Starbucks sold more than 4.5 million cups of its specialty Starbucks Reserve beverages over the past five years as its marketing strategy to meet high-end and picky Korean taste paid off.

Starbucks Reserve – the limited, small-batch coffee brand – was first introduced in Korea in March 2014 and has been growing fast since then, with sales topping 1 million cups in 2016, 3 million in 2018 and 4 million in February this year.

Its cumulative sales topped 4.5 million cups in April and are expected to exceed 5 million cups this year, the company said Wednesday.

Coffee with a score of 80 points or above out of 100, graded “specialty” by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, is used for Starbucks Reserve, which is available in only 28 countries among 78 locations where Starbucks enters.

Starbucks locations that serve the rare, small-lot Reserve beverages also are rising fast from 10 in 2014 to 87 as of 2019. Of the stores, 48 are Starbucks Reserve Bar that features an interactive coffee bar serving specialty beverages handcrafted by the company’s certified Coffee Masters.

Starbucks Reserve selection varies seasonally and regionally, and Starbucks Coffee Korea has introduced a total of 106 selections for the past five years. Currently, total 24 Reserve beverages are available including five pour-over coffee and 10 espresso-based beverages.

By Lee Duk-joo and Lee Ha-yeon

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