--- description: And will open 50 more within the next 5 years title: Starbucks Unveils First Location in Colombia image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34f38e5f9998d9d6/6986867835ba6fd55cc0115b/4770926411.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Coffee](/tag/coffee/) ## Coffee Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Starbucks Unveils First Location in Colombia by [Aleksandra Gjorgievska](/author/aleksandra-gjorgievska/) ## Aleksandra Gjorgievska Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 17, 2014 4:45 PM CUT  A customer drinks a coffee at a Starbucks Corp. store in Gimpo, South Korea, on Friday, March 7, 2014\. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg A customer drinks a coffee at a Starbucks Corp. store in Gimpo, South Korea, on Friday, March 7, 2014\. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/BloombergBloomberg/Getty Images by [Aleksandra Gjorgievska](/author/aleksandra-gjorgievska/) ## Aleksandra Gjorgievska Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 17, 2014 4:45 PM CUT Starbucks is spreading its corporate empire to a country already known for the strength of its coffee. After 43 years of roasting and selling Colombian coffee, Starbucks opened its first store in Bogota, fully aware that it will have to compete with a number of domestic chains in a country with one of the world’s most vibrant coffee cultures. The new coffeehouse is[ bigger and more fancy](http://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-first-store-in-bogota-celebrates-colombian-coffee "undefined") than your typical Starbucks—the three-floored café has comfortable armchairs and elaborate wall art. The new branch will be the first anywhere to sell exclusively locally-sourced Starbucks coffee, the company said in a [statement](http://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-unveils-iconic-first-store-in-colombia-honoring-countrys-rich-cof "undefined"). Starbucks “is looking to achieve a leadership position in the \[Colombian\] market,” said a [statement ](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/07/17/starbucks-opens-first-store-in-colombia-land-of-coffee/ "undefined")by Nutresa, one of the two Latin American companies Starbucks is partnering with in the new venture. The U.S. company’s main competitor will be Juan Valdez, a multinational chain that also sells 100% Colombian coffee. Juan Valdez seems to welcome the competition, though; Alejadra Londono, head of international sales, [told the New York Daily News](http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/starbucks-opens-location-colombia-article-1.1870155 "undefined") that “there’s room in the market for us both.” Yet with Starbucks planning to open 50 stores in the market within the next five years, it remains to be seen whether Londono’s assured words will stick. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3001430/starbucks-new-store-colombia/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3001430/starbucks-new-store-colombia/"},"headline":"Starbucks Unveils First Location in Colombia","datePublished":"2014-07-17T16:45:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:55:40.662Z","description":"And will open 50 more within the next 5 years","url":"https://time.com/3001430/starbucks-new-store-colombia/","keywords":["Coffee","Living","Colombia","Starbucks"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34f38e5f9998d9d6/6986867835ba6fd55cc0115b/4770926411.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aleksandra Gjorgievska","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/aleksandra-gjorgievska/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt34f38e5f9998d9d6/6986867835ba6fd55cc0115b/4770926411.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Starbucks","caption":"Inside A Starbucks Store And The \"Returning Moms\" Program Ahead Of International Women's Day","creditText":"Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/coffee/","name":"Coffee"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3001430/starbucks-new-store-colombia/","name":"Starbucks Unveils First Location in Colombia"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Starbucks Program Gives Employees 2 Years of Free College","description":"The Starbucks College Achievement Plan will pay up full tuition for any employee who is accepted at ASU,works 20 hours a week and is a junior or senior.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FN0bICqm/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-06-16T17:19:23.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FN0bICqm.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3001430/starbucks-new-store-colombia/","duration":"PT2M11S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3001430/starbucks-new-store-colombia/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```