Starbucks Korea teams up with local farmers to support small cafes

Starbucks Korea has unveiled its eighth “shared growth” beverage — a Sangju Shine Muscat Ade crafted with locally sourced grapes from North Gyeongsang Province — as part of an ongoing initiative to help independent coffee shops boost sales and sharpen their competitive edge. The company held a handover ceremony Aug. 3 at its Seoul support center, attended by officials from the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership and a national cooperative representing independent cafe owners. Starbucks launched the program in March 2022, becoming the first coffee company to sign a "cafe industry shared growth agreement" with the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership and the cafe owners' cooperative. Under the agreement, Starbucks has developed and shared drink recipes using local agricultural products, supported recovery efforts after natural disasters and helped improve aging cafe facilities. Over the past five years, the company said it has provided about 1 billion won ($694,000) in related funding. The shared drinks have become known as an effective way for Starbucks to pass along