Sochi Olympics Starbucks Coffee Smuggle: Why One Company Will Do Anything for a Caffeine Fix
As many of you know, NBC pays a ton of money to be the sole broadcaster of the Winter Olympics, but how difficult is it to maintain such a huge event? Well, let's just say that it takes over 2,500 people and some freshly-smuggled Starbucks coffee.
Starbucks is not allowed, due to Olympic ruling, to have a presence in the Olympc Games as a coffee vender. How come? They are not an official sponsor of the games; however that won't stop them from distributing their coffee and starting a shop in Russia.
The only reason Starbucks is allowed to operate is because they are not selling their coffee to the public, but rather only NBC's employees.
NBC has such a huge workforce inside Sochi that decided to partner up with Starbucks to bring coffee to only their employees. NBC claims that it is a huge morale booster for their teams to operate successfully and effectively. Having 2,500 people on their game requires a lot of food and energy which Starbuck's coffee helps provide.
Officially, McDonalds holds the specific coffee rights at the Olympic Games to sell to the public. McDonalds is reported to have knowledge of what Starbucks is doing but does not seem to care too much about it. Other companies affiliated with the Olympics such as Coca-Cola are equally indifferent, which makes sense if you think about it. NBC may have 2,500 potential customers, but that's a fraction of how many people attend the Olympics who will buy food and drinks.
Starbucks is more than willing willing to cooperate since they are looking to expand stores in Russia; the first store was opened in 2007 some 350 miles from Sochi. Today you'll find about 69 Starbuck shops in some of the bigger cities in Russia.
What do you think about Starbucks finding a way to have a presence at the Olympics? Is it sneaky and wrong or creative? Maybe you're indifferent too. Either way we'd like to hear from you in the comment section below!
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