Starbucks opens its latest roastery in Shanghai – only the second in the world. It incorporates a 3D printed Teavana bar fabricated from recycled materials.
Good news for Starbucks — the second largest economy in the world loves American coffee. In Shanghai, China, alone, there are already 600 Starbucks stores open.
Good news for the denizens of Shanghai — the coffee giant’s second roastery in the world has just opened in the city. This is their biggest store yet, occupying 30,000-sq-ft of floorspace. It also features a techie twist, incorporating augmented reality and 3D printing in its modernist-traditional hybrid space.
And better yet, for tea lovers, the company offers a 3D printed Teavana tea bar. This bar is inspired by traditional Chinese clay teapots. The bar is light jade in color and even incorporates tea stains for an authentic look.
Starbucks claims that it’s the only tea bar created from recycled materials using a 3D printer. It measure 7.5 meters (25 feet) in length. The company also offers a much larger bar of 27 meters (88 feet) long (the longest of any Starbucks store).
“The affinity we have built with our partners (employees) and customers over the past 18 years in China is special and we knew we must bring the Reserve Roastery, our boldest, most premium store ever, to Shanghai, China’s bustling metropolitan hub and one of the world’s most dynamic retail destinations, as well as a gateway to customers from across Asia and the world,” said Howard Schultz, executive chairman of Starbucks Coffee Company.
Drinking Tea at the 3D Printed Bar in Starbucks
The first sight in the new store is a two-story copper cask. This is decorated by over 1,000 traditional Chinese chops, or stamps. These hand-engravings will narrate the story of coffee and Starbucks.
As customers walk around the roastery, it’s possible to point a smartphone at certain areas and find out more with an augmented reality (AR) experience. This tour guide experience is powered by Alibaba.
Guests can then choose to head to one of three coffee bars or the Teavana 3D printed bar (we know which we’d visit first). Sadly little else is known about the actual printing process of the bar. Chinese artisans handcrafted the three coffee bars which “reference the unique roasting curve of individual coffee beans.”
The store is located on one of the busiest shopping streets in the world at 789 Nanjing Road W.
Source: Starbucks Press Release
Website: LINK
