Starbucks Debuts in ItalyThe Seattle-based company opens a Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan.

[Collection]MILAN – How can an American giant operating in the coffee industry win over the motherland of espresso culture? With a declaration of love, of course. Amid controversies, speculation and curiosity that populated Italian media over the past year, Starbucks makes its official debut in the Italian market on Thursday with its first European Reserve Roastery here. This is the third roastery concept globally, after launches in Seattle in 2014 and Shanghai last year. Occupying a 25,000-square-foot space inside a historic building that formerly housed Milan’s central post office and that overlooks Piazza Cordusio, the company’s first outpost here is a celebration of Italian crafts and the coffee ritual that 35 years ago inspired the American chain’s founder, Howard Schultz. “During my first trip to Milan in 1983, I was captivated by the sense of community I found in the city’s espresso bars — the moments of human connection that passed so freely and genuinely between baristas and their customers,” said Schultz. “The opening of the Milan Roastery is the story of Starbucks coming full circle. Everything we have experienced, since that first moment of inspiration 35 years ago to now being a daily part of millions of people’s lives around the world,

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More...https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/starbucks-debuts-italy-1202785453/