Starbucks Opens First Cape Town Store at Canal Walk
Cape Town has joined the list of cities around the world in which you will find a Starbucks store, thanks to its newly opened store in Canal Walk — the first of six to open in the next four weeks.
In a first for Starbucks, Capetonians who had pre-booked their spot to be among the first to experience Starbucks on home soil were treated to an exclusive first taste of high-quality arabica coffee. With Covid restrictions in mind and to ensure the safety of customers, the store opened with four days of slots available for fans to pre-book their introduction to Starbucks.
“Starbucks store openings around the world are usually greeted with long queues of excited, eager fans,” says CEO of Rand Capital, the licensee of Starbucks in South Africa. “Our greatest priority is the health and wellbeing of our customers and partners, so we decided to turn the challenge presented by Covid into an opportunity to give our customers a more personal, exclusive experience.”
Fans quickly snapped up available slots for opening day on 19 November, and 40 customers per half-hour session got to hear about the craftsmanship and ethical sourcing that goes into each beverage directly from the new baristas, known as Starbucks partners.
The very first Capetonian customer to sample Starbucks on Cape soil was 6-year-old Nicela Naude who says “I have been dreaming of going to Starbucks all my life, I am so excited!”
“Starbucks coffee is 99% ethically sourced and accredited by Conservation International under the C.A.F.E. Practices programme. The coffee, which is organised into three roast profiles – Starbucks Blonde Roast, medium roast and dark roast – is sourced from coffee farmers in countries spanning the globe. Our coffee buyers personally travel to coffee farms in Latin America, Africa and Asia to select high-quality beans. And our master roasters bring out the balance and rich flavour of the beans through the signature Starbucks Roast,” says Teddy Nzama, Starbucks 2019 Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Barista Champion.
To book your Starbucks launch experience in one of the participating Cape Town stores, click here. Pre-bookings are available for the opening weekends at Canal Walk (19 – 22 November), Cavendish Square (28 & 29 November), Tyger Valley (5 December) and V&A Waterfront (10 to 13 December). Also opening in December is Starbucks at FreshX Stellenbosch on 12 December and Starbucks Camps Bay on 15 December.
Don’t forget to share your Starbucks experience with your friends online using the hashtag #carrythemerrywithstarbucks. And remember to book your slot before they’re all taken!