Retail News CRM

Category: Food

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Food and Food & Beverage news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Taco Bell China on the way

    Taco Bell China on the way

    Mexican-inspired fast food is about to tickle Asian palettes, with the first Taco Bell China restaurant scheduled to open this year.

    Yum Brands! CEO Greg Creed, speaking at a consumer and retail conference in New York, says the first taco Bell China outlet will open in Shanghai.

    US-headquartered Yum! Is in the process of separating its China business into an independent, publicly traded company this year. It has about 7000 KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants in China and believes the spin-off will boost returns and increased asset value for shareholders of both companies post-split.

    Yum! plans to franchise 96 per cent of its outlets by the end of next year, and believes that model will enable it to nearly treble the store network from the present 6900 stores to 20,000.
    A subsidiary of Yum, Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. Founded in 1962 by Glen Bell, it has more than 6600 stores across mainland US with 175,000-plus employees.

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  • Where’s Marcel? – in the Philippines

    Where’s Marcel? – in the Philippines

    Where’s Marcel has opened its first cafe outside Australia – in Manila, the Philippines.

    The Philippine branch on Pearl Drive in Ortigas is the company’s third store after Sydney and Melbourne.

    Where’s Marcel? coffee founder Marcel Ruggieri said “there’s very good foundations here for specialty coffee,” based on the company’s market research.

    Aside from the cafe, the company sells wholesale processed beans, through a principle of farm to table they call “crop-to-cup.” Through this, the company will assist local farmers in growing beans and buy directly from them.

    “To operate ethically should always be a benchmark for… life. Not just in a hospitality sense, but everything we do,” Ruggieri said. “We’re improving the quality in the cup, we’re improving the training and services to the clientele.”

    He said plans to expand the company’s wholesale operations in the country are set in the coming year.

    “The retail front gives a cafe experience; it’s also an opportunity to showcase our coffee, and train and develop staff… it’s really a great platform to demonstrate.

    “With regards to our wholesale operations, we focus on educating and building our clients’ business. So when we supply coffee, we’re not just supplying the bag of beans,” he said.

    The cafe will complement its coffee with Filipino dishes and desserts prepared by Filipino chefs Sau del Rosario Christine Paredes.

    Founded in 2014, Where’s Marcel? got its name from a blunder.

    “Funny enough, at a farm, they lost me,” Marcel Ruggieri, founder of the cafe, told the press during the cafe’s launch. During a trip to Brazil to source beans with his team, Ruggieri lost his away around, prompting his companions to ask, “Where’s Marcel?”

    “The joke kind of stuck through that trip.”

    Where’s Marcel? - in the Philippines

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  • Rough patch for Smoothie King as it closes outlets here

    Rough patch for Smoothie King as it closes outlets here

    American food chain Smoothie King has closed all seven of its stores in Singapore over the past month – although it says it is still keen to operate here within a franchise agreement.

    The news has shocked observers as the food and beverage segment is said to be one bright spot in an otherwise gloomy retail scene.

    While Smoothie King did not comment on the performance of its stores here, a company spokesman said its owner and chief executive Wan Kim recently sold his interest in the South Korean operations.

    Smoothie King Singapore is wholly owned by Smoothie King Korea, according to a company search.

    “As a result of this transaction, Smoothie King Company has chosen to not own and operate outside the United States. This decision has led to the strategic closing of all operations in Singapore,” the spokesman told The Straits Times on Monday.

    The company appears to have quietly exited the market. No mentions were made on its website and Facebook page, which were both unavailable yesterday.

    Smoothie King has been on a rapid expansion path over the past few years. It opened its first store here in December 2012, and said it planned to launch at least 30 shops in three years.

    Apart from the US, it is also open in the Cayman Islands and South Korea. The only Smoothie King- owned outlets are in the US. The rest are franchise agreements, the company spokesman said.

    It has agreements to open stores in the Middle East and will be announcing further international developments in the coming days.

    “Smoothie King vigorously continues to seek operating partners in Asean… It will be exploring opportunities to operate in Singapore within a franchise agreement,” she said.

    The company may have had limited appeal here. Staff at a store opposite its former Nex outlet said that while it would be packed with students from Friday to Sunday, it would typically not even be half full at lunchtime on weekdays.

    It was a similar story at its former Marina Bay Link Mall outlet, with staff at nearby outlets noting it would not be a full house during lunch hours.

    Mr Steven Goh, who runs retail consultancy SG Retail Network, said the chain’s growth and pricing strategy were not suited to the Singapore market.

