On top of experimenting with a number of unique retail formats and roasteries over the past few years, Starbucks is venturing into new territory again with the opening of the Hacienda Alsacia Visitor Center—marking the first time it has ever opened a coffee farm to members of the public.
Aside from offering coffee tastings, the center in Costa Rica provides a behind-the-scenes look at the world of coffee farming, research, development and the refinement of different agricultural techniques.
Starbucks' Hacienda Alsacia Visitor Center is the first of nine Farmer Support Centers, which serve as working farms and research and development facilities to push innovation. One of the most notable works from this particular center is the team's development of hybrid trees that are resistant to "coffee rust," a fungus that can be devastating to coffee plantations.
Coffee-Farming Centers
The Hacienda Alsacia Visitor Center Offers Starbucks Fans a New Perspective
Trend Themes
1. Unique Retail Formats - Starbucks' experimentation with unique retail formats and roasteries presents opportunities for disruptive innovation in the coffee industry.
2. Coffee Farming Research and Development - The opening of the Hacienda Alsacia Visitor Center highlights the importance of research and development in the coffee farming industry, creating opportunities for disruptive innovation.
3. Hybrid Tree Development - The development of hybrid trees resistant to coffee rust by Starbucks' Farmer Support Centers presents an opportunity for disruptive innovation in agricultural techniques.
Industry Implications
1. Coffee Retail - The opening of the Hacienda Alsacia Visitor Center and Starbucks' experimentation with unique retail formats present opportunities for disruptive innovation in the coffee retail industry.
2. Agriculture - The Hacienda Alsacia Visitor Center and the development of hybrid trees showcase opportunities for disruptive innovation in agricultural research and development.
3. Coffee Farming - Starbucks' Farmer Support Centers and their focus on combating coffee rust present opportunities for disruptive innovation in the coffee farming industry.