Starbucks CEO and Chairman Emeritus Howard Schultz gathered with China-based Starbucks staff at the Partner Open Forum in Beijing, created to celebrate the opening of a 6,000th store in the region, according to a press release.
“There is a unique, loyal connection between Starbucks and the Chinese people. As I meet with partners and the China community, I am reminded how coffee is an international language, and it’s truly been the driving force for how we connect with our customers in the region,” Schultz said. “I am extremely proud of our team in China and our 60,000 Starbucks partners who exemplify the responsibility of wearing the green apron. We particularly saw their dedication during the three years of the pandemic, and they continue to show up for one another while delivering a world-class customer experience every day.”
Serving as a “promise to visit and celebrate the partners of Starbucks fastest growing region,” the meeting was attended by 1,000 partners in person and another 15,000 who joined virtually.
In addition to the Partner Open Forum, Schultz also spent the week visiting stores to connect with partners, witness how they are interacting with customers with the new curbside service and to meet students at Peking University.
The meeting resembles the gathering between Schultz and partners at both Starbucks Kerry Center location, the company’s first flagship store in Beijing in 2013, and Heritage Culture store, where he “thanked them for their resiliency and commitment to each other and their communities,” a recent press release confirms.
The global coffee brand kicked off its operations in China in 1999 and has since then established a team of over 60,000 partners.
“Being authentic and being vulnerable is a strength, not a weakness. Being open and honest and sincere is a strength,” Schultz said. “Starbucks is at its best when we are embracing our humanity. And this whole room right now is based on that, our common humanity.”