Starbucks Opens First Store in India

Starbucks is hoping to tap into another giant in the coffee market: India. Now, the first storefront location in India is finally open, to the delight of coffee lovers everywhere. 

The store is a joint combination between Starbucks and Tata Global Beverages, reports the New York Daily News. It was supposed to open five years ago, but now Starbucks will have three new locations in Mumbai in the next week.

But the CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, told the Seattle Times that the coffee giant is taking a different approach than most other enterprises: focusing on the quality of the coffee, rather than the quantity of the stores. "We decided we needed to significantly elevate the physical presentation, the design, and quality of the experience way before someone actually tastes the coffee. And the environments we’ve created are so stunning right from the instant you walk in the store, there’s going to be such a level of separation visually between us and everybody else," he said.

And the newest store in Mumbai definitely stands out from the rest: housed in the historic Elphinstone Building, the store is filled with hand-carved wooden screens,  vintage trunks, and old leather-bound books for a cool, indie vibe — what Schulze called "a shrine." The drinks and dishes will be both of Western taste and local tastes, with plates like tandoori paneer rolls. And a 12-ounce coffee will only cost about $2. We'll be waiting to see where Starbucks expands to next.