Starbucks Korea is considering launching its instant coffee mixes here soon, the president said Wednesday marking the 12th anniversary of the Seattle-based company’s Korean business.
“The instant coffee brand, which was launched last year in Japan following the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., would be introduced to Korean consumers,” Lee Suk-koo, the head of Starbucks Korea, said in a press conference held in the first Korean store near Ewha Womans University in Shinchon, western Seoul.
“It is not just an instant coffee, but a coffee brand that realizes Starbucks’ innovative adventurous spirit.”
Lee Suk-koo, head of Starbucks Korea, speaks during a news conference in Seoul on Wednesday. (Starbucks Korea)
Lee said, however, no details could be revealed for now, adding that “There will be an announcement by the headquarters soon.”
Starbucks entered the instant coffee market with the new brand Via in 2009. In Asia, the sales started in China and the Philippines this year after Japan last year.
During the news meeting, Lee announced the Korean branch’s long-term goal of achieving 700 billion won ($667 million) in sales within five years.
“Starbucks Korea has continued to record double-digit growth over the past 12 years. We have achieved remarkable growth, with the 408th store opening as of July,” he said.
As a way to repay the support of customers and community, he said the company would play a leading role in corporate social responsibility.
According to the company, the Korean branch sold 7,900 fair-trade coffee products and the rate of ceramic mug users reached nearly 40 percent last year. And it also spent about 950 million won, or 4.3 percent of its net profits, on donations and other social contribution activities, the company added.
By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)
