Blue Bottle Coffee opens first store in Shanghai

Baristas making coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee. The US coffee chain opened its first outlet on the Chinese mainland in Shanghai on Friday. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/chinadaily.com.cn]

Blue Bottle Coffee opened its first store in the Chinese mainland on Friday in Shanghai, a city boasting the highest number of coffee shops worldwide.

Naming its Shanghai debut "Yutong Cafe", the American coffee chain selected a historic venue by Suzhou Creek, a river that passes through the Shanghai city center, symbolizing its resonance with the local market.

The two-storey, vintage-looking building houses a selection of classic drip coffee and its signature espresso-based drinks. It also provides snacks inspired by an iconic portfolio from its worldwide operations.

Unique to the Shanghai store are offerings from merchandise co-created with a local illustrator to a pastry palette featuring local specialties.

The California-headquartered coffee brand was founded in 2002. Apart from the US, it currently has over 100 branches in markets like Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong.

A study by Shanghai Jiao Tong University said Shanghai has the most coffee shops of any city globally by January 2021, with more than 6,900 coffee shops in the metropolis.

Shanghai has vowed to build itself into an international consumption city, promoting the concept of a 'debut economy', meaning that businesses from home and abroad are attracted to open their first stores and launch new products in Shanghai.

Local authorities expect 1,000 such "first stores" in the city to open last year.