Trade Minister Urges Indonesian Entrepreneurs to Learn from Starbucks

The Indonesian Ministry of Trade with the Employer’s Association of Indonesia (APINDO), the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), and PT.Mitra Adi Perkasa, Tbk. today held an event at the Auditorium of the Ministry of Trade featuring the Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Starbucks Coffee Company,Howard Schultz.

Minister Gita encouraged the presence Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company should serve in the best possible by all Indonesian entrepreneurs to learn about best practices in running a company in order to turn it into an enduring global brand.

The inspiring speech from Mr. Schultz for keeping a balance between profit and social conscience was largely applauded and well r

eceived for in times when there are many other franchises who fear loss of profit if they pay attention to the social aspects of running a business. “With a conscience for the social aspects and by fostering employees and the local community, the people and also small businesses can benefit from the presence of Starbucks. This should be seen as an example by companies in Indonesia,” he said.

Mr. Schultz shared his experience in managing Starbucks –challenges and opportunities of how this company successfully built a global brand for the past 40 years. Schultz said that the key to his company’s success is love and humanity, which according to him is not taught in any textbooks or business class. “Besides that, in There’s a common thread to the success that we’ve enjoyed and I will submit a common thread to almost any business that’s represented here today and that is the reservoir of trust,” he added.

Furthermore, Mr. Schultz explained how social media now plays an important role in building and managing a global brand. This is what Starbucks has done by allocating most of its marketing funds from traditional media to social media.

Since 1971, Starbucks has processed the best quality coffee beans in the world. Currently, Starbucks has more than 16,000 outl

ets spread throughout the world. In Indonesia itself, Starbucks began serving coffee here in 2002 through PT. Sari Coffee Indonesia. The first Starbucks outlet, which had a popular design, was located in Plaza Indonesia, at the heart of the Capital City of Jakarta. To date, Starbucks has 147 outlets in Indonesia, among them are located in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Bali, Yogyakarta, Medan, Balikpapan, Semarang, Batam, and Makassar.

Posted in: