one-off personalised romantic notes will be available across the UK with Starbucks Delivers Left it too late to send a Valentine’s card this year? Say it with coffee instead, as this Valentine’s weekend, Starbucks customers (England, Scotland, and Wales) can request for their […]

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A Whole Latte Love

As we head into a new year, there are three brand new beverages on the menu across EMEA: and they’re all about tailoring your coffee to you.

From today (30 December), for a limited time, the Starbucks Blonde® Caramelised Almond Macchiato, Starbucks Blonde® Honeycomb Macchiato, and the Starbucks Blonde® Double Chocolatey Macchiato are launching in selected markets across EMEA.

Each of the new beverages is handcrafted using Starbucks Blonde® roast, which offers a smoother,&nbsp; mellower flavour compared to our Signature roast.

The new Blonde® Macchiato Duos build on Starbucks strong Macchiato heritage, with the coffee appearing on Starbucks very first espresso menu 30 years ago, when we first began to offer handcrafted coffee beverages.

Over the years we’ve put our own signature twist on the quintessential Macchiatos, with the new Blonde® Macchiato Duos joining the rest of the lineup at Starbucks that includes the original Espresso Macchiato, Latte Macchiato and Caramel Macchiato.

Whether you order a different roast, or an alternative milk, every drink is handcrafted just for you, to ensure each sip is perfectly balanced and perfectly enjoyed.

To continue offering customers increased choice and personalisation in their Starbucks Experience, customers across EMEA are able to choose from a selection of different dairy alternatives made from soya, coconut, almond, or oat, to make their handcrafted beverage.

In the UK, France, and Benelux, customers can also now enjoy Starbucks new Original Nut Blend, made from cashew, rice, and hazelnut, which has been specially crafted to steam perfectly for a superior coffee experience.

We've got the full details of each new Macchiato to launch In EMEA this Spring below.

Double Chocolately Macchiato (all markets)

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A mixture of white chocolate and cocoa sauce is paired with steamed milk and topped with Blonde espresso shots, before being finished with chocolate mixture crosshatch.

Caramelised Almond Macchiato (all EMEA markets, excluding UK)

Steamed milk and caramelised almond syrup are topped with Blonde espresso shots and finished with the iconic Starbucks caramel drizzle cross hatch.

Steamed milk and honeycomb syrup is topped with Blonde espresso shots and finished with a crunchy honeycomb topping.

In&nbsp;EMEA, Starbucks introduced soy to menus in the UK 15 years ago, and continues to introduce new drinks and food to menus globally while innovating with plant-based ingredients across key platforms like espresso, cold brew, refreshment and food.

In January 2021, Starbucks in the UK announced new plant-based food including the Beyond Meat® Breakfast Sandwich and the No Chick’n &amp; BBQ Bean Hot Wrap as part of their new winter menu. The Beyond Meat Breakfast Sandwich marks the debut of Beyond Breakfast Sausage in the UK, making Starbucks the first place that local customers can try it.

Also this month, in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, Starbucks announced an expansion to its plant-based food and with the launch of the Beyond Meat® Triple Cheese Wrap and Beyond Meatball Arabian Ciabatta, available from 11 January, as a core menu item, in all stores in UAE and Kuwait.

Starbucks continues to drive menu innovation in EMEA and expand plant-based around the world to meet the growing interest of customers. You can read more about what else we’re doing across the globe, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/plant-based-menu-innovation-at-starbucks/">here.</a>

Three new Macchiato beverages join the EMEA menu - Starbucks Stories EMEA

Three new Macchiato beverages join the EMEA menu

As we head into a new year, there are three brand new beverages on the menu across EMEA: and they’re all about tailoring your coffee to you. From today (30 December), for a limited time, the Starbucks Blonde® Caramelised Almond Macchiato, Starbucks Blonde® Honeycomb Macchiato, and the Starbucks Blonde® Double Chocolatey Macchiato are launching in […]

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https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2020/three-new-macchiato-beverages-join-the-emea-menu/

Starbucks original handcrafted favourites Gingerbread Latte and Toffee Nut Latte are also back by popular demand and even better – they’re now available as a vegan option for the first time

For a brand-new holiday drink try the Truffle Deluxe Hot Chocolate

Nothing marks the start of the holidays like the arrival of Starbucks Red Cups. Today, Starbucks - the originators of the holiday cups – launch this year’s long-awaited edition in stores across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

In this year’s holiday line-up are some familiar favourites, with the popular Gingerbread Latte and Toffee Nut Latte returning for another year, and for the first time ever, you’ll be able to make them vegan from head to toe, should you wish – with vegan whipped topping and all!

This year’s holiday menu also features a twist on the classic hot chocolate with a truly indulgent truffle taste.

Last but by no means least, what says holiday season better than a sip of the traditional Eggnog Latte? It’s back and it’s as rich and tasty as ever!

If a refreshing cold drink is more your thing, we’ll still be serving up the favourites, including the Blonde Iced Latte, our super smooth Nitro Cold Brew and the classic Starbucks Iced Latte.

Whether you want to reconnect with loved ones or fancy a treat for yourself, we’re here to offer you a warm welcome this holiday season.

NEW Truffle Deluxe Hot Chocolate: Bringing joy to chocoholics with the perfect mix of creamy chocolatey body, mocha whipped cream and indulgent chocolatey truffle topping. A brand-new tasty twist on a classic winter treat for the taste buds!

Gingerbread Latte: The Gingerbread Latte will be back for a limited time only,and for the first time – it will also be available as a vegan option. This sweet and subtly spiced drink combines the signature Starbucks espresso with gingerbread syrup and steamed milk. Handcrafted for each customer, Its topped with gingerbread infused whipped cream and a delicious wafer topping.&nbsp; For a vegan friendly version, this can be made with a milk alternative and soya whipped topping.

Toffee Nut Latte: Also new for this year and for a limited time only, is the vegan version of this popular holiday beverage, made from the finest ingredients.&nbsp; Served hot, this twist on the classic latte combines our signature espresso with steamed milk (or a vegan milk alternative) and sweet toffee nut syrup.&nbsp; A finishing touch of whipped cream or soya whipped topping, along with toffee topping brings all of the flavours together to give this timeless classic a holiday twist.

Eggnog Latte: Rich in taste, this holiday favourite blends our signature espresso with luxurious steamed eggnog for an uplifting treat. A little dusting of nutmeg on top provides the perfect finishing touch.

Share your Red Cups moments using #RedCups

Beverage offering and prices varies by market, check your local Starbucks website for availability.

Starbucks Red Cups return with two classics fully vegan for the first time - Starbucks Stories EMEA

Starbucks Red Cups return with two classics fully vegan for the first time

Starbucks original handcrafted favourites Gingerbread Latte and Toffee Nut Latte are also back by popular demand and even better – they’re now available as a vegan option for the first time For a brand-new holiday drink try the Truffle Deluxe Hot Chocolate Nothing marks the start of the holidays like the arrival of Starbucks Red […]

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https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2020/starbucks-red-cups-return-with-two-classics-fully-vegan-for-the-first-time/

It’s been 17 years since Starbucks first introduced the PSL and started its very own seasonal zeitgeist

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The return of the PSL marks the start of autumn for many *cue crackling bonfires*. The drink is now a seasonal staple synonymous with cosy knits as the temperatures cool and we finally say farewell to summer.

A scrumptious combination of Starbucks Espresso Roast, pumpkin pie flavoured sauce, and steamed milk, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices – cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves – this truly is the ‘pumpkin-g’ of flavours.

Back in 2003, Starbucks created the original Pumpkin Spice Latte. Since then, the beloved fan favourite has grown in popularity year on year.

Over the years, Starbucks has evolved the drink to align with shifting consumer trends, with diverse variations to cater to all preferences. From the addition of cold options such as the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino, to the introduction of the vegan dairy-free Pumpkin Spice Latte sauce in 2018, the innovative beverage team at Starbucks have got you covered.

The PSL has become its own cultural phenomenon, with each silky-smooth sip of the drink reminding fans of crisp, autumnal days past. Every year social media is ablaze with excitement, and this year pumpkin lovers’ joy is particularly contagious. 

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With the PSL now back in stores across Europe and Africa, Starbucks officially declares it autumn – go spice up your season!

To find your nearest store, <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/store-locator">click here.</a>

Pumpkin Spice Latte season is upon us! The original #PSL is back - Starbucks Stories EMEA

Pumpkin Spice Latte season is upon us! The original #PSL is back

It’s been 17 years since Starbucks first introduced the PSL and started its very own seasonal zeitgeist Highly anticipated amongst Starbucks fans and autumn aficionados around the world, the iconic drink is back – all hail the original Pumpkin Spice Latte. The return of the PSL marks the start of autumn for many *cue crackling […]

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https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2020/the-original-pumpkin-spice-latte-is-back/

In honour of International Women’s Day, meet Cecilia Valderrama Gómez, Manjula Kahar and Nande Anggun, women who live in different countries but are united in their commitment to improving their communities with the support of The Starbucks Foundation.

It was a mother’s sacrifice that was nearly unfathomable. In order to save her children, Cecilia Valderrama Gómez knew she would have to send them away. She and her husband and four children lived in El Escobal, a rural area in Colombia that was controlled for 50 years by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The FARC was known to recruit young children and use them as runners. So, when Valderrama Gómez’s children were between 9 and 13, she sent three of them to stay with family in a safer area where they could go to school and wouldn’t be taken by the FARC.

“I didn’t want them to be at risk,” she said. Years passed, and it wasn’t until the conflict ended two years ago that she saw them again. Her son who wasn’t able to go with the others ended up being conscripted by the FARC and later went to jail.

It’s overwhelming recalling all that she went through living in the shadow of the FARC, she said. Instead, she chooses to focus on the present and work toward the future. Today, “I’m happy and hopeful,” she said. “I have always wanted to help others fight for a better life and to help others get ahead.”

Valderrama Gómez, 52, is doing exactly that as president of the Escobal Women’s Association, an organisation comprised of 16 women, dedicated to improving conditions for the community after the conflict. About half of the families in her community don’t have basic sanitation services. Many don’t have bathrooms. 

That’s now starting to change due to help from a $500,000 grant to Lutheran World Relief from The Starbucks Foundation, which is targeted toward improving sanitation and access to clean water and also creating greater economic opportunity for women in coffee communities in Tolima, Colombia. 

In 2018, The Starbucks Foundation announced a goal of empowering 250,000 women and girls by 2025 in communities where coffee, tea, and cocoa is grown. Since then, the foundation has given nearly $4.6 million dollars to 16 programmes focused on women’s leadership opportunities, economic development, access to water, sanitation, health, education and more. The number of women directly impacted now stands at more than 259,000.

Starbucks currently partners with a number of non-profits around the world who lead the programs, including Barefoot College, CARE, Days for Girls International, Lutheran World Relief (in Colombia and Indonesia), Roger Federer Foundation, Send a Cow, UNICEF Ethical Tea Partnership, Instituto del Café de Costa Rica, Malala Fund and World Relief. 

Fact Sheet: <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/uploads/2019/03/Fact-Sheet-The-Starbucks-Foundation-Grants-to-Empowering-Women.pdf">The Starbucks Foundation Grants to Empowering Women</a>

“When you invest in women, you are investing in an entire ecosystem,” said Virginia Tenpenny, vice president of Global Social Impact at Starbucks and executive director of The Starbucks Foundation. “We’re focused on investments that lead to women being empowered, specifically in health, educational opportunities and income, so they can in turn empower their families and communities as well.”

The women of the Escobal Women’s Association may be small in number, but they know how to organise and get things done, a point of pride for Valderrama Gómez. They raise bees and sell the honey locally, providing an income for their families while working toward a goal of being able to sell their honey in the larger cities and grow their customer base. 

They are also about to use those same organisational skills to help facilitate the building of more toilets in her community. Women from her group will meet with families in the area to assess the need. And then they’ll coordinate getting the supplies there via a two-hour journey by donkey.

Valderrama Gómez knows that better sanitation means less sickness and disease. People get sick if the water is contaminated. The closest hospital is miles away. 

“If you have better sanitation, you have better health,” she said. “My hope is to see new projects continue and for the community to really grow, not just in prosperity but in peace.”

That’s the hope of The Starbucks Foundation too, said Tenpenny.

“Women have an instinct to pay it forward,” she said. In honour of International Women’s Day on March 8, meet some of the other women who are working to change the world, one community at a time.

At 3 p.m. each afternoon, about 120 children arrive at Majula Kahar’s home in Assam, India, for her after-school education program. For the next two hours, Kahar teaches them how to read and write. Though Kahar comes from modest means, she does it without pay, committed to helping the children have opportunities she didn’t growing up. 

Like them, Kahar, now 26, grew up on the Moran Tea Estate, the daughter of a tea picker. She attended the local government school when she was a girl, especially unusual for young girls in the region. Due to limited access to school and lack of resources, many children on tea estates who do attend school drop out before high school without being able to read, making aspirations and economic opportunities nearly impossible.

“The after-school programme that these children are a part of is for lower-income groups,” she said. “I feel change will come when it is communicated that education is a largest priority. I want the community to be educated and to value education.”

In many tea communities, education is prioritised for boys, with girls being expected to focus on household chores, she said. But Kahar’s mother, a tea picker whom she calls the core of the family, always placed value on education. She encouraged all three of her children to continue school, even as Kahar saw many of her friends drop out and get married early. 

Kahar went through a training program to learn how to teach children as part of <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/sourcing/tea">Mercy Corps’ Community Health and Advancement Initiative (CHAI)</a>, supported since 2003 by &nbsp;The Starbucks Foundation. Today she is earning her Bachelor of Arts degree at Moran College to advance access to education for children in her community.&nbsp;

“I always had the desire to be a teacher,” she said. “Education was not a priority on tea estates growing up, and after getting training, I began teaching kids in the community. I quickly saw, after three or four months, an improvement in students. They could now recognise the alphabet and write short sentences. One student even began to sing stories in the classroom to friends. This is the inspiration I see in schools. I am happy that I can contribute to my community and society.”

The number of students who come to Kahar’s classes continues to grow. Many, who are eager for the chance to learn, are bringing their friends. She finds room for them all.

Education, she knows, is the key to unlocking a better life, particularly for girls.

“I want to see women and girls uplifted in parts of the world where they are deprived of education,” she said. “I hope one day the woman will rise and be given importance in the world.”

After she graduates from college, she wants to be a school teacher, which she sees as her path to changing the world. 

It’s early morning and Nande Anggun, 48, has not been to bed yet. As a midwife, she’s accustomed to being up at all hours at the side of women who need her. On this day last week, she’s just helped deliver a baby girl – part of the next generation of women in the Indonesian community that Anggun has devoted her life to helping empower.

In addition to being a midwife for the last 26 years, she also works with young children and the elderly, tends to her farm of 200 coffee trees and is also the treasurer of Pembianaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga (PKK), a family welfare organisation led by women focused on helping develop women’s leadership, governance, management, strategic planning and more in their villages. It’s rare for her to get more than six hours of sleep a night, but it’s worth it, she says, because she knows that this is how change happens.

“I’m very proud to participate in community activities because I look for how the women in my community can have a better life,” she said, as she sat in the lobby of her local health clinic. 

In 2018 Lutheran World Relief, which works with PKK, was given a three-year grant from The Starbucks Foundation totalling $500,000 to support women-led community health and hygiene programs for 2,100 households in Indonesian coffee-producing villages. 

PKK is leading a series of workshops where women in the community can discuss various topics about health and family. The group is focused on helping women build, and then advocate, for their own agendas in their lives and communities. Often, she said, the weight of caring for the family and making sure bills are paid falls to women, even when they are working outside the home. 

“Women are considered the responsible person for running a family,” she said. 

She recently led a workshop focused on the roles of women and men in families – and how women can navigate conversations with their husbands about being more involved as fathers and seeing their wives as equals. It sparked a conversation with Anggun’s own husband, whom she said doesn’t always understand why she is so busy volunteering her time. 

She puts her hand to her heart as she talks about what matters – she wants to make things better for those who are coming behind her. Women coming together can be powerful, she said. “It’s not always just about gaining new knowledge, but other women might be thinking about the same things,” she said. That is how change begins.

Her face lights up as she talks about her own children, a 25-year-old daughter and her 21-year-old son. 

“As a mother, I always hope my daughter can hope she has a better life than me. I hope she and her husband can discuss everything about the family,” she said.

In addition to the community workshops, part of the grant is focused toward improving sanitation and access to clean water. Women who volunteer with PKK will be trained to help educate people about better sanitation. Grant dollars will help fund the construction of 18 communal water and sanitation facilities in five communities, featuring a shower, toilet, sink and water storage tank. 

While Anggun has running water at her house, many in her village don’t. When she goes to visit friends who only have latrines and no water, she worries for them, she said. 

Better health, better sanitation and women who are truly supported in their communities are the goals that drive her, she said. “When I grow old and look back, I hope that people will remember the work I’ve done and the love and hope I have for people,” she said.

Just then, someone approaches and Anggun excuses herself. A woman in labour needs her. Another baby, part of the next generation in her community, was about to be born. 

Luz Ruiz Salazar contributed to this story.

3 women changing the world, a community at a time - Starbucks Stories EMEA

3 women changing the world, a community at a time

In honor of International Women’s Day, meet Cecilia Valderrama Gómez, Manjula Kahar and Nande Anggun, women who live in different countries but are united in their commitment to improving their communities with the support of The Starbucks Foundation.

https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2020/women-in-coffee-and-tea-communities-2/