    “It’s a premium to pay $6, $7 for a smoothie and they are, unlike coffees, not something most people will drink every day.

    “Smoothie King was in a very niche category but also expanded fast, with outlets in prime locations and high rental costs. Not all the stores may have been performing… But for chain store operations to be sustainable, at least 90 per cent of the stores should be profitable.”

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  • Seems customers leave bigger tips if they use mobile payment apps

    Seems customers leave bigger tips if they use mobile payment apps

    It’s likely only a matter of time before mobile payment apps become more popular among consumers, and there are some people very excited: restaurant waitstaff and bartenders. Both mobile payment app providers and restaurants have noticed an uptick in tips if consumers use their smartphones to make payments for food and drinks.

    Customers may need to wait for their food order to be completed, but don’t have to just sit and wait to pay. In addition, some apps allow restaurant patrons to check their bill in real-time, and even split it among the number of guests.

    “We do see increase at bars where people haven’t been tipping,” said Michelle Songy, co-founder of the Cake mobile pay app, in a statement to CNBC. “I’d like to think as we are trying to make the payment experience a bit more fun, easier or quick it leaves you with a better experience.”

    Mobile phone and tablet users are expected to make 72 billion transactions in 2015, and that number will increase up to 195 billion annually by 2019, according to Juniper Research.

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  • Coffee Producer Classic Worldwide International Group Expands to Indonesia’

    Coffee Producer Classic Worldwide International Group Expands to Indonesia’

    Dato Sri Rozaini, Executive Director at CWIG, said the company’s expansion to Indonesia required about IDR 1 trillion (approx. USD $76 million) worth of investment over the past two years, including the construction of the coffee plant. The main reason for expansion to Indonesia is that production costs are lower in Indonesia compared to the home country. CWIG targets to control a 3 – 5 percent stake in Indonesia’s coffee market after the first year of operations. This market share should then be raised to 20 – 30 percent in the next three years. This is an ambitious target as Indonesia’s coffee market is characterized by many brands and types of coffee.

    CWIG is confident that it can control a significant stake in Indonesia’s coffee market because the company has developed strongly, within a short time, on the Malaysian market. Although it only started to sell its coffee products in Malaysia in 2014, Rozaini says CWIG already controls a 30 – 40 percent market share in Malaysia’s coffee market. A similar scenario is expected in Indonesia. Rozaini added that – provided the expansion to Indonesia is successful – the company also plans to expand its coffee business to Brunei and the Philippines.

    Remarkably, CWIG’s coffee plant in Banten will not use domestically-sourced coffee beans (although Indonesia is among the world’s top coffee bean producers). Instead the company will import the beans from Vietnam and Brazil. The reason behind this decision is that the company wants to use (high-grade) arabica coffee beans for its coffee products. Indonesia, on the other hand, is mostly a robusta bean producer.  Parts of Aceh and North Sumatra do produce arabica beans but the grade of these beans are not in line with the requirements of the company.

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  • Calbee’s famous fried chips & made before your very eyes

    Calbee’s famous fried chips & made before your very eyes

    Japanese snack brand Calbee has joined with Four Seas Mercantile Holdings to open its first overseas concept store “Calbee Plus” in Hong Kong, where customers can buy its famous potato chips straight from the deep fryer.

    Located in Lee Tung Street in Wan Chai, the Okashi Galleria x Calbee Plus store offers customers potato chips and potato sticks that are deep fried on the spot.

    95013884-807a-4b1e-bf24-323225b8f79b calbee3

    For snack lovers, it doesn’t get more indulgent than this: the crisps out of the fryer will be drizzled with chocolate sauce, and served with Japanese fresh milk 3.5 soft serve ice-cream on the side.

    More than 10 different kinds of freshly fried chips and potato sticks are available, including normal and wave-cut chips in four flavours: barbecue, double cheese, chocolate, and Hong Kong’s exclusive flavour: typhoon shelter spicy – which is inspired by the city’s famous typhoon shelter spicy crab.

    Customers can also purchase limited edition Japanese confectioneries in the store.

    On its opening day, it saw long queues snake outside the freshly fried-in-front-of-you potato chips store.

    Peggie Lau, associate director of communications at Four Seas Mercantile Holdings, toldMarketing that Calbee Plus is more than a retail store, and aims to bring a holistic experience to customers.

    “By watching the making of those freshly made products through the glass wall open kitchen, we want to bring fresh and delicious products to customers which also aligns with the brand philosophy: making tasty and joyful snacks,” she said.

    Calbee

    Besides targeting snack lovers, the snack maker also wants to attract families to the store.

    “We want to take customer loyalty to the next level. In addition to trying the fresh potato chips, we also want them to experience the service, to witness how we make the products in front of them, and more importantly, to get feedback from them for product research and developments.”

    Lau said the store was aiming to attract 1,000 visitors every day, with plans to open four more stores within five years in Hong Kong to become an attraction for food lovers and overseas visitors.

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  • Whisky Magazine picks DFS’ Changi T3 duplex

    Whisky Magazine picks DFS’ Changi T3 duplex

    DFS Group’s Singapore Changi Airport duplex duty free liquor and tobacco store in Terminal 3 was recently voted Travel Retailer of the Year in the 2016 ‘Icons of Whisky Awards by Whisky Magazine.

    As reported many times, the store was opened last May as part of an airport terminal-wide upgrade of the wines and spirits category, where the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore raised the bar by encouraging contract bidders to push the envelope in terms of shop standards and quality.

    DFS’ May 7 2015 response was the long-anticipated opening of its $64m new terminal wide programme of stores over 85,350sq ft, including its 11,400sq ft dual-floor duplex Changi Airport T3 liquor and tobacco store – the largest single space for liquor and tobacco in any DFS store around the world.

    DFS Group’s flagship wines and spirits store at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 is also the LVMH-owned company’s single biggest contract investment in wines and spirit to date. Prior to the opening, Michael Schriver [the then COO of DFS] described the project as ‘DFS most ambitious airport store ever’. At the same time, Ms. Lim Peck Hoon, EVP, Commercial at the Changi Airport Group described the L&T business as the single biggest commercial concession accounting for around 20% of total sales.

    According to DFS, Whisky Magazine receives nominations for its huge number of awards, which are subsequently shortlisted by its editorial panel and then finalized after a voting process online.

    DFS IS THRILLED…

    “We are absolutely thrilled that our DFS, Singapore Changi Airport store has been awarded Travel Retailer of the Year by Whisky Magazine and look forward to continuing to deliver innovative experiences and exceptional products for our customers in 2016,” said Brooke Supernaw, DFS Group’s Senior Vice President Wines, Spirits and Tobacco.

    “At each of our locations, our aim is to provide our customers with a surprising and delightful shopping experience where they can engage with the brands and products they love. We are particularly proud of DFS, Singapore Changi Airport which over the past year has expanded to become Asia Pacific’s largest assortment of single malts.

    DFS-Changi-L&T-tall-shot

    Click on picture above to enlarge:

    “From the duplex’s design to the interactive tastings held on site, our customers have loved this new approach to travel retail and we’re delighted the industry has fallen in love as well.”

    DFS adds that this is the first year the Icons of Whisky Awards have included a Travel Retail category, which was awarded at both the regional and global level.

    SEVERAL RIVALS COMPETED

    The retailer says it beat competitors from Ireland, England, Germany, the UAE and the Netherlands to receive Whisky Magazine’s Travel Retailer of the Year in the Rest of the World regional category award last in January.

    Following this it adds it is now pleased to have gone  head-to-head with rival entries from America and Scotland to secure the global title at the awards ceremony held in London last week.

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  • Will underperforming Dairy Farm ever recover?

    Will underperforming Dairy Farm ever recover?

    Profitability is at a six-year low. Retail giant Dairy Farm has been underperforming in recent years, battered by weak sales, soft consumer sentiment and smaller market share. As a result, its profitability and share price has taken a beating, with the stock now hovering at its lowest point since 2010.

    Despite Dairy Farm’s poor showing, RHB Research remains bullish on the retailer’s growth story, noting that the company has much room for margin improvement in the medium term.

    “We believe there is much room to improve on gross margin in its supermarket/hypermarket segment, as the company reiterated its commitment to increase direct sourcing,” RHB said.

    RHB Research is also positive improving sales of the group’s corporate brands, and believes that country management changes will allow Dairy Farm to revive its presence in its key markets.

    “Current valuations are at their lowest point since 2010. This is perhaps reflective of weak profits, which are also at its lowest level in this period. However, we view Dairy Farm as a deeply-entrenched retail company, which has a strong potential to turn around its stumbling performances in the past few years.

