The FINANCIAL -- Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq: SBUX) together with joint-venture partner Corporación de Franquicias Americanas (CFA), will open the doors of the first Starbucks location in Guatemala on March 19. The coffeehouse, located in the Condado Concepción shopping center, will proudly feature Starbucks premium single-origin coffee, Guatemala Finca El Faro.
“We respect the established coffee heritage inherent to Guatemala,” said Pablo Arizmendi-Kalb, vice president and general manager, Starbucks Latin America. “Starbucks sources a majority of our high-quality arabica coffee from this region so we are delighted and honored to introduce the unique Starbucks Experience to customers.”
Starbucks has long standing relationships with coffee growers in Guatemala that date back to the company’s founding in 1971. Most recently, Starbucks teamed up with Save the Children in support of the Guatemala Education Initiative to bring bilingual, intercultural education to numerous Mayan communities. Through this collaboration, the program has served more than 9,000 students and trained over 250 teachers in active learning and bilingual methodologies.
"CFA and Starbucks are passionate about providing direct support to the local coffee communities and neighborhoods in Guatemala. Starbucks continues to work closely with local communities to support various small and medium scale projects in areas such as health, education and infrastructure. Through an alliance with Glasswing International, Starbucks will invest $25,000 USD to fund volunteer programs such as Escuela Rural Mixta Parajes de Pueblo Viejo, a local rural school that serves around 60 children and their families," the company said.
Guatemala-grown coffees tend to be consistent in taste and quality and serve as the backbone for many Starbucks coffee blends. Starbucks also offers three single-origin Guatemala coffees in its coffee line-up, Guatemala Finca El Faro, Guatemala Antigua and Guatemala Casi Cielo. Available at the Guatemala City store, Guatemala Finca El Faro is one of the world’s most sophisticated, single-origin coffees. Customers in Guatemala can also enjoy Starbucks full range of offerings including hot and cold espresso beverages, Frappuccino blended beverages, brewed coffee, Tazo teas and food.
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