The Starbucks Experience

It's funny how before now Starbucks has just been a coffee shop to me, as I am sure it probably is just that to you, right? What else is there you can say about it, other than it sells good coffee and provides a relaxed welcoming atmosphere? That of course is true but it doesn't stop there...not even close.

Yes that's right, another Starbucks orientated blog and I'm sure there will be more to come. I have spent today on a Starbucks training course called The Starbucks Experience, I wasn't really sure what to expect and the fact that I was being picked up at 7.30am on a Saturday morning didn't bode well to be honest. The only place I wanted to be at that time of day was tucked up in bed, fast asleep. It turns out however, that today was incredibly interesting and inspiring and I learned a lot from it. It isn't until you get involved with a company, that you begin to understand it's size, it's policies, aims and it's position within society.

It goes without saying that Starbucks works superbly hard to ensure that each and every partner working in every store nationally and internationally is providing worldwide customer service. Meaning good service is never good enough, customer service at Starbucks is service that makes a difference in a customers day and allows them to remember it. You might be polite, happy and you may smile at every customer but Starbucks is about more than that, it's about striking up a conversation with a customer, asking them about their day, talking about the weather, the traffic, complimenting them on their hair etc. Something that's going to stick in their mind and going to make them want to come back to Starbucks because the staff made them feel special and like an individual rather than one of the people in the que.

Though enough about that, what I'm trying to get to is the work that Starbucks do that's beyond the stores but helps the stores run the way that they do. I mean, what is Starbucks without coffee? So where does coffee come from? Coffee is grown in three main regions, Latin America, Africa/Arabia and Asia Pacific. It grows on trees on farms and starts it's journey by looking a little bit like cherries, as you can see opposite:


As the worlds largest purchaser of Fair trade certified coffee, Starbucks ethically sources all of it's coffee. This basically means that the Starbucks looks after the farmers that it buys from ensuring they receive a fair amount for the coffee that they source. It is important to Starbucks that they build strong relationships with the farmers and help to promote the livelihoods of coffee farmers. This in turn ensures that the farms grow quality coffee for Starbucks and allows financial support if farmers are having to harvest early and sell their crops for less to local buyers due to having a shortage of funds. Starbucks are committed to giving back to the communities that they buy from to ensure a sustainable future. (Much more to this, another blog in the making - watch this space.)

One thing I learned very quickly about Starbucks is that they take great care of their partners. As an employee of Starbucks you receive constant support, benefits, rewards and opportunities which doesn't  come with all jobs. Starbucks aims to be a third place for it's customers after work and home but for it's partners it's their second and third place and for me I can definitely cope with that. As you might be able to tell even if I am not working I'm perfectly happy to chill out in the store with my laptop or with friends and I think that's what makes it such a brilliant place to work. I may only be a month in to my new job with the company and I may still have lots to learn but it's a brand new experience and a company that I am excited to be part of for the future.