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  • China Resources’s Beer Profit Gains as Retail Units Deepen Loss

    China Resources’s Beer Profit Gains as Retail Units Deepen Loss

    China Resources Beer Holdings Co., the maker of the world’s best-selling beer, reported earnings that missed analyst estimates as sales slowed amid a competitive market and a slowing economy.

    Underlying profit for the beer assets rose 14 percent to HK$831 million ($107 million) in the 12 months ended December, missing an average estimate of HK$933 million from 15 analysts compiled by Bloomberg. The underlying figure excludes asset revaluation and major disposals. Beer sales last year rose 1 percent to HK$34.82 billion.

    China Resources’ Snow beer is the world’s top beer brand, but its presence is predominately in China, where economic growth was at 6.9 percent last year, the least since 1990. The nation’s beer market is one of the most competitive, with major brewers including Tsingtao Brewery Co., Beijing Yanjing Brewery Co., Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, and a myriad of smaller, regional ones.

    The stock rose 3 percent to HK$15.10 in Hong Kong trading, the highest level since March 4 after the Chinese company said the deal to buy out the remaining 49 percent stake in its venture with SABMiller Plc has been submitted to the Ministry of Commerce. The update came from Jason Hou, the general manager of the venture, at a press conference in Hong Kong Friday.

    The deal is scheduled to close at the end of this year and impact earnings only in 2017.

    Snow beer, which has some of the lowest prices in the market according to a January report from Macquarie Group Ltd., has struggled to get drinkers to switch over to its higher-priced offerings, which would offer the company bigger margins.

    The company had sold its non-beer assets, including its money-losing retail venture with Tesco Plc, to its parent for HK$30 billion last year. This was to allow it to focus on its top-selling Snow beer as the existing multi-business structure didn’t reflect its full value, it had said.

    Underlying losses at discontinued operations, comprising retail, food and beverages, widened to HK$5.65 billion from HK$1.52 billion, it said Friday.

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  • Chicking Indonesia launched

    Chicking Indonesia launched

    UAE-based halal fast-food chain franchisee Chicking Indonesia has signed a master franchise agreement to open 20 outlets, starting with Java and Sumatra.

    Competing with major international brands like Burger King, KFC and McDonald’s, Chicking serves fried chicken and related products.

    The master franchise agreement is between BFI Management (DMCC), the franchise management division of Chicking, and PT Ayam Top Dubai for the Indonesian market. Chicking founder and Al Bayan Group MD AP Mansoor says the company will be opening its first European outlet in London next month as part of an aggressive global expansion.

    “We currently have 100-plus outlets in nine countries, and the plan is to reach 500 by 2020,” says Mansoor, who founded the brand 16 years ago.

    “In the UAE we will be opening three more outlets within a couple of months to add to the 17 we already have. We are very confident about the expansion in Southeast Asia after entering Malaysia last year.”

    DMCC CEO Fariq Halim says the appointment of an Indonesian master franchise is a major milestone. Shops will be opened throughout Indonesia, with its growing Muslim population of 200 million people. The flagship outlet will open in Jakarta by the end of the year, and PT Ayam Top Dubai will aim to have 20 outlets within five years.

    PT Ayam Top Dubai was founded by Raymond Bambang Widjaja with Hengki Setiawan and Hermanto Simon, who collectively have more than 75 years’ experience in doing business in Indonesia and Australia.

    “Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world and is one of the key markets we have been monitoring,” says Widjaja, who has F&B business and master franchises for national and international brands in Indonesia and Australia.

    “The QSR industry in Indonesia is diverse and predominantly controlled by domestic brands. It is a competitive and challenging market, but we believe we have the right partners to make Chicking a leading brand in Indonesia.”

  • Gloria Jean’s eyes Myanmar

    Gloria Jean’s eyes Myanmar

    Gloria Jean’s plans to expand its franchise in Myanmar through more branches across cities

    Gloria Jean’s franchise is operated by local company Seezar Soesan, which has business interests in areas including IT, trading, construction, agriculture, consultancy and media services.

    The coffee franchise has already opened its two branches in Yangon, one in Myanmar Plaza in January and another in Yangon’s new international airport terminal in early March.

    U Kyaw Htin Latt, Seezar Soesan’s chief operating officer said the company plans to continue to be the sole operator for the next two years but may allow other interested firms to open branches, as quoted by local media.

