Every 1 October is commemorated as International Coffee Day when all coffee enthusiasts around the globe celebrate the importance and the beauty of coffee as one of the most-liked beverages in the world.
For many people, nothing compares to the wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee in the morning; the hearty and rich scent of coffee quickly stimulating your brain before the caffeine even enters your system. And when we talk about coffee, it is difficult not to mention Starbucks. Since it was founded in 1971, Starbucks has been famous for its rich source of coffee beans as well as its snug outlets that are scattered around the globe. One of the keys to Starbucks’ success lies in its skilled baristas who meticulously prepare each cup of coffee to satisfy the thirst of their customers.
We recently met Ryan Wibawa, one of the shining Starbucks Coffee Masters who successfully proved his expertise in numerous international competitions. “I joined Starbucks in 2011 as a part-time barista before eventually going through Starbucks Coffee Master Programme and graduated in 2013. As Starbucks Coffee Master, I learned how to recognize the coffee character and how to determine the coffee quality. I then decided to join various brewing competitions to gain experience. I was the winner of the Indonesian Brewers Cup 2015 and was therefore entitled to represent Indonesia in the World Brewers Cup in Dublin, Ireland in June,” Ryan said when we met him at Starbucks Reserve Store Grand Indonesia.
Of course, Starbucks Coffee Masters’ skill wouldn’t mean anything without the good quality of their coffee sources. That is why Starbucks is committed to giving back to their farmers by helping to sustain coffee farmers and strengthen their communities. “In Starbucks, quality control is everything. I just came back from a trip to Sumatra to visit the plantation there and to see how complicated processing coffee is. After learning about the process of coffee production, we as baristas have a responsibility to continue the farmers’ hard work by serving the best coffee to our customers,” Ryan explained.
In addition to ensuring a high quality of taste, Starbucks also prioritizes great service to keep the customers happy. Besides its regular outlets, Starbucks features Reserve Stores with a different and unique concept in order to highlight the original character of the local culture. Reserve Stores in Indonesia are located in Jakarta (Grand Indonesia), Bandung (Paris van Java) and Surabaya (Galaxy Mall). “The slogans of Reserve Coffee are ‘exquisite, rare and exotic’. Each of our reserve outlets’ design brings out the beauty of its origin hometown. Customers can also find the limited and one-of-a-kind coffee that is available exclusively here, so they can get a whole remarkable experience in the Reserve Store,” Ryan continued while brewing the special Reserve Coffee of the month, Cape Verde.
The Starbucks Reserve Store also presents the Coffee Experience Bar where baristas show how different brewing methods can have surprising effects on the flavour of the coffee. Upon ordering, customers can choose the brewing methods they prefer for their cup, ask any question that comes to mind or even ask for a tasting to learn more about Starbucks coffee. All these features make Starbucks an all-time favourite among coffee addicts, and alongside its other innovations, Starbucks is likely to maintain its position as the leading coffeehouse chain in the world.
