Filipino warmth makes Starbucks successful

The warmness of the Filipinos makes Starbucks a successful business in the country, according to the company ambassador Major Cohen who visited the Philippines recently as part of his Asian tour to share his expertise and deep knowledge about coffee.

“The people from the Philippines I know are all Starbucks people. There is something Cohen that is consistent here, and part of what makes us successful is the warm nature of the people in the Philippines, their ability to connect and enjoy human interaction,” he said in an interview in Makati City.

“The reason why Starbucks here is more successful than other countries is because the spirit that I see in our partners here is absolutely amazing. The experience at Starbucks in the Philippines is second to none,” he added.

Cohen has also visited Vietnam, Taiwan and South Korea.

A former school teacher, Cohen started as a part-time barista at Starbucks in Boston in 1995.

Being the oldest barista of Starbucks could be the reason why he was chosen to be the company’s ambassador, Cohen said in jest.

His job as a coffee educator is to spread knowledge and passion about coffee.

Starbucks, he said, believes that the more the company imparts about its beans and blends, the more excited customers will be to drink them.

Cohen said Starbucks, through its Starbucks Reserve, a line of rare coffee which is available only for a limited time, made this possible.

“Starbucks Reserve is about exploration. With an atmosphere that invites customers to explore the tastes and flavors of coffees from around the world, customers can sit at the interactive coffee bar and experience a range of brewing techniques,” he said.

In the Philippines, there are only eight Starbucks Reserve located in Tomas Morato, Quezon City; S Maison, Pasay City; Sapphire Bloc, Pasig City; Eight Forbes Town, Taguig City; Central Square, Taguig City; Keyland Center, Makati City; Signa Designer Residences, Makati City; and 14 Jupiter Street, Makati City.

In Manila, the favorite is Verona 8020, a blend of beans from Latin America and Indonesia.

At Starbucks Reserve, customers can interact with coffee masters and witness the expert craftsmanship that goes into each cup of coffee.

Starbucks is building more Starbucks Reserve worldwide.

This year, Starbucks will have 130 reserve coffees worldwide, Cohen said.

Apart from Seattle, new Starbucks Reserve Roastery will open in Shanghai, China; Milan, Italy; Tokyo, Japan; and in New York and Chicago.

“What we are doing is answering a need and that is the hunger for connection with other human beings... Sometimes people just want to be here because they want interaction,” he said.

“We are not in the coffee business selling to people, we are in the business of people and we sell coffee,” Cohen said.

Based on a 2015 study of Kantar Worldpanel, coffee remained the staple drink of Filipinos.

The study also found that Filipinos shifted from being moderate to heavy coffee drinkers.