MATT GLAC
Starbucks Open Visitor Center on Farm
The Starbucks visitor center design
Starbucks now is in the tourism business. The retail coffee giant recently opened a Costa Rican visitor center, a working farm that gives guests the chance to follow the coffee process from the field to the cup.
The 600-acre farm and Visitor Center at Hacienca Alsacia opened March 7 on the slopes of the Poas volcano. The farm has served as a research and development facility for the company since 2013. It now serves the public.
The center, totaling 46,000 square feet, leads visitors through the arabica life cycle from seedling to harvest, cleaning, roasting, and brewing.
“Much like the premium retail experiences we are designing around the world, the Visitor Center at Hacienda Alsacia is a fully immersive space and now, for the first time ever, Starbucks is connecting our customers to the entire coffee ecosystem from seedling to the craft of brewing,” Starbucks executive chairman Howard Schultz said in a statement.
“Our farm allows us to learn firsthand the ongoing complexities that coffee farmers face in order to accelerate our comprehensive approach to ethical sourcing,” said Kevin Johnson, Starabucks president and chief executive officer. “Now more than ever, we must ensure the future of coffee through sustainable practices so that it is available for generations to come.”