Starbucks’ new Roastery format dazzles; will serve as launchpad for 100-store chain
Seattle — Starbucks Coffee Company has pulled out all the stops as its looks to enter the growing market for high-end specialty coffee. On Friday, the coffee giant opened its first-ever Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room, a dazzling 15,000-sq.-ft. flagship that combines digital innovation and an old-fashioned Willy Wonka-feel to create retail theatre. The Roastery will serve as the launchpad for a planned chain of 100 stores specializing in high-end coffees from around the globe, with initial locations opening in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, the new Starbucks is a hybrid: part retail store and part manufacufacturing facility. The space, which was more than two years in development, reflects the handcrafted nature of coffee from bean to cup and is designed to make the coffee experience come to life. The café and tasting room take up 6,654 sq. ft., and offers 360- degree views from any vantage point within the space.
The building, which dates back to 1920, was restored by Starbucks back to its original façade. Many of the original building materials, including wood in the decorative ceiling and original Terrazzo and concrete flooring, were reclaimed. Some 95% of the materials and finished pieces used for the Roastery are made in America.
The space puts customers at the heart of the roasting action. Transparent tubes that rise up out of the floor and run under the ceiling transport coffee beans to the roasters and the roasted beans to the various coffee bars positioned around the space.
The Roastery integrates digital innovation into the experience, including a “Clacker” board with mechanical flaps displaying what’s roasting and by whom. It also includes a wall made of “smart” glass displaying images of coffee at origin on the company’s own farm in Costa Rica. And coming in 2015: iBeacon technology that allows customers to access information about freshly brewed coffee via their smartphone.
“We have designed a space that will heighten all the senses,” said Liz Muller, VP, creative and global design for Starbucks. “ This is a real-life Willy Wonka experience with coffee as the heart and soul, where customers will see coffee being moved through the roasting process right before their eyes. We have opened up the world of sourcing, roasting and brewing so that our customers at any one point are only feet away from the theater and artistry in a sophisticated yet relaxed environment. Each visit will bring new discoveries while setting the standard for what customers can expect for the future of retail.”
Coffees will be roasted on one of two roasters—the Probat G-120 Roaster and the Probat P25 Roaster. Freshly roasted beans will be delivered to a whole bean scooping table or a custom-made bar where baristas will brew handcrafted beverages on one of six brewing methods.
Food is also part of the experience. Starbucks teamed up with Seattle chef Tom Douglas to create the food menu, which was created to complement the complex flavors of the coffees offered. The café offerings will include pastries, sandwiches, salads and sweets.
“This Roastery is the fulfillment of a decade-long dream – an homage to our relentless pursuit of coffee innovation that will create for our customers the most immersive, sensory demonstration of how we source, roast and craft the finest coffee from around the world,” said Howard Schultz, chairman, president and CEO of Starbucks. “Everything we’ve ever done has led us to this point. This is the moment of the next generation of Starbucks.”
Take a video tour of the new Starbucks reseave roastery and tasting room.