www.cOffEEtArIaN.com - Coffee News

Hello, I’m happy to share that we’ve taken another step toward increasing the use of recycled content in the production of Starbucks Cards.  On August 31 we introduced the “Green Cups” Starbucks Card in our U.S. and Canada stores.  The elegant yet simple design highlights a silhouetted line-up of our most popular cups and tumblers against a pure white background.  We think that the clean design is a perfect way for us to represent a Card that is not only functional but eco-conscious.  The Green Cups Starbucks Card is made from 80% post consumer recycled material and, unlike the recycled Card we offered in the past, this Card will be a core part of our program, which means it will be available longer than many of our seasonal designs.

The Green Cups Starbucks Card offers a design that you’ll love with the added peace of mind that comes from using a Card that has the environment in mind. 

Enjoy!

The Starbucks Card Team

Inspired by your ideas:

Stop Trashing Empty Cards
posted by bruce

Recycling Starbucks Cards
posted by jdmorton

We are very pleased with the results of our mobile payment trial for the Starbucks Card Mobile iPhone app.

All of you BlackBerry users who asked us to launch Starbucks Card Mobile for your BlackBerry mobile devices – we listened!

Starting on September 2 you will be able to download the free Starbucks Card Mobile app to your BlackBerry Curve, Storm and Tour mobile devices.

• Need to know your balance? Done!
• Need to reload your Starbucks Card? Done!
• Need to check your My Starbucks Rewards loyalty Stars? Done!
• Need to find a Starbucks location, including participating mobile pay locations? Done!
• Need to add all of your favorites Cards? Done!
• Need to sign-in and manage your Card account? Done!
  

And you can even pay for your Starbucks purchases at participating mobile payment locations - currently 16 store locations in Seattle and Silicon Valley, Calif. and more than 1,000 Starbucks Target locations. (For the most current list, visit Starbucks.com)

Mobile payment lets you enjoy your Starbucks Experience, on the go, with no wallet required!

We are very excited to extend the mobile payment test with Starbucks Card Mobile to the BlackBerry community - and are looking forward to your feedback. If you live or work near these stores, please give it a try! If you are not within the test areas, please follow our journey on MyStarbucksIdea.com.

“It – it belongs in our family," said Button-Bright, beginning to eat and speaking between bites. “This umbrella has been in our family years, an’ years, an’ years. But it was tucked away up in our attic an’ no one ever used it ’cause it wasn’t pretty.”

“Don’t blame ’em much,” remarked Cap’n Bill, gazing at it curiously. “It’s a pretty old-lookin’ bumbershoot.” – L. Frank Baum, Sky Island (1912)

Bumbershoot. n. An umbrella. [Alteration of (UMB)RELLA and (PARA)CHUTE.] first known use c. 1896.

Seattle’s international arts and music festival  isn't as old as Sky Island (written by Baum 12 years after his most famous work, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), but it has been a Starbucks tradition since we opened our first store. In fact, Starbucks and Bumbershoot both got started in 1971. Bumbershoot has come a long way since country musician Sheb Wooley’s appearance and (thankfully) that first “Miss Hot Pants Contest,” when it was known as Festival ’71. (It didn’t adapt the Bumbershoot moniker until 2 years later.)

You can celebrate our 39th straight year of involvement with the festival by joining us at the Starbucks Stage at the Seattle Center’s Mural Amphitheater. Headliners here include Solomon Burke, Billy Bragg and Booker T. And there are two other stellar acts I’d particularly recommend: Horse Feathers and singer-songwriter Greg Laswell.

Elsewhere around the festival, I’d like to share our Top Ten list of crowd-pleasers you might wanna check out if you’re going. See ya there!

1. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes: “Holy Moly me oh my they’re the apple of (our) eye.”

2. Ra Ra Riot: Their new album, The Orchard, is a pop masterpiece fit for an outdoor fest.

3. Neko Case: The Neko has landed. Maybe I’ve got “tectonic fever” for her, but I’ve never seen a bad performance from the singer-songwriter.

