The eighth co-prosperity beverage, 'Sangju Shine Muscat Ade.' [Provided by Starbucks Korea]
The eighth co-prosperity beverage, 'Sangju Shine Muscat Ade.' [Provided by Starbucks Korea]

Starbucks Korea announced Tuesday that it has developed and delivered its eighth co-prosperity beverage — "Sangju Shine Muscat Ade" — to help small independent cafes strengthen their competitiveness. A handover ceremony was held Monday at the Starbucks support center, with representatives from the Commission for Corporate Partnership and the National Cafe Owners Cooperative in attendance.

In March 2022, Starbucks Korea became the first company in the coffee industry to sign a "cafe sector co-prosperity agreement" with the Commission for Corporate Partnership and the National Cafe Owners Cooperative. Since then, it has carried out a range of co-prosperity initiatives, including developing and distributing beverages made with locally grown produce, providing disaster recovery support, and improving conditions at aging cafes. The total co-prosperity fund provided over the past five years stands at about 1 billion won ($698,000).

The latest co-prosperity beverage features shine muscat grapes from Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province. Developed by the Starbucks beverage team with seasonality and broad appeal in mind, the drink pairs the fruity flavor of shine muscat with the texture of an aloe vera topping.

Small cafe owners wishing to receive co-prosperity beverage support can check recruitment announcements through the National Cafe Owners Cooperative's Naver cafe page and small-business cafe preference boards in August. Starbucks will provide 150 selected small cafes with the recipe and enough raw materials to make 60,000 servings, free of charge. The beverage goes on sale in September, with participating stores and detailed launch schedules to be announced through the Commission for Corporate Partnership's KakaoTalk channel, the Starbucks website and its mobile app.

Including this latest round, Starbucks has supplied raw materials for a cumulative 476,000 servings of co-prosperity beverages since 2022, benefiting a total of 1,120 small cafes. The company also delivered 30 million won in facility repair funds to support improvements to small cafe environments.

"It is meaningful to be able to realize the value of shared growth with small cafe owners through a variety of co-prosperity activities," said Choi Hyun-jung, head of food and beverage development at Starbucks Korea. "We will continue to provide support that makes a real difference for small cafe owners."

From left: Jeong Jae-in, deputy director at the Commission for Corporate Partnership; Choi Hyun-jung, head of food and beverage development at Starbucks Korea; and Ko Jang-su, chairman of the National Cafe Owners Cooperative, pose for a photo at the eighth co-prosperity beverage handover ceremony. [Provided by Starbucks Korea]
From left: Jeong Jae-in, deputy director at the Commission for Corporate Partnership; Choi Hyun-jung, head of food and beverage development at Starbucks Korea; and Ko Jang-su, chairman of the National Cafe Owners Cooperative, pose for a photo at the eighth co-prosperity beverage handover ceremony. [Provided by Starbucks Korea]

andy@heraldcorp.com