Canada Starbucks Stores to Offer 25¢ Coffees for 25th Anniversary

By Zanub Saeed

Starbucks announced that as part of its 25^th anniversary since the opening of its first store in Canada, all of their participating branches in the North American nation will be offering a tall brewed coffee for 25 cents on June 12^th from open time until 11:00 am local time.

The first Starbucks coffee store opened at the Seabus Terminal in Vancouver in 1987, and the franchise has expanded to owning 298 stores in the Vancouver area and 1,146 shops across Canada, said Starbucks in a press release issued on Thursday. It is the company's biggest market outside of the United States.

"Our early partners and Vancouver customers embraced Starbucks and what we stood for as a brand. It's incredibly rewarding to celebrate this milestone 25 years later and see how far we have come together," Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer, said for the press release.

"I want to thank our partners for their endless passion and the people of Vancouver for their support. We look forward to continuing to live up to our promise, one cup at a time, to provide the third place experience and community connection that our customers expect and deserve," Schultz said.

To celebrate its 25^th anniversary, Starbucks in Canada will also be donating $25,000 towards the City of Vancouver's efforts to become the greenest city by 2020, the press release said. In the push, the government will support projects that turn underused and empty areas into thriving and green-friendly public spaces.

"Community involvement is a core part of the Starbucks brand and creating local connections with the individual communities where we operate is vital," Caroline Ternes, regional director of operations, western Canada, Starbucks Canada, was quoted as stating for the press release.

Starbucks will go further, said the press release, to work with the Vancouver Foundation and CityStudio to locate and help fund local projects in the western Canadian city.

"Starbucks has been a supporter of many local organizations in Vancouver that engage youth and help build community," Vancouver Deputy Mayor Tang said for the press release. "I am pleased that Starbucks is generously donating $25,000 and collaborating with CityStudio, the Vancouver Foundation and the City of Vancouver on our Greenest City initiatives to better connect people and neighbourhoods."