4. The Raveonettes: Like duel jet engines, this duo plays feedback-laced indie pop like no other. Key song: “Hallucinations”.

5. Ozomatli: Always givin’ it up for party people everywhere. I once described this L.A. collective as “Tito Puente meets De La Soul meets the J.B. Horns meets the Skatalites meets the Car Wash soundtrack.” Believe it.

6. Balkan Beat Box: An acquired taste? Perhaps, but their live performances never disappoint. Give witness to their high-octane, Eastern European electro-fusion.

7. Wheedle’s Groove: This funky soul outfit oughtta have the Seattle faithful eating out of the palm of their hand with their gospel-funk infused cover of Soundgarden’s “Jesus Christ Pose.”

8. Caspar Babypants: For the “Youngershoot” toddler set that just can’t quite get down with Balkan Beat Box, there’s this zany band from The Presidents of the United States frontman Chris Ballew, guaranteed to get children of all ages up and dancing.

9. Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra: Hopefully the talented multi-instrumentalist will break out his “Bongo Fury” for this live setting.

10. Mary J. Blige: One of hip-hop’s first ladies, Ms. Blige makes delicious music that does only get Stronger with Each Tear. Here’s hoping she breaks out her cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” for the festival faithful. 

You asked for it and we’ve delivered. The great benefits of My Starbucks Rewards are now available at more than 2,600 additional locations!

Now you have more places to get free select syrup* and milk options, free refills on your brewed or iced coffee and tea, and a free Tall (12 fl oz) beverage with the purchase of any pound of whole beans. 

It’s still easy to earn Stars with your registered Starbucks Card – but now you’ll receive the rewards you love at grocery locations like these: A&P, Albertsons, Baker’s, Bashas’, City Market, Dillons, Dominick’s, Farm Fresh Food & Pharmacy, Fred Meyer, Fry’s Food Stores, Genuardi’s, Hilander, Jensen’s Finest Foods, King Soopers, Kroger, Mollie Stone’s Markets, Pavilions, QFC – Quality Food Centers, Randalls, Safeway, Smith’s, Tom Thumb, Vons and Waldbaum’s.

If you’re traveling, look to use your Starbucks Card at these destinations: Bay View Resort (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), The Breakers Resort (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), The Curtis – a Doubletree Hotel (Denver, Colo.), Dallas Convention Center (Dallas, Texas), Hilton (Springfield, Ill.), Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort (Pawleys Island, S.C.), The Long Bay Resort (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), Marriott (Rancho Cordova, Calif.) and The Sheraton Read House Hotel (Chattanooga, Tenn.)

When you’re on campus, your My Starbucks Reward benefits are available at the Barnes & Noble at Georgia Tech, the University of Arkansas and the University of Tennessee.

The Starbucks stores at these health care locations are also extending My Starbucks Rewards benefits: James Tower at Swedish Medical Center (Seattle, Wash.) and Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital (Salinas, Calif.).

Follow us on Twitter @starbuckscard and Facebook Starbucks Card to get more inside news, tips and program updates for My Starbucks Rewards.

*Select syrups are subject to availability and exclude all seasonal/promotional beverages and syrups. See here for more details.

Inspired by your ideas:

All Starbucks Should be Starbucks
posted by carma

Thanks for sharing your ideas here at My Starbucks Idea.  We’re listening to you and busy innovating on Starbucks VIA Ready Brew to bring you more Starbucks VIA Ready Brew experiences.  Coming this Fall, our newest product is Starbucks VIA Flavored coffee.

Starbucks VIA® Flavored Coffee is a fusion of bold yet smooth 100% arabica Starbucks® instant coffee and rich, delectable flavors and natural cane sugar.  These delicious and aromatic new blends expertly combine the highest quality coffee with complementary natural flavors based on our most popular beverages. We start with a blend of high-quality Starbucks® Latin American arabica coffees, and add natural flavors and cane sugar to create four delicious varieties:  Vanilla, Mocha, Caramel and Cinnamon Spice.  
 
