On the Elixir of Life

September 1, 2006 - 3:21 AM by

cappuccino
The Observation:

Despite conquering America more efficiently and thoroughly than the Germans took Poland, Starbucks did not succeed here in Israel. There used to be two of them here, or maybe just one — both closed their doors some time ago.

Ironically, it seems like they were just a little ahead of their time for Israel. Since then, several chains of overpriced Starbucks-esque coffeehouses have opened all over the place (usually near the wealthier areas), and they seem to be doing brisk business. The Tea Leaf & Coffee Bean has several outlets here, and the Aroma chain is actually taking the step of opening a New York City outlet. I hear the Coffee Bean is big on the west coast of the USA, but I had never heard of them until I moved to Israel.

Wierd, no? Everywhere I go in the world I am able to find the khaki-and-green of a Starbucks more easily than I can find a damn ATM — except here.

The Explanation, by a commenter:

I think that Starbucks failed in Israel because it was behind our times, actually. There was already a well-established cafe culture when Schultz’s chain tried to break into the market here. Starbucks – with its plastic-fantastic decor, watery coffee and overly sweet mass-produced baked goods – just didn’t measure up.

Israelis have high standards for cafe fare – they are accustomed to Illy, Danesi and custom-roasted coffee beans. They expect their sandwiches to be prepared to order from the freshest ingredients, not prepared in bulk in the morning and left to go soggy and stale. And they like table service. Starbucks doesn’t provide any of these things.

The Explanation, according to the strangers sitting behind me right now, as I post this, in The Coffee Shop on Jerusalem’s Rachel Imeinu Street, who — I kid you not — sat down at their table and started talking about why there is no Starbucks in Israel. Whoa! :

Israelis like high-quality coffee when they are sitting with friends. If you are going to get low-quality coffee, it will be if you are on the run, in which case you will get it in some little place in the mall, to go, and you want it to be cheap.

Tags: • Category: Business, Food, Israeliness 

Comments

One Comment on On the Elixir of Life

  1. Coffee roasting and other gourmet hobbies | ISRAELITY on Wed, Mar 18th 2009 8:14 PM

    2. [...] then there’s coffee. Israel is one of the few countries that has actually survived an attempted Starbucks infiltration – and has responded by exporting our own espresso bar chain to the USA. The Eretz Nehederet sketch [...]

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