flagship store johannesburg

The store design of the very first Starbucks store in South Africa, is based on combining Starbucks coffee culture with the rich local art and craft in a modern way. The store has been constructed and built with local craftsmen and designers for the lighting and wooden furniture. 

The ceiling is based on how the beans are organised and raked on the fields. It is made out of Felt to give the space more dimension and better acoustics. The store serves Starbucks Reserve Coffee which is a premium selection of carefully sourced coffees from smaller farms all over the world.

As Africa has a rich coffee culture and a lot of knowledge about coffee, we focussed our storytelling for this store purely on the history of Starbucks. The logo originated form the story of a two-tailed mermaid which ties into the early coffee trade between Africa and Europe being transported by boat.

We designed a pattern influenced by local patterns and the story we are telling, which got it executed in wood by local craftsmen. I collaborated with local artist Kurt Pio for part of the artwork.. He designed and applied a big mermaid with sea-like hair, to reinforce the story and bring even more life and character to the wooden wall.

Photography | Starbucks EMEA