Each packet makes a wonderfully balanced cup of coffee – try it with your choice of dairy for a truly delicious experience.  Starbucks VIA® Flavored Coffees will be available in participating U.S. and Canada Starbucks stores this Fall.  Enjoy and keep the ideas coming.  We’re listening!

Aimee Johnson
vp, VIA

Everyone claims to have the world's best coffee!  Not often are the words exotic, rare and exquisite used to describe coffee.  For Starbucks to append all three words to a limited time offering, the coffee must be really special. 

We've introduced Starbucks Reserve™ Coffee to a limited number of U.S. stores.  This new line of coffee, each available only for a short time, represents the best of the best! You can expect to find flavors that explode on your palate and fade with a lingering complexity.  When you taste a Starbucks Reserve™ coffee, you'll be reminded of the heritage and early days of the specialty coffee business that we helped to create. 

Only three percent of the highest quality coffee grown around the world makes it into a bag of Starbucks® coffee.  Starbucks Reserve™ coffee represents a tiny fraction.  You have told us that you want to see rare and exotic coffees in our stores, and that is exactly what we have done in bringing treasures like our debut offering, Starbucks Reserve™ Galápagos San Cristóbal. 

This coffee originated on San Cristóbal, one of the oldest geological locations within the Galápagos Islands. The subtropical region’s intense microclimate, rich volcanic soil and equatorial sun create ideal conditions for extraordinary coffee. Influenced by these environmental characteristics, Galápagos San Cristóbal is a medium-bodied coffee that features fresh flavors and highlights of green herbs balanced by soft cocoa and spice.

Check online to see which stores will be carrying Starbucks Reserve™ coffee.  We’d love to hear from you.  Share your comments and tasting notes of this first Starbucks Reserve™ coffee offering with us.

Dub Hay
senior vice president, Coffee

Everyone claims to have the world's best coffee!  Not often are the words exotic, rare and exquisite used to describe coffee.  For Starbucks to append all three words to a limited time offering, the coffee must be really special. 

We've introduced Starbucks Reserve™ Coffee to a limited number of U.S. stores.  This new line of coffee, each available only for a short time, represents the best of the best! You can expect to find flavors that explode on your palate and fade with a lingering complexity.  When you taste a Starbucks Reserve™ coffee, you'll be reminded of the heritage and early days of the specialty coffee business that we helped to create. 

Only three percent of the highest quality coffee grown around the world makes it into a bag of Starbucks® coffee.  Starbucks Reserve™ coffee represents a tiny fraction.  You have told us that you want to see rare and exotic coffees in our stores, and that is exactly what we have done in bringing treasures like our debut offering, Starbucks Reserve™ Galápagos San Cristóbal. 

This coffee originated on San Cristóbal, one of the oldest geological locations within the Galápagos Islands. The subtropical region’s intense microclimate, rich volcanic soil and equatorial sun create ideal conditions for extraordinary coffee. Influenced by these environmental characteristics, Galápagos San Cristóbal is a medium-bodied coffee that features fresh flavors and highlights of green herbs balanced by soft cocoa and spice.

Check online to see which stores will be carrying Starbucks Reserve™ coffee.  We’d love to hear from you.  Share your comments and tasting notes of this first Starbucks Reserve™ coffee offering with us.

Dub Hay
senior vice president, Coffee

Hi everyone, I’m Kelly, a product manager on the Espresso team.  I am here to announce the happy return of a customer favorite, Pumpkin Spice Latte!  This fall will mark the 7th year we’ve offered Pumpkin Spice Latte in our stores.  This beverage is a delicious blend of pumpkin and traditional fall spice flavors, such as cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg, combined with our signature espresso and freshly steamed milk, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices. 

