From Budding Romances to Blossoming Friendships, Survey finds There is More Than Coffee Brewing at Canadian cafés

Starbucks Canada survey looks at Canadians' personal connection to coffee in celebration of National Coffee Day

TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2014 /CNW/ - Two decades after those six famous friends first connected over coffee, in a New York City café, recent findings from a survey by Starbucks Canada*, reveals  that café connections are alive and well, with more than one quarter (26 per cent) of Canadians surveyed saying they would consider their barista a friend.

Just in time for National Coffee Day on Monday, September 29, 2014, the survey of 1,000 online responses from the Canadian adult Internet population found that for many Canadians, cafés are more than just a place to pick up your daily brew:

• Barista Buddies: Nearly 40 per cent of respondents said they spend time interacting with their barista after they place their order. In fact, almost 20 per cent say they've shared personal stories with their local barista.
• Love Is Brewing: Cafés are still a hot spot for date night. Fifteen per cent of Canadians said they would have their first date at a café and nearly 30 per cent said they went to a café during their last romantic outing!
• Meet you There: More than 35 per cent of respondents said they have chosen a café for business, while almost 1 in 4 say they almost always choose a café as a place to meet with friends. They are also staying a while, with nearly one-third of respondents saying they've recently spent more than 30 minutes in a café.
• Make it Your Own: More than 20 per cent of respondents said they customized their beverage on their last visit to a café, with almost one-quarter of those who personalized their drink doing so with the help of their barista. At Starbucks, there are more than 170,000 ways to customize your beverage and Starbucks baristas can help make it your own.

At the heart of the personal connection Canadians have with their local cafés is their love of coffee. Data from the 2013 Canadian Coffee Drinking Study conducted by the Coffee Association of Canada found that coffee is the most consumed beverage (65%) next to tap water (63%) in Canada. The report, which looks at past-day consumption, also found that brewed coffee continues dominate the market. Approximately two-thirds of adult Canadians (65%) said they consumed coffee in the past day.

Last year, Canadian Starbucks customers consumed enough brewed Starbucks® coffee to equal more than 31 million litres of water flowing over Niagara Falls. In fact, taking all the Tall (350 ml) cups of Starbucks® brewed coffee that Canadians consumed in 2013, stacked end-to-end, would equal the height of 5,707 CN Towers or the distance of 140 Vancouver Seawalls.

This National Coffee Day, Canadians can visit participating Starbucks® stores across Canada to sample Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend™. Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend™ is a flavourful combination of full-bodied beans from Sumatra, with hints of fine herbs, and beans from Guatemala, which add subtle spice, notes of cocoa and a pleasant sparkle.  A spicy bold brew, Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend™ reveals subtle herbal notes when paired with turkey and stuffing and is also perfect with pumpkin pie.

For more information about Starbucks Canada, please visit www.starbucks.ca.

About Starbucks National Coffee Day Survey
*The survey was written by Starbucks Canada and conducted using Google Consumer Surveys, September 9 – 14, 2014, based on 1,000 online responses of the Canadian adult Internet population.

About Starbucks Corporation
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high quality arabica coffee.  Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at www.starbucks.ca.

Image with caption: "Behind the bean. To celebrate National Coffee Day, here’s an inside look at the #1 hot beverage in Canada, right from bean to cup (CNW Group/Starbucks Coffee Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140925_C1618_PHOTO_EN_5989.jpg

SOURCE: Starbucks Coffee Canada

Media Contacts: Sarah Marinelli, Edelman Canada, [email protected]