    Other coffee branches that Myanmar has got hold include Espressonite Myanmar, Nervin and Ya Kun

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  • M&M’s take over DFS’ HKIA shop-in-shop area

    M&M’s take over DFS’ HKIA shop-in-shop area

    M&M’S have taken over a new dedicated 35sq m shop-in-shop concept at Hong Kong International Airport, which Mars International Travel Retail have launched jointly with DFS Group in Terminal 1 – close to Gate N28 on the central concourse.

    “Asia is one of the fastest-growing regions for MITR, so we are extremely pleased to be opening this new M&M’S Travel Retail shop-in-shop at DFS, Hong Kong International Airport,” said MITR Regional Sales Director, Christophe Bouye.

    “By offering passengers outstanding retail experiences that first and foremost will make them smile, we are confident it will increase shopper engagement and encourage conversion. Through placing consumers in a smiling frame of mind, we believe that this will not only benefit the confectionery category, but all sectors of the travel retail offer here in Hong Kong.”

    The interior of the store features an ‘interactive’ retail theatre, with the ‘focus on fun’, says MITR, in line with its ’Smiles’ campaign which is a breath of fresh air in many DF&TR locations today.

    MM's ride the Dragon Boat

    Personalised and tailored specifically to reflect a taste of Hong Kong, the shop combines a sample of local tradition with a replica of a dragon boat, which is both guarded and manned by smiling red, yellow, blue and green M&M characters. This is centrally located in the store, against a sea of wall and floor mounted brightly-lit yellow display fixtures – featuring a full range of M&M’s products.

    The store also carries destination merchandise, such as Hong Kong Travel Collection packs of Snickers, Mars and Twix, plus a Hong Kong-themed M&M’S dragon boat box. Core brands of Snickers, Mars, Celebrations and Twix are also offered in individual packs.

    The partners are also promising a strong social media campaign from DFS. This will utilise the WeChat, Facebook and Instagram platforms to alert interest customers to the existence and location of this new outlet before they arrive at HKIA. They also add that as an incentive, a free gift awaits the first 500 visitors, while all customers will be encouraged to take photos in the store and post them to friends on their mobile phones.

    Thierry Canivet, DFS Group’s Senior Vice President, Food and Gifts said the retailer is ‘thrilled’ with the new shop-in-shop concept: “With the shop-in-shop’s localised format, exclusive product offering and innovative approach to engaging customers, we’re confident travellers will love this addition to DFS, Hong Kong International Airport.”

    MITR’s Christophe Bouye added that the company is very grateful to DFS for the opportunity to create such strong branding for M&M’S. He said it is a good opportunity for both existing and new shoppers to discover a new experience, to interact with the M&M’S characters and exercise impulse purchasing.

  • London sandwich chain Pret A Manger opens shop at Dubai airport

    London sandwich chain Pret A Manger opens shop at Dubai airport

    Pret A Manger, the sandwich shop beloved by London office workers for its freshly made rolls and organic coffee, has opened its first UAE store.

    The chain whose magenta star sign, chrome furniture and daily donations to the homeless have become a staple of many a central London street, announced yesterday it has opened its first store in the Emirates at Dubai International Airport through a franchise deal with Emirates Leisure Retail.

    The new store, located in the new Concourse D, will include the concept’s trademark large kitchen and will be open 24 hours a day.

    Emirates Leisure Retail, a unit of Emirates Group, which also operates the UAE shops of Costa Coffee, Giraffe and The Noodle House, is understood to be looking at opening further Pret A Manger stores across the UAE.

    “We’ve had a lot of fun developing our new menu,” said Caroline Cromar, Pret’s group director of food. “We will be bringing plenty of existing Pret favourites over, with some special new products and fantastic locally sourced ingredients, such as falafel and hummus.”

    The opening brings Pret’s sandwich empire to about 400 shops worldwide, including the US, France, Hong Kong and China, although about three- quarters of the shops are still located in the UK capital.

    According to Pret’s new UAE website, the brand’s Dubai team has been training in Pret shops around the world.

    The arrival of the sandwich chain comes as the similarly named Pret to Go is attempting to take a healthy sized bite out of the domestic sandwich market.

    This month, Pret To Go, a sandwich chain founded in late 2014 by the entrepreneur Kunal Lahori, opened its eighth store in the Dubai airport free zone, Dafza. The chain also operates in Emaar Square, DIFC, Media City, Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi International Airport. Pret A Manger declined to comment on its rival.

    The expansion of both chains in the UAE comes at a time when industry experts are predicting that up to a fifth of the country’s food and beverage operators could close by the end of next year, as more and more firms attempt to break into an already overcrowded market.

