Page 55 - The Starbucks Experience

PRINCIPLE 1

themselves in product development and expansion of serv-
ices, partners take a proactive approach to the future of the
business. Rather than waiting for cues from the home office,
everyone at Starbucks is charged with searching for new and
better ideas for meeting and exceeding customer needs.
This phenomenon of partners suggesting innovative Star-
bucks products occurs in all parts of the globe. Dai Ichikawa,
team manager for Beverages and Whole Bean in Tokyo,
Japan, tells of a former store manager (and current Coffee
Heritage team manager), Hiromitsu Hatta, who wondered if
“jelly cubes,” a popular dessert in that country, could be
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added to a Frappuccino blended beverage. Dai says, “I was
a district manager at the time when Hiromitsu was playing
around with a coffee gelatin product in the back room of his
store. He showed it to me, and we decided to try it the next
40 summer. It was a success, and we rolled it out throughout
Japan.”
When Coffee Jelly Frappuccino blended beverage made
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its appearance in all of Japan’s Starbucks, it was labor-inten-
sive. As Dai indicates, “Initially we made the jelly cubes in
the store. We brewed the coffee, cut the coffee jelly into cubes,
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and added it to the bottom of a Coffee Frappuccino blended
beverage. As time went on, we found an easier way to make
this summer treat.” It required a lot of work for Hiromitsu
to go to a local store, buy gelatin, and play with formulas in
his Starbucks store. But as Hiromitsu simply explains, “It was
the right thing to do. This is my company.”
Additionally, when asked why he decided to share his idea
with his district manager, Hiromitsu noted, “Because I knew
he would listen and determine it was good for our cus-
tomers.” Leadership has created the expectation that part-
ners are to be involved in improving Starbucks and has gone