Starbucks announces Reserve Roastery for Tokyo

Starbucks has announced it will open a Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Japan in 2018. Located in the Nakameguro district of Tokyo, an upscale neighborhood known for its exclusive boutiques and art galleries, the Roastery will be designed in collaboration with Kengo Kuma, a world-renowned architect and founder of Kuma Lab at the University of Tokyo. Starbucks’ debut of its first Roastery in Seattle in 2014 was the most successful store opening in the company’s history and since then the company has announced new locations coming to Shanghai in 2017 and New York in 2018. Tokyo will be the company’s fourth Roastery around the world. “As it was when we opened Japan as our first market outside of North America in 1996, the country continues to be an important and dynamic coffee community for Starbucks,” said Howard Schultz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Starbucks. Recognised around the world for his cutting-edge designs and innovative theories on architecture and society, Kengo Kuma’s work blends art and nature with the use of natural materials to create spaces of warmth and harmony in his designs. This is Starbucks second design collaboration with Mr. Kuma, whose award-winning Starbucks store design in Fukuoka, Japan, is one of the most recognisable stores in the country and, indeed, the world over. The interactive 13,000 square feet (1,200 square meters) space will provide customers with an all-sensory environment where they can deepen their appreciation and understanding of the craft of roasting and brewing some of the most unique coffees from around the world. At the Roastery, customers will be able to watch green coffee beans arrive, connect with Starbucks coffee specialists and master roasters, and enjoy a curated selection of handcrafted beverages. This Roastery will also include artisan food and breads baked onsite by acclaimed Italian food purveyor, Princi. The opening of the Roastery marks an important growth opportunity for Starbucks in the China and Asia Pacific region. With more than 20 million customers visiting over 6,200 Starbucks stores across 16 markets in the region each week, China and Asia Pacific is at the forefront of Starbucks’ global growth.