What’s inside Starbucks’ new Dewata Coffee Sanctuary in Bali?
An ode to Indonesian culture, the 20,000 sq ft Seminyak store has an adjacent farm, offers tours, and serves all kinds of joe, from Sumatra brews to lavender lattes
Bali is known as a surfer’s paradise, and now, thanks to Starbucks, it is also a destination of interest for coffee-lovers in Southeast Asia.
On January 12, the largest coffee chain in the world threw open the doors of its biggest Southeast Asian store on the Island of the Gods. Starbucks Dewata Coffee Sanctuary takes up a whopping 20,000 sq ft of space, the company said in a statement.
Starbucks has been operating in Indonesia for 16 years, in partnership with licensee PT Sari Coffee Indonesia.
The coffee chain – with 28,000 stores worldwide – said the new store in Seminyak pays tribute to the coffee culture in Indonesia – the fourth-largest Arabica coffee growing region in the world. Since 1971, Sumatra coffee has been a staple offering at Starbucks Indonesia, it added.
“The Coffee Sanctuary marks the tenth Starbucks Reserve Bar store in Indonesia, one of 185 stores around the world, with the majority in Asia,” said Kevin Johnson, CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company.
The design of the Dewata Coffee Sanctuary is thought through down to the details.
It bears an original logo – a lotus flower – that represents Balinese philosophy, and is inspired by Bali’s double ikat weaving technique.
What are Bali beaches without their iconic, crystal blue waves? The store’s facade – created using locally-made red bricks in the shape of half circles – was designed to mirror those. Apparently, if you’re driving past, it appears as though the exterior is moving.