The Seattle, Washington-headquartered multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery, Starbucks, announced plans to develop a new sustainability learning and innovation lab in Costa Rica.

According to the firm, the lab is set to open at Hacienda Alsacia, located in Alajuela Province, which is the company’s global agronomy headquarters for research and development.

The lab will serve as a hub for hands-on and virtual learning opportunities for Starbucks partners (employees), students, researchers and industry leaders to innovate and scale sustainable solutions for some of the world’s most challenging environmental and social issues, including climate adaption and agricultural economics, said the corporation in its statement.

  

Starting this fall, the lab will offer the first wave of educational programming to select Arizona State University (ASU) students and Starbucks partners.

The first wave will leverage ASU’s leading educational technology and world-class faculty to enrich the student experience, including study abroad opportunities tied to existing ASU degree programs, such as Sustainability, Sustainable Food Systems, Global Agribusiness, 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 exclusively 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. 

While the research and development at Hacienda Alsacia will continue, the lab will expand the capabilities and collaboration needed to cultivate positive social and environmental change beyond coffee.  

“This is an opportunity for us to advance Starbuck's environmental promise to give more than we take and our farmer promise to ensure the future of coffee for all,” said Laxman Narasimhan, Starbuck's chief executive officer. “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."

Starbucks is one of many pastry shops and American brands investing in Costa Rica. Recently, Charlotte, N.C.- headquartered Krispy Kreme opened its first cafeteria in Escazu Canton in San José.

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