02 | “Starbucks turns its eyes towards Italy”: what about existing coffee bars and italian tradition

Group 2

STARBUCKS IN ITALY How an Italian inspired brand can go against the coffee bar and the Italian traditions?

Source: Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Brochure. (Starbucks Coffee Company, 2018)

CONTENTS 1.

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1

2.

HISTORY ............................................................................................................................ 4

3.

ACTORS AND POSITIONS ................................................................................................ 6

4.

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION .......................................................................................... 9

5.

CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................16

6.

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...............................................................................................................18

LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Starbucks on il Colosseo .................................................................................... 1 Figure 2. Palazzo Broggi and the visual problems ............................................................. 3 Figure 3. Terrace............................................................................................................... 3 Figure 4. Traffic ................................................................................................................. 3 Figure 5. Starbucks controversy timeline ........................................................................... 5 Figure 6. Starbucks’ Coffee and dessert.......................................................................... 10 Figure 7. Espresso .......................................................................................................... 10 Figure 8. Starbucks’ curious coffees................................................................................ 10 Figure 9. Espresso .......................................................................................................... 10 Figure 10. Starbucks’ product and brochure counter ....................................................... 11 Figure 11. Starbucks’ terrace .......................................................................................... 13 Figure 12. Palazzo Broggi ............................................................................................... 13 Figure 13. Starbucks’ door .............................................................................................. 13 Figure 14. The experience and the cellphones ................................................................ 14 Figure 15. The Starbucks’ museum design ..................................................................... 15 Figure 16. The coffee and the shopping .......................................................................... 15

1.

INTRODUCTION

The entrance of Starbucks in Italy has opened a new discussion about the role of the coffee in the Italian culture and cities. The present documentation introduces the discussions between the global and the local consume brands, the ideas of identity from a product in the face of a globalized market, and the inclusion of a new multinational competitor in a local very closed market. This is exemplified and analyzed in the document using three different arguments between the actors involved and the subjacent elements involved in the most intuitive discussions.

The document is divided in five sections. The first one is this introduction, where we aim to present the controversy idea and is closed with the subject definition and characterization. The second section relates the milestones with the purpose to identify the discursive resemblance among the actor’s problem approach and positions in different moments. The third section presents different actors and their opinions from a general point of view. The fourth section analyze the central topics that appeared on the news and opinions of the different actors. The final section is composed by the conclusions of the exercise.

Figure 1. Starbucks on il Colosseo Source: Jueguen, F. (2016)

1

SUBJECT The challenge to the urban identity related to the local coffee bar with the entrance of a multicultural franchise like Starbucks to Milan in 2017.

Description of the central issue Starbucks is the biggest coffee shops company in the world. Italy is widely recognized for their coffee style of life and quality. Starbucks was founded on 1971 in Seattle, but just exploded in 1985 when Howard Schultz, after a visit to Milan, take inspiration from the Italian coffee-way into their business of cafeterias. The Italians selling of different kind of coffees, but mostly the espresso, changed the logic of the company that started its growing process on this diversification of the menu, including different additional services to improve the quality of the cafeteria spaces and furnishment. The company become multinational and colonized a big part of the world, but Italy resisted for a long time. For example, the first European locals were established on 1998 in UK and at the beginning of the XXI century in other countries like Spain, Germany or France. But why Italy? They already had their coffee shops with very good quality of coffee, they gave the ideas that changed the luck of Starbucks, they didn’t need Starbucks.

Until, in summer of 2018, finally Starbucks came to Italy, opening their first store in Milan. For the Italians it was an attack to their beliefs towards coffee, as if Starbucks was challenging everything they knew about coffee. Some accused the economic aggression against the coffee bars and others, the overpricing of the company, while some defended the right to choose and the competition. In this document we present and analyze the different approaches, actors and arguments related with this cultural controversy.

2

The area Starbucks first coffee shop in Italy was open in the middle of the former business center of Milano, in the building that in the past held the Value market of the city called Pallazzo Broggi. The building was constructed in the middle of the traditional piazza Cordusio, that has its name from the relation with one of the duchies of the city. Inspired on the renaissance, the building reflects power over the city with a strong faรงade that express the idea of Milan as a central and historic power city with an economic vocation. Is a special place in the city that shows what means to be in Milan with a huge number of tourists passing by every day.

Figure 3. Terrace.

Source: Own picture

Figure 2. Palazzo Broggi and the visual problems Source: Own pictures

3

Figure 4. Traffic Source: Own pictures

2. HISTORY 2.1.

Starbucks is coming home: Dream and nightmare

The first announcement of Starbucks about their intentions to coming into the italian market can be settled in February 28 of 2016. Nevertheless, the main figure of the company, Howard Schultz, said that it was a 33-year-long dream for him.

“The Italians had created the theater, romance, art and magic of experiencing espresso,” Schultz recalled. “I was overwhelmed with a gut instinct that this is what we should be doing.” (Starbucks stories, 2016)

The company announced their entrance with the following title: “Humility and Respect, Starbucks Turns its Eye Toward Italy”. (Starbucks, 2016) They called for the creation of an agreement among the company and the Italian coffee culture, like if they knew before that was hostile to get into the market.

On the other hand, some Italians found that this was an undesired intromission into their business.

Liliana Fuchs reviewed, on July 2018, that Italy resisted for so many years the entry of Starbucks Because no matter how much Starbucks makes up recipes with Italian-sounding names, at no coffee shop in Rome or Milan you'll find a frappuccino or a moka latte. In Italy, the coffee-coffee is an espresso, prepared in an automatic coffee machine with freshly ground coffee, in a small white porcelain cup and no more than 30-35 ml. (Fuchs, 2018)

In this stage the discussion was not about the impacts merely, that was accentuated with the passage of the months as the opening approached, but about the idea of Starbucks in the Italian market as a bad idea. the self-proclaimed spokespersons of the Italians said that they didn’t wanted a Starbucks because, on their market, they don’t need it and it will always loss against the Italian coffee traditional experience.

2.2.

Boycott and Pro-Starbucks calls

With a bigger feasibility of having a Starbucks, now with a location defined in the traditional financial center of Milan, very close to the city symbols as the Duomo and the Castello Sforzesco.

This was strategic to get a place into the imaginary of the city in a traditional historic place, but also in a touristic area where most people will relate their coffee with the idea of Starbucks. It can become “home” in a foreign city. In a way, it was a miracle that Starbucks was able to get the old post office positioned at the best location for the brand new Roastery, in Piazza Cordusio. The plan in the beginning was to open the Roastery in Tokyo, in February of 2019, before the open of the Milan store. When they realized the building was on the market, Starbucks had to act fast, changