For Victor Ntshitshongo, leading a coffee tasting at the Linbro Park Starbucks store for a group that included Starbucks chairman and chief executive officer Howard Schultz, was another in a series of transformative moments he’s experienced this year.

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Born and raised in Alexandra Township, with widespread unemployment, the 21-year-old Johannesburg native is among the first trainees to complete <a href="http://www.tasteholdings.co.za/csi.php">Changing Lanes</a>. The five-day program was developed by <a href="http://www.tasteholdings.co.za/home.php">Taste Holdings</a> and the nonprofit Khulisa Social Solutions to prepare unemployed South Africans for the workplace and help them find jobs.

Out of a working-age population of 38 million, 22 million South African citizens haven’t completed high school and eight million are jobless. Ntshitshongo faced those daunting employment statistics when he finished school, but Changing Lanes brought him to Starbucks, where he’s become one of the first wave of partners (employees) as the company arrives in the nation of 55 million people.

Starbucks and Taste Holdings, a South African-based management group that has partnered with Starbucks in the country, <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-opens-its-first-south-african-store">opened its first South African store </a>on April 21 at the corner of Cradock Heights and Tyrwhitt Avenue in Johannesburg’s Rosebank neighborhood. At the Linbro Park store, Ntshitshongo conducted a coffee tasting and joined Schultz and other Starbucks Changing Lanes partners in an informal question-and-answer session.

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Ntshitshongo shares a home with his mother, sister and two nephews. His opportunity with Starbucks is a source of joy for his family.

“I’m very proud of him,” said his sister Nokwanda Ntshitshongo. “He is my inspiration because he grew up in a very difficult way.”

Nokwanda said her brother’s delight is apparent whenever he talks about his new job. “He said, ‘I have a family here,’” she recounted. “’Even my boss is not my boss. He is my partner.’ Every time he talks about his job, he lights up.”

Among Victor Ntshitshongo’s fellow partners at Starbucks is Solomon Makwela, another Changing Lanes alumni and someone Ntshitshongo considers a mentor. Makwela is one of nine new Starbucks partners who spent eight weeks in the United Kingdom receiving Changing Lanes instruction.

“Starbucks training is amazing,” said Makwela. “I got the opportunity to go to London for the first time ever in my life. I never thought I would go. Got great training. Great mentors and coaches. I feel fulfilled that I make a difference in somebody’s life.”

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity that Changing Lanes and Starbucks has given me,” said Ntshitshongo. “It’s one hell of a journey, I can say.”

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An innovative employment training program helps prepare young South Africans for jobs at Starbucks and other businesses.

Starbucks and Changing Lanes Create Path for South Africans

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Starbucks Stories EMEA

Starbucks and Changing Lanes Create a Path for South Africans

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Taste Holdings and Starbucks open the doors of the first store in Johannesburg

The store brings the full Starbucks Experience, plus Starbucks Reserve coffees

Store design underlines commitment to support local artists, artisans and craftsmen

Johannesburg, South Africa, April 21, 2016 – Starbucks has arrived in South Africa, with its first store opening in Johannesburg today. Opened by Starbucks and <a href="http://www.tasteholdings.co.za/home.php">Taste Holdings</a>, it is located at the corner of Cradock Heights and Tyrwhitt Avenue in Rosebank. The store has a unique design and offers a wide range of Starbucks beverages and food, including Starbucks ethically sourced 100 percent arabica coffee.

“This is a milestone for Starbucks and we are delighted to have arrived in South Africa," said Rhys Iley, Starbucks vice president, licensed operations, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and UK retail, who was present at the official opening. "With Taste Holdings, we will deliver the special Starbucks Experience for our new South African customers, a place for the community to gather and connect over a great cup of coffee."

The Rosebank store combines inspiration from the neighborhood and the very first Starbucks store, located in Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.

Here's a short video of the South Africa store's opening moment:

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“This store will not only offer amazing coffee and world-class customer service, it is a representation of our commitment to South Africa through its localized design,” said Carlo Gonzaga, CEO of Taste Holdings. “We have taken inspiration from rich local color palettes and designs, with materials and artworks produced by local artisans. It signifies the start of our coffee journey in South Africa.” 

Artwork in the store includes woven leather ceiling panels that pay homage to the South African tradition of basket weaving and a 3D recreation of the famous Starbucks Siren in wood. There is also a copper mural that captures the atmosphere of the neighborhood around the Pike Place Market. The copper is also reminiscent of the <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/video-inside-starbucks-reserve-roastery-and-tasting-room">Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room</a> in Seattle.

“We also carefully considered South African customer tastes when we developed our menu and customers can expect local products like Rooibos tea,” added Gonzaga.

Starbucks sources coffee from nine countries in Africa. For the coffee connoisseur, the store hosts an intimate and immersive coffee environment where single-origin, small-batch Reserve coffees sourced from around the world can be experienced with a variety of brewing methods, including Siphon, Pour-Over, and the Clover™ brewing system. In addition, all espresso beverages will be prepared using Reserve coffees on a Black Eagle espresso machine. 

Some of the store partners (employees) are from <a href="http://www.tasteholdings.co.za/csi.php">Taste Holdings’ Changing Lanes program</a>. This is a training and development program that recruits from local communities and provides retail opportunities to currently unemployed youth.

“We are very proud to partner with Taste Holdings to bring Starbucks to South Africa, celebrating our rich coffee history, whilst also celebrating the vibrant community we will be serving," said Iley. "We are creating jobs and opportunities in our stores, as well as supporting the local supply chain and we look forward to the future of Starbucks in South Africa.”

Taste Holdings is a South African-based management group and a leading licensor of global brands in the Southern Africa region. It owns and licenses a portfolio of franchised and owned category specialists, Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) and retail brands currently represented in five countries in Southern Africa. Its food division has a 30-year master license agreement for Domino’s Pizza in Southern Africa. It also owns, operates and franchises Zebro’s Chicken, The Fish &amp; Chip Co., Maxi’s Restaurants, Scooters Pizza and St Elmo’s Woodfired Pizza. Its luxury goods division is underpinned by three owned retail brands – NWJ, Arthur Kaplan and World’s Finest Watches. NWJ is the third largest national jewelry chain by store numbers in the region. Arthur Kaplan and World’s Finest Watches are, together, the leading retailers of luxury Swiss watch brands in the region. Taste is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) under the symbol “TAS." <a href="http://www.tasteholdings.co.za/home.php">www.tasteholdings.co.za</a>.

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 23,000 stores around the globe, Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit our stores or online at <a href="http://news.starbucks.com">news.starbucks.com</a> and <a href="http://starbucks.com">Starbucks.com</a>.

The Johannesburg store, opened by Taste Holdings and Starbucks, combines inspiration from the neighborhood and the very first Starbucks store, located in Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.

Starbucks Opens Its First Store in South Africa

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Starbucks Opens its First Store in South Africa

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Since the 1940s, Congolese farmers have nurtured heirloom Arabica coffee trees on tiny farms that dot the southern slopes along Lake Kivu in Africa’s Great Rift Valley. But decades of instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo have claimed the lives of millions of people and decimated the country’s coffee industry. 

Starbucks – working with <a href="http://www.easterncongo.org">Eastern Congo Initiative</a> to rebuild the country’s coffee industry – purchased its first crop in late 2014 and has since continued to buy coffee beans from the region. Starting March 22, Starbucks is bringing Starbucks Reserve® Eastern D.R.Congo Lake Kivu to more than 1,500 Starbucks® stores in the United States and Canada and on <a href="http://store.starbucks.com/coffee/">Starbucks.com</a>. The Reserve coffee will be available while supplies last, for a limited time.

Dario Merlo, Country Director for Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), said Starbucks purchase of coffee from the Congo has helped transform lives for more than 4,500 small-holder farmers and their families along Lake Kivu. From this relatively modest investment, farmers’ incomes have more than tripled, and families have been able to send their children to school and access health care.

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Dave Olsen, who joined Starbucks in the 1980s and created Starbucks Espresso Roast, became an ECI board member after he retired from Starbucks in 2013. In Olsen's travels to the region, he has seen first-hand how the work of ECI has addressed quality at every step, from helping farmers produce the best possible coffee cherries, to getting that harvest through the wet and dry milling and into bags ready for export.

“Life has been incredibly difficult for the people of Eastern Congo, but even in the hardest circumstances, you see their grit and determination,” he said. “We’re applying that energy to creating coffee.”

Related: <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/actor-ben-affleck-acknowledges-starbucks-for-transforming-lives-in-congo">Actor Ben Affleck Acknowledges Starbucks for ‘Transforming Lives’ in Congo</a>

Leslie Wolford, a coffee specialist at Starbucks, was on the team that brought this coffee to life with Starbucks Reserve® Eastern D.R.Congo Lake Kivu.

“We procured coffee from Congo last year for the Roastery and we noticed that this year the flavors were even more elegant, had more finesse to them,” said Wolford. “It’s light and lively with a nice orange citrus acidity that comes in with a cocoa nuance in the mouthfeel and a little bit of a spice note. It’s a beautiful coffee, and we’re really proud and delighted to have it.”

Looking ahead, Eastern Congo Initiative is expanding its reach to more than 10,000 coffee farmers and their communities in the coming few years. And Starbucks plans to continue purchasing Congolese coffee.

“Starbucks has a long-term approach to what they are doing,” said Merlo from ECI. “With every single coffee bean there is a shared passion and love that you can see from the farmers, the roaster, and hopefully the customers as well.”

About Starbucks and Eastern Congo Initiative

Starbucks is working with Eastern Congo Initiative and its Congolese partners to make Eastern Congo a reliable source of high quality Arabica coffee, and to link Congolese farmers to the international marketplace. The Starbucks Foundation has also partnered with ECI to support college scholarships for young women studying agriculture and has invested in local Congolese organizations creating jobs for disadvantaged young adults and former child soldiers in coffee-growing communities.

Starting March 22, Starbucks is bringing Starbucks Reserve® Eastern D.R.Congo Lake Kivu to more than 1,500 Starbucks stores in the United States and Canada and on Starbucks.com for a limited time.

Coffee from Eastern Congo Arriving in Starbucks Stores

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A Cup of Hope with Starbucks Coffee from Eastern Congo

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Thirty-three years after his initial visit to Milan, chairman and ceo Howard Schultz returns to Italy to announce Starbucks debut in the market that inspired its creation

Company to enter Italian market with noted brand, retail and real estate developer Percassi

MILAN, Italy; February 29, 2016 -- Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ: SBUX) today announced a partnership to open the first Starbucks store in Italy. Percassi, confirmed as Starbucks licensee in Italy, will own and operate Starbucks stores, with the first store opening in Milan in early 2017.

Today’s announcement is especially significant for Starbucks Coffee Company chairman and ceo Howard Schultz. Thirty-three years ago, Schultz took his first business trip to Milan and Verona, a journey that changed his life forever. Inspired by the craftsmanship of the Milanese barista, the spirit of the Italian people, their passion for community, their friendliness and taste for quality, Schultz’s vision for Starbucks began to take root.

“Starbucks history is directly linked to the way the Italians created and executed the perfect shot of espresso. Everything that we’ve done sits on the foundation of those wonderful experiences that many of us have had in Italy, and we’ve aspired to be a respectful steward of that legacy for 45 years,” said Schultz. “Now we’re going to try, with great humility and respect, to share what we’ve been doing and what we’ve learned through our first retail presence in Italy. Our first store will be designed with painstaking detail and great respect for the Italian people and coffee culture. And, my hope is that we will create a sense of pride for our partners – so much so that every partner who sees our store or walks through the doors will say: ‘We got it right.’”

Related: <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/howard-schultz-dream-fulfilled-starbucks-to-open-in-Italy">A Dream 33 Years in the Making</a>

Working together with Percassi, Starbucks chosen partner in Italy, the company’s retail stores will be developed in cities across the country, beginning with the first store in Milan. Percassi, the licensee, is a renowned Italian company with a proven track record of operating highly-successful major brand partnerships across Italy. The company shares Starbucks values and passion for the history and cultural heritage of Italy, and will combine local expertise with demonstrated business success to make every single store an exciting, unique experience for new Italian customers. Starbucks is expected to open its first Italian store in Milan in early 2017.

"We know that we are going to face a unique challenge with the opening of the first Starbucks store in Italy, the country of coffee, and we are confident that Italian people are ready to live the Starbucks experience, as already occurs in many other markets," said Antonio Percassi, President of the company Percassi.

Starbucks and Percassi share common values and a commitment to creating pathways to youth opportunities and employment in communities right across Italy. Starbucks will partner with Percassi to support local projects our store partners love to work with around the world.

<a href="https://storiesadmin.starbucks.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Starbucks_Comunicato.pdf">Italian Translation Press Release</a>

1. Howard Schultz, chairman and ceo Starbucks Coffee Company, visited the historic Duomo cathedral in Milan, Italy this week as he announces the brand's intention to open its first Italian store in 2017.

2.Howard Schultz, chairman and ceo Starbucks Coffee Company, announces to Milanese artisans, entrepreneurs and business leaders his intention to open a store in Milan, Italy in 2017.

3. Howard Schultz, chairman and ceo Starbucks Coffee Company, stands in the center of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, one of the world's oldest shopping malls, in Milan, Italy as he announces that Starbucks will open its first store in the country in 2017.

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 23,000 stores around the globe, Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit our stores or online at <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/">news.starbucks.com</a> and <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/">Starbucks.com</a>.

Founded in 1976 by Antonio Percassi, it is a business company whose activities are focused on managing its portfolio of own trademarks (Kiko Milano, Madina, Womo and Bullfrog in cosmetics, Vergelio in footwear, Atalanta in sports, Da 30Polenta in food services) or in joint venture (Billionaire Italian Couture in clothing), in addition to the development and the management of the sales networks of important brands (among which Gucci, Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike, Victoria's Secret and LEGO Group). In the past Percassi developed stores worldwide for the Benetton Group and contributed to the entry and growth in the Italian market of Inditex (Zara, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Pull and Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius) as well as of Swatch, Calvin Klein, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger and Levi's. Percassi operates also in the Real Estate business with the development and improvement of major real estate projects in the sales and managerial sector, always at the forefront of innovation and high quality. For more information: <a href="http://www.percassi.com/index.html">www.percassi.com</a>.

Thirty-three years after his initial visit to Milan, chairman and ceo Howard Schultz returns to Italy to announce Starbucks debut in the market that inspired its creation.

Starbucks to Open Stores in Italy

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With Humility and Respect, Starbucks Turns its Eye Toward Italy

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Coffee & Craft

Starbucks and Changing Lanes Create a Path for South Africans

Starbucks Opens its First Store in South Africa

A Cup of Hope with Starbucks Coffee from Eastern Congo

With Humility and Respect, Starbucks Turns its Eye Toward Italy