Complete coverage of Starbucks 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

More than 3,000 shareholders and special guests, including the Puerto Rican band #piruloylatribu, were at Wednesday's #starbucks Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Read our complete recap, from the first #People in the predawn line to announcements by ceo Kevin Johnson to a grand finale by opera singers from #lascala.

Meeting ends in opera, a tribute to new beginnings in Italy

Traditionally the annual shareholders meeting ends with a world-class musical guest, and this year is no different. However, this year’s guest is unique, “and in keeping with the excitement and anticipation we have about Italy,” said #howardschultz, #starbucks executive chairman.

“What I want to share with you is an aria,” he said. “The most famous, world-renowned singers in Italy are from #lascala, and we have brought them to Seattle.”

Opera singers #jaeheuikwon, a tenor, and #chiaraisotton, a soprano – along with pianist Jieun Jeong – traveled to the annual meeting from the #lascala Academy, in #milan, Italy, one of the world’s premier performing arts schools. The performance, Schultz said, was chosen in “homage and deep respect to the Italian #People … in anticipation of the opening of our roastery (in Milan).”

The musicians shared several songs. The first selection, “Nessun dorma,” was an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Turandot” performed by Kwon.

“As many of my friends know, I’ve had this song playing in my mind for 20 or 30 years … whenever I’d hear #Pavarotti sing it,” Schultz said. “It’s an extraordinary piece of music.”

Looking toward the #reserveroasteryinmilan – and more

Starbucks executive chairman #howardschultz addressed #starbucks shareholders, jumping into discussion of the stock price, which he said has been “fairly flat for the last 12 months.” He encouraged them to have faith that #starbucks is on the right path, one in which “success is best when it’s shared.”

He assured shareholders that #starbucks fully understands the “role and responsibility” of a public company. “We are in this for the long term,” Schultz said.

One area of growth is new Roasteries, featuring Princi baked goods. A Reserve Roastery opened in Shanghai in December, with three more coming soon. In New York, a Roastery will open at the end of 2018, next to an Apple store and near Google headquarters. In Tokyo, a Roastery is slated to open its doors in 2019. #chicago will also get a Roastery next year, with four floors and an escalator that Schultz called “the sexiest thing you have ever seen.”

But the #milan Roastery has got Schultz particularly excited.

“There are no words,” he said. The opening, scheduled for September, is the culmination of Schultz’s first trip to Italy 35 years ago, when he discovered the role of coffee in Italian society — “the sense of community, the romance of the coffee bar.”

During a recent hiring fair, more than 5,000 #People applied for jobs at the #milan Roastery; 500 were invited for interviews.

“Once we decided to come to Italy, we said we can’t just open a store,” he said. Design elements at the location, an old post office within walking distance of the Duomo, will incorporate an Italian flair. “Everything we have done has led us to this place.”

Further information in the press release to download