I have been a Starbucks fan , hardly does a day go by that I have not visited a Starbucks caffe to have my favourite cup of coffee.

I do not visit Starbucks to just for the coffee but I go there because there is something special about the space. I love the vibrant energy of Starbucks and my ‘me time’.

Starbucks is my space between home and office . I go there to read , work , learn , meet friends and reflect . The baristas know me , they know the drink I like to have , feels like I belong.

When I travel I search for a Starbucks near me because in an unknown place it gives me the feeling of being home , in the familiar surroundings, the same energy, the same experience of ‘me time’.

Last week my favourite barista asked me to do a coffee tasting session and then she shared with me the story of coffee. After years of being a coffee and Starbucks addict I did not know the history of coffee.

It seems the story dates back to a village in Ethiopia where a shepherd one day saw his goats happy and dancing with joy , he was curious, they were eating leaves from a tree . He took some of the leaves back home boiled it in water and had the drink, he felt energetic. And that is how the story of coffee began .

Later the story goes Sufi monks would use it to stay alert while meditating so they did not fall asleep. And the coffee culture spread across the world.

That day my connection to coffee and Starbucks deepened , there are many personal stories I have around Starbucks , now I had a story around coffee!

Stories can get you hooked , now when I drink coffee at Starbucks there is another dimension the story of happy goats . It does bring cheer.

Brands can use storytelling to build strong bonds with their customers and I had witnessed just that with this story of coffee that was told by a Starbucks barista .

Are you telling stories around your brand?

Sanjay Mudnaney

#storytelker #passionproject