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• Today, Starbucks opened its first store in Turks & Caicos Islands, making this market entry the company’s 81^st market globally and the 8^thmarket in the Caribbean region.
• Starbucks is also on track to enter the Dominican Republic market in early 2020.
• Likewise, Starbucks continues its regional expansion with recent and forthcoming openings in Jamaica, and the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and Cayman, respectively.

Miami, United States,(October 14^th).More than 15 years ago, Starbuckslanded in the Caribbeanand opened the doors of its first storein this region in the Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since then, the brand has expanded to over 60 stores across the region, including the Bahamas, Aruba, Curaçao, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Cayman.Today, Starbucks continues to broaden its presence in the region with the opening of its first store in the Turks & Caicos Islands, in Grand Turk. This new opening represents the company’s 81^stmarket globally and the8^th in the Caribbean region, markinga significant milestone for the brand’s operations.

“We have always been committed to bringing the unmatchable Starbucks Experience to more people, and we are certain that our expansion through the Caribbean region undoubtably represents a great opportunity to achieve this goal,” said Ricardo Rico, vice president andgeneral manager for Latin America & Caribbean at Starbucks. “Thanks to our shared values, such as our commitment to delivering the best customer experienceand responsibly operating in the communities we serve, we have found in our licensee partners in the Caribbean, great allies to meet our customers’ expectations and demonstrate and define our coffee leadership in the region,” finalized Rico. 

In partnership with Caribbean Coffee Traders Limited (CCTL), a consortium headed by the restaurant management and franchise operator Margaritaville Caribbean Group, the widely anticipated store in Turks & Caicos will be located on the Grand Turk Cruise Port, offering to its customers the unmatchedStarbucks experience through a uniquecustomer service and wide range of Starbucks signature beverages and food offerings, includingthe finestarabica coffees from around the world.

The alliance with the operator Margaritaville Caribbean Groupstarted in 2017, when Starbucks began its story in Jamaica and both companies initially joined to open the first store in the country, where the brand currently has six stores and recently opened a new store in Kingston, as part of its expansion plan to reach fifteen stores by 2022. The partnership with CCTL also led Starbucks to recently enter in the Caymanian market last August 2019, and where the brand expects to havea total of four stores in Grand Cayman over the next three years.

During 2019, Starbucks along with local licensee Prestige Holdings Ltd, has opened two additional stores in Trinidad and Tobago, bringing the total store count to 9 across the island. Expansion in the country will continue as we move into 2020, where the brand is expected to open four more stores to have a total of thirteen.

Additionally, Starbucks confirmed that it is on-track to open its first store in Dominican Republic, in the dynamic and modern city of Santo Domingo in early 2020 through a partnership with Green Star Partners, who will operate the stores in the country. Through this, Starbucks will leverage the market knowledge of its partner and bring to its customers a unique coffee experience.

This coffee experience will also be brought to more customers in the region, as the brand has already scheduled more openings in the near future in The Bahamas, Puerto Rico and Cayman. With this, Starbucks is paving the way to have around 70 stores across eight Caribbean countries by the end of 2019, offering a “third place” where locals and touristscan gatherand deepen human connections.

Caribbean partners – crafting the Starbucks Experience

By leveraging the unique coffee passion, artisanal skills and expertise that each one of the partners (employees) has, the signature Starbucks Experiencehas come to live. It is their passionthat definesit. They are the heartand soul of the Starbucks successin the region and support to spread their and the brand’s passion for coffee.

“I was hired two years ago when Starbucks opened in Jamaica. When I heard we were opening Starbucks in Cayman, I jumped at the opportunity and applied to be a barista. This was a big step for me as I had never been out of Jamaica, or on a plane, but I decided that I was ready to go for it. Starbucks has broadened my horizons letting me see a little bit more of the world,” said RonaldoPusey, barista at Camana Bay, Cayman. “What I love about Starbucks is that is a company that focuses on people, and that the environment in-store is always warm and friendly. Everyone is willing to team up with you,” finalized Pusey.

“What I enjoy the most about my workday, is when customers taste their beverages in front of me and walk away with a smile on their face,” said Brittany Been, barista at Starbucks Grand Turks. “For over a year working at Starbucks, I have learnt to treat everyone with respect whilst giving the best of me. I am very pleased to work surrounded by people filled with enthusiasm, they inspire me to do incredible things!” finalized Been.

Positively Impacting Caribbean Communities

As it is true in all countries where Starbucks has presence, the brand has gone beyond of bringing its unmatchable coffee experience to its customers, as in over 40 years it has deepen its connections with the communities and has leveraged its scale to make a positive difference to local causes; and the Caribbean region has not been the exemption. Through its local licensees, Starbucks has partnered with several community organizations and volunteers to participate in diverse initiatives that directly impact to locals.

For example, The Starbucks Foundation granted around US$5,000 to the Save Our Youth (SOY) Foundation in the Cayman Islands to promote empowerment and transformation in the life of students to become positive influencers in their community. Also, Caymanian partners (employees) volunteered with this organization for a beach clean-up, which took place weeks before the official store opening.

Additionally, earlier this year Starbucks Bahamas and John Bull Group of Companies matched up to US$25,000 in customer donations to support the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency after hurricane Dorian hit the country. Similarly, The Starbucks Foundation contributed with $50,000 to support the Bahamas disaster response efforts, with $25,000 going to the Sandals Foundation and $25,000 to Team Rubicon; and in a true act of solidarity in the region, Cayman and Jamaica proactively decided to host a “Keep the Change” program to collect customer donations in support of disaster response efforts coordinated by the Sandals Foundation.

Starbucks will remain committed togenerating genuine moments of connection between its partners (employees) and customers in the Caribbean, thussharingits coffee passion; but above all, to strengthen the communities where it serves, where everyone feels like they belong, around the perfect cup of coffee.

About Starbucks

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 30,000 stores around the globe, the company 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 us in our stores or online at stories.starbucks.com or www.starbucks.com.