     

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  • Hong Kong-born entrepreneur sets up shop in Saskatoon

    Hong Kong-born entrepreneur sets up shop in Saskatoon

    Most restaurant owners work impossible hours, and Patrick Chu is no different. But after three decades of 100-hour weeks in his native Hong Kong, running his traditional Chinese food restaurant in Saskatoon feels like a vacation.

    “I spent too much time on working. I was just very tired,” said Chu, who worked in supply management for a global construction company before emigrating to Canada last summer.

    Chu said he brought his three children to Canada because he wanted them to have the best education possible. After arriving in July, he decided to change careers entirely and start his own business, a traditional Chinese food restaurant.

    “For me, I just think opening a restaurant is a small business — it’s easier to manage. (And) I just want to bring some traditional Chinese flavour in here,” he said with a laugh, noting that while some of his family members ran restaurants in Hong Kong, he was “totally unfamiliar” with the industry.

    A lack of experience didn’t deter him from working to get his restaurant up and running. He renovated the First Avenue North space himself, doing everything from painting to replacing and repairing kitchen equipment. Then he started developing a menu that combined familiar dishes with traditional flavours.

    Taiji Eastern Cuisine, which opened its doors late last year, serves meals that will be familiar to most western customers. Ginger beef, sweet and sour pork and Singapore fried noodles are all staples. But according to Chu, Taiji’s are cooked differently, and are spicier and more flavourful than most western-style Chinese food.

    Chu said that since he opened the restaurant, he has faced numerous difficulties, including those shared by many newcomers to Canada. While the first couple of months were “very frustrating,” he’s managed to iron out most of the problems, and today business is growing and he enjoys every minute of it, he said.

    “Every time when the customer comes here they say the environment is very good, very clean, very bright and the food is very good — and they will come again,” he said. “I feel very happy, very happy.”

    Ganyo and Grant didn’t choose an easy industry. The wedding business is extremely competitive and subject to changing tastes, but Ganyo believes the business she and her daughter built will continue to grow and succeed.

    “I think with any business, you always have to be on top of these things and watch where it’s going,” she said. “But I still believe it’s going to be very hard to knock off that dream that little girls have. They dream of that day, and I just can’t see that all of a sudden diminishing.”

  • Starbucks baristas vie for best of Asia honour

    Starbucks baristas vie for best of Asia honour

    Starbucks baristas from across Asia took part in the first Regional Barista Championships in Hong Kong.

    The contest, held before more than 600 spectators, drew 2000 entries from markets including China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan and Indonesia before the field was narrowed to the final 14.

    Finalists were judged on coffee knowledge, beverage mastery and customer service. Each partner had 20 minutes to demonstrate technical and communications skills, craftsmanship and knowledge of the barista profession.

    “Our judges group, made up of eight partners and one guest who is an accredited global coffee-competition judge, was immensely impressed and inspired by the professionalism and passion demonstrated by the final competitors,” said Major Cohen, senior project manager, Starbucks Global Coffee.

    The top three partners from round one of the finals were:

    • Nopparat “Yong” Arpornsuwan who joined Starbucks Thailand in 2002 as a part-time barista and is currently the store manager at the Baan Chart Khaosan Starbucks in Bangkok. She has a personal connection and understanding of coffee, having grown up near coffee farms in Thailand.
    • Hirokazu Terasaki of Japan, who joined the global coffee giant because of the friendly service culture a year ago. He is now an assistant store manager at the Maguro store in Japan.
    • Ryan Wibawa of Indonesia, who became a part-time barista with Starbucks in 2011 and just two years later was designated as a Coffee Master. Now a full-time shift supervisor at the first Starbucks Reserve store in Indonesia, Wibawa earned first-place honors in the first Indonesian Brewers Cup Championship finals in November 2015.

    Starbucks partners from China and Asia Pacific region finalists in the first Regional Barista Championships in Hong Kong. From left: Wibawa, Terasaki and Arpornsuwan.

    Arpornsuwan took top honors, based on her “perfect execution, personal storytelling and knowledge of coffee sourcing,” to become the first Starbucks Barista Champion. She was awarded a first-place trophy, a hand-crafted leather roaster brewers kit complete with coffee and accessories, and a three-week coffee experience in Seattle, which will include a visit to the first Starbucks at Pike Place Market and a tour of Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room.

    Starbucks will celebrate additional barista champions across the globe in 2016. The company will host the Europe, Middle East and Africa Barista Championships and US Barista Championships later this year.