Commercial, GHG Emissions  -  June 27, 2023

Starbucks Plans to Open Sustainability Lab in Costa Rica

Starbucks announced plans to develop a new sustainability learning and innovation lab at Hacienda Alsacia, the company’s global agronomy headquarters for research and development in Costa Rica. 

The lab will provide hands-on and virtual learning opportunities for Starbucks partners, including employees, students, researchers, and industry leaders to create and scale sustainable solutions for climate adaption and agricultural economics.  

In the fall, the lab will offer classes to Arizona State University (ASU) students and Starbucks partners, including study abroad opportunities tied to existing ASU degree programs, such as Sustainability, Sustainable Food Systems, Global Agribusiness, and Environmental and Resource Management, among others. 

The Starbucks lab is expected to open within the next three years.

For more than a decade, Hacienda Alsacia, the company’s first and only company-owned and operated coffee farm, has focused on the sustainability of coffee. The farm is dedicated to research and development, where the Starbucks team is creating new coffee varieties, testing disease-resistant coffee trees, and developing and sharing agricultural practices to produce a higher yield and ensure the future of coffee.

“This is an opportunity for us to advance Starbucks' environmental promise to give more than we take and our farmer promise to ensure the future of coffee for all,” said Laxman Narasimhan, Starbucks Chief Executive Officer in a statement. “We know we cannot do this important work alone, and the possibilities in front of us to scale solutions, partner with thought leaders and serve as a global hub for innovation are limitless."

The company has a commitment to work alongside communities to become a resource-positive company, including cutting its carbon, water, and waste footprints in half by 2030. 

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