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Starbucks Korea awarded for spurring local partnerships
Starbucks Korea CEO Sohn Jeong-hyun, right, poses with Minister of SMEs and Startups Han Seong-sook, center, after receiving a Prime Minister’s Commendation for the company’s cooperation with small businesses in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Starbucks Korea
By Ko Dong-hwan
Starbucks Korea earned government recognition on Tuesday for its consistent partnerships with local communities and small businesses to fund outreach projects and help boost their sales.
The major coffee chain received a Prime Minister’s Commendation during "Shared Growth Week", declared by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups annually during the last week of November to celebrate mutual growth efforts among companies of all sizes. The ministry jointly hosted the award ceremony with the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership (KCCP), a non-government organization, at KBIZ headquarters in Seoul.
Starbucks Korea, operated by Shinsegae Group’s subsidiary SCK Company, signed a partnership in 2022 with KCCP and the Cafe Owner Cooperative Organization to promote mutual growth in the domestic coffee industry. Since then, the company has supplied 970 small cafe businesses nationwide with locally sourced ingredients, which were used to develop new recipes for region-specific beverage items. The supplied ingredients were enough to produce a total of 416,000 cups.
The company has also funded maintenance and interior repair work for 77 small businesses. Since 2015, it has also been supplying used coffee grounds to local farms in Boseong and Goheung Counties in South Jeolla Province, Hadong County in South Gyeongsang Province and Jeju Island to be used as fertilizer. The supply so far — 5,540 tons in 274,000 bags — is valued at more than 1 billion won ($685,000).
The company now runs 11 “community stores” nationwide, which return part of their earnings to local organizations, with the first store opening in Seoul’s Daehangno area in 2014. Their shared earnings have reached a total of 6 billion won, and their outreach activities include promoting nearby traditional markets, supporting the families of people of national merit and preserving national heritage.