Starbucks brews up cultural heritage in new store in Beijing

Starbucks China, the leading coffee chain, opened its first store with a heritage culture gallery in Beijing on Wednesday to further upgrade its in-store experience and bond closer with culture-conscious local young consumers.

The store, offering both coffee and more than 30 kinds of alcoholic drinks, is located in one of the trendiest and most upmarket shopping malls in Beijing's central business district.

By mixing traditional ethnic minority wax printing artwork into a modern and contemporary store environment, the store has aimed to create an elevated, one-of-it-kind third place experience, said the company.

"It's more than a coffeehouse, but also an art gallery that celebrates time-honored Chinese cultural heritage and pays tribute to the spirit of craftsmanship that's in the same vein as our partners' dedication to their coffee craft," said Leo Tsoi, CEO of Starbucks China.

The inspiration for the store came from Starbucks' project -- Rural Women Accelerator Social Impact initiative, where the coffeehouse has supported the setting up of 10 ethnic minority women's cooperatives across the country to produce and market their traditional heritage handicrafts. The project has so far offered training to more than 1,500 women in traditional cultural skills.

Nearly 2,000 urban residents in the country have experienced Chinese traditional cultural heritage as they visit Starbucks stores in places such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

There is lack of public awareness and understanding of artisan handicrafts, and also the perception that it is "old-fashioned" and outdated, said Tsoi.

"Leveraging the power of the Starbucks scale and brand, we have brought traditional wax printing closer to the current generation of young Chinese consumers, by revitalizing this precious heritage craft with an exquisite fusion of tradition and modernity," he said.

Yanger Baolang, head of the wax printing handicraft collective in Guizhou province, said: "We've never thought our works would have reached customers in Beijing. The store has offered our heritage craft with a broader platform, boosting our confidence to keep improving our craftsmanship."

The CEO said the company has plans to open more such heritage stores in the future, as they reimagine the Starbucks third place experience while paying homage to Chinese heritage.