
Source: Starbucks
The next time you are in Southern California and in urgent need of a shot of Costa Rica, you may want to head to Anaheim -specifically Downtown Disneyland. Once you are properly on Mickey Mouse property, look for the brand-new Starbucks Coffee location on the east side, go inside, find the Clover bar and look above: A giant electronic display will show you a digital photo montage and videos of coffee growing in Costa Rica at Starbucks’ own agronomy center on the skirts of the Poas volcano.
According to Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix, staff writer at Mouse Planet, a self-described consumer’s guide to Disney and theme parks:
[This is the] very first Starbucks owned-and-operated location on Disney property (the four theme park locations in Anaheim and Orlando are franchise operations), is located on the east side of Downtown Disney, perfectly positioned to capture the attention of hotel guests walking to and from the theme park, as well as those using the tram from the Mickey and Friends parking structure.
A nine-panel LED screen above the Clover bar displays photos and video of coffee growing at Starbucks’ agrarian center in Costa Rica. The display is surrounded by coffee sacks and vintage scales that help tell the “farm to cup” story. The theme continues with a large mural above a merchandise display is the Starbucks version of a produce crate label.
The Costa Rica Star has previously reported on the Starbucks farm in Costa Rica:
[A]240 hectare farm on Poas Volcano will become the coffee giant’s global agronomy center and is part of Starbucks’ promised commitment to source all its coffee ethically by 2015.
The new Costa Rica farm is a boost for Conservation International (CI), one of Starbucks’ closest partners within the non-profit center.
the Costa Rica R&D center will serve several purposes: new development of coffee varietals; research to help support resiliency for farmers as climate change has an impact on coffee growers; and how to balance best coffee growing practices while maintaining local biodiversity.
Aside from giving coffee lovers a glimpse of Costa Rica, the new Disneyland Starbucks has some state-of-the-art features. Here’s more from Mouse Planet:
the ficus tree inside that planter was preserved, with the new patio area built around it. The mature tree provides shelter from the sun, and the light from bulbs hang in its branches. A living wall forms a screen between the patio and the nearby Grand Californian Hotel, with nearly 1,000 growing plants forming the abstract image of a coffee cup.
The chalk art theme carries through to an interactive digital chalkboard, a first for Starbucks. The 70-inch touchscreen has several modes that invite users to play and interact. One mode uses a built-in camera to create a chalk sketch of the user and surroundings. From there, users can draw right on the image to add details or text.
Although people in Costa Rica are probably happy that Starbucks has decided to feature their country at Disneyland, they would really like to get a shot of the Mouse here. In late 2013, the Costa Rica Star reported on a cruel hoax that targeted the Mayor of Liberia in Guanacaste, who went on national radio and television to announce construction of a future Disney theme park in his municipality. Disney officials quickly corrected the record.




