Starbucks has opened its 1,500th store in the Latin America and the Caribbean region with a first Starbucks café in the city of Antigua, Guatemala | Photo credit: Starbucks/Matthew Glac

Starbucks has opened its 1,500th store in the Latin America and the Caribbean region with a first Starbucks café in the city of Antigua, Guatemala, operated by  franchise partner Premium Restaurants of America (PRA).  

Starbucks retail operations started in Guatemala in 2011 with the company now operating 12 stores in the market, employing more than 200 employees in Guatemala – including the 25 newest partners located in the city of Antigua. 

Starbucks opened its first stores in the region in Puerto Rico and Mexico in 2002, and, together with PRA, plans to open four additional stores in Guatemala by the end of 2022. Franchise partner PRA also operates Starbucks stores in Costa Rica and El Salvador. 

“We are pleased to open our 1,500th store in Latin America & the Caribbean. Antigua has long been a pillar of Starbucks coffee community, and this latest store opening represents our continued investment in the region in partnership with our ten trusted licensed operators, through store expansion and by innovating and elevating the coffee experience for the thousands of customers we serve daily,” said Michael Conway, Group President, International and Channel Development for Starbucks. 

Inhabiting part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, the new store was developed as an adaptive reuse project. The LAC Starbucks design team restored the buildings architectural features and sought to honour Guatemala’s coffee culture through the unique design of the store.

The store also features two murals created by Alvaro Tzaj Yotz, a local painter and muralist from San Juan La Laguna, Sololá. The new Antigua café also has three conference rooms and an inner courtyard.