MELBOURNE,
May 29 (Xinhua) -- When the world-renowned coffee chain Starbucks set foot in
Australia some 14 years ago, it might have thought that like in other parts of
the world, it would be a successful business proposition.
But things
didn't turn out as the U.S. coffee giant chain have planned.
After 14
years of struggling to make a foothold in Australia, Starbucks decided to pull
out from the country's 1.8 billion U.S. dollar retail coffee market by selling
its license to Withers Group, Australia's biggest convenience and independent
petrol retailer that also owns 7-Eleven.
It seems
Starbucks coffee just doesn't go along quite well with Australian coffee
drinkers. "I tried one Cappuccino in Starbucks like years ago, it was
watery and very airy, I never tried it again,"Mara Jones, a 26- year-old model,
told Xinhua while sipping a paper cup of Mocha before going to an early morning
session in a gym. "The Australians have a picky taste for coffee and if
you don' t deliver, even Starbucks would fail,"she added. "And it's
just not healthy, they added lots of syrup and full cream to blow your mind;
it's artificial and it will give you extra weight,"another girl in bright
gym suit said.
Besides the
taste and artificial flavor, others think that Starbucks failed to blend into
the local coffee culture.
"From
where I sit, the genuine Australian coffee culture is that you take care of
your own coffee, it's very personal, but Starbucks failed to tap into that, it
reminds me of fast food like McDonald's,"Jeremy Benedict, 30, who works in
a local bank, said while drinking his brew from a local coffee shop.
"Starbucks
doesn't offer flat white -- a coffee beverage developed in Australia and New
Zealand in the 1980s and prepared by pouring micro foam over a double shot of
espresso -- and they call the long black the Americano, that's really
funny,"Benedict said sarcastically.
Benedict
said that he drinks black coffee as part of his morning routine before going to
work. "A great day starts with a perfectly brewed cup of black coffee.
This sounds like advertising but it's true for me. Coffee matters a great deal
in my life, it enlightens the day, it gives me the drive to go on, it comforts
and puts me into good mood when I'm exhausted,"Benedict said.
As to
Starbucks'success in China, especially among the young generation, Benedict
said the young Chinese coffee drinkers could have been carried by Starbucks'
promotional campaign and the temptation to follow the celebrities was just too
strong to resist.
"I've
noticed from the lavender bear which sells like crazy after some Chinese
celebrities tweeted pictures cuddling them on Weibo. I've been asked to find
this Bobbie bear ever since then by a dozen of my Chinese friends, until it was
banned to be imported to China," he said.
Benedict
said celebrity charm doesn't work in Australia."A famous person holding a
cup of Starbucks doesn't get that much attention here. Know your coffee and
enjoy it. Others don't matter,"he said.
Thanks to
the Italian immigrants and the coffee culture they brought to Australia, the
local people have cultivated an exquisite taste for coffee. The Australians
have been indulging themselves with the most delicate coffee taste for decades.
On Lygon
Street in Melbourne, small to medium sized coffee stores run by the second or
third generation of Italian immigrants can be seen almost at every corner.
"The most important thing for a great cup of coffee is the smoothies and
the flavor,"sai dAntonio, a coffee store owner. "It should be
elegant, classy and exceptional,"Antonio said." My coffee makes my customers
keep coming back, and not because of anything else."
No doubt
Australian coffee-lovers will hold their high standard and demand the best
quality from any outsiders that want to enter this market. "My grandma
told me that life is just too short to drink bad coffee,"said an old
customer sitting in the corner enjoying his steaming cup of strong Italian
coffee.
Editor: xuxin
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