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Starbucks marks 10 years in Chile, Peru

August 23, 2013

Chile and Peru opened their doors to Starbucks Coffee Company 10 years ago and are, this week, celebrating a decade of growth that has established more than 100 stores and employs 2,000 Starbucks partners.

"Starbucks is incredibly proud to see how our partners connect with our customers every day and the relevance the Starbucks brand enjoys in the Peruvian and Chilean communities where we operate," said Rich Nelsen, Starbucks senior vice president of Latin America. "Peru and Chile were the first two markets Starbucks opened in South America 10 years ago. We are humbled by the success and trust we have earned with our partners and customers in these communities, and we are excited for the bright future ahead in these two important communities."

Starbucks opened its 50th store in Chile this month at Universidad Andrés Bello in Santiago, marking a decade of sustained growth in the country. Beginning next month, Starbucks stores in Chile will be operated by longstanding partner Alsea.

Peru now operates 60 stores, employing nearly 1,000 partners in seven provinces. Starbucks Peru will continue to grow and reach new customers in new cities.

Starbucks celebrated its decade of success in Chile and Peru with store openings, special anniversary offers and in-store coffee tastings and concerts. The festivities in Chile included an Unplugged Music Tour of three national artists performing exclusive concerts at Starbucks locations in Santiago. Peru held in-store coffee seminars in Lima and plans to celebrate with partners and customers throughout August.

This month's celebrations are important milestones in the region, Nelsen said. With more than 650 stores across 12 markets, Starbucks will serve more than 100 million customers in Latin America this year.

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