Starbucks Looks for Local Business Superstars of Tomorrow

16 Jun 2016 --- Starbucks is teaming up with local entrepreneurs, as it looks to unearth the food and drink success stories of tomorrow.

Starbucks is working with entrepreneurs who "have made a name for themselves" by making desserts, savory snacks and beverages.

The coffee giant will test the products made by these entrepreneurs in its stores, in the hope they will prove a hit and they can sell them across the country.

It will test the products for an average of eight weeks to see if they resonate with consumers.

“We are discovering wonderful products that are beloved in specific neighbourhoods,” said Deb Hannah, director, Retail Branded Partnerships at Starbucks.

“We’ve been able to offer them in a small number of our stores to the delight of our customers.”

“We act pretty quickly to get products in our stores to test after we’ve done the initial vetting process,” she added.

“We look at how much volume a company can support, what their business looks like and determine if they pass Starbucks quality and safety audits.”

“Our evaluation process is pretty straightforward. “If the team finds them delicious and our customers agree, we sell them in our stores.”

Starbucks said that the initiative will help local businesses thrive and points to successful examples such as Natalie’s Cakes & More in Missouri, Charles Chocolates in California, and New York-based Bantam Bagel as products that have proved successful.

Case Study

In a small community of stores in New York and New Jersey, customers were asking for Cholov Yisroel, also known as “super kosher” milk.

Cholov Yisroel is an additional kosher certification provided for dairy products that have been under constant rabbinic supervision from the time of milking the cows until the completion of production and packaging.

Starbucks team in New York team began looking for a vendor who could provide this Cholov Yisroel milk.

“The number of requests for Cholov Yisroel was growing at a rapid pace in a select number of the stores in my region,” said Ross Shadix, Starbucks regional vice president. “I sought help from Deb’s team to explore whether we could serve this customer need.”

After partnering with a local super kosher dairy supplier, the team determined that they could provide the Cholov Yisroel safely and to standard, and that the additional certification has no impact on the flavor of the dairy for non-kosher customers. An eight-week test is underway in seven stores in New York and New Jersey.

“I look forward to learning what customers think about this new offering during the test,” Shadix added.

“We are always looking for opportunities to demonstrate that we understand the communities we serve by offering food and beverages that are locally relevant.”