Coming to Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice Latte has become a wonderful tradition, and in some cases a daily ritual for customers over the years.   Start your very own tradition at your favorite Starbucks this fall.  Enjoy!

Passion and Persistence: My New Orleans Story

As we approach the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s impact on the Gulf Coast, I wanted to share with you part of our journey. On the day the hurricane hit — August 29, 2005 — I was the district manager of Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Lake Charles, Louisiana. In those early days after the storm, I quickly realized that Starbucks partners would find their own unique ways to help each other, and their communities, rebuild.

While those outside the area worked hard to gather supplies, collect donations and work to reopen stores, a large local team was focused on finding every partner from the area. This was no small task and it was made more complex by the fact that the last partner to be found was a man who was hired just a few days before the storm. He did not think anyone from Starbucks would be looking for him since he had not even worked a shift yet. Little did he realize that once you sign those new hire papers, you are part of the family. The length of his tenure was not a concern, for he was a partner, and with great passion and persistence his fellow partners needed to know that he had been found before we could really move on.

And move on we did. The Starbucks Foundation committed million to be spent in the area over five years. At first it was hard to envision what we would need in five months, let alone five years, but the long-term commitment really allowed us to better meet the needs of the community. One program that was developed, Creators of A Strong Tomorrow Fund (COAST Fund), gave local partners the ability to recommend gifts (,000-,000) to grass-roots, neighborhood-based non-profit organizations. Through this program we were able to help both existing groups that were no longer getting the funding they needed as well as newly created groups that were trying to help rebuild their neighborhoods. By impacting these smaller but very passionate groups, we created momentum every year to make new and creative changes in the community.

While local partners worked hard to rebuild their communities, the full force of Starbucks passion and persistence came to New Orleans in the fall of 2008 when we hosted the Leadership Conference. More than 9,000 partners came to not only attend seminars about the company but also to work on community projects across the city. We planted trees, built playgrounds, worked on houses and most importantly reminded ourselves why we loved working for Starbucks – the chance to be part of something bigger than ourselves. The rallying cry for partners at the conference was “Onward”, a phrase Howard has used for many years to guide the company. It is also a fitting phrase for the entire Gulf Coast region.

So as we move forward here in the Gulf Coast, the work continues with the same passion and persistence that this region has always been known for. If you have ever been to a festival or a football game in Southern Louisiana, then you have seen it and most likely felt it. Their passion for food, music and sports also applies to how they are rebuilding their communities. If you haven’t been here lately, I encourage you to come and see the progress, spend some time volunteering and get caught up in the passion of a community that has endless determination.

Jennifer Hicks
field implementation manager, South Division

You are part of something pretty amazing - those of you who are members of My Starbucks Rewards. And what’s cooler than that?  You. That’s right, your ideas have sparked a truly amazing honor- My Starbucks Rewards is recognized as one of the Top 5 Loyalty programs in the U.S.!  

You are using this forum of sharing ideas to suggest what you’d like to experience at Starbucks, especially when it comes to how you want to be recognized and rewarded.

These are the ideas you shared that have made the My Starbucks Rewards program a hit:

• Call me by name- Gold cards are personalized with your name.
• Reward my visits- Every time you use your registered card to pay at a participating store, you are earning Stars toward Gold level status and free drinks.
• Celebrate my birthday- Enjoy a free birthday beverage on the house!
• Surprise me- Members value the coupons for sweet treats and exclusive offers coming by mail, like Free Oatmeal, Buy One Get One Frappuccino® blended beverages, and more, much more!

There are also some ideas that we are looking into:

• Paperless rewards- Improvements are in the works to move away from postcards and deliver your rewards where you want them most- at the register!
• More Stars- More Stars for higher purchases; we hear you and are considering that now.
• Innovate- Starbucks Card Mobile is expanding to include more than just iPhones. Stay tuned for announcements coming soon!
• Licensed Stores- More Licensed Stores participation is around the corner…just you wait!

And this is only the beginning, so keep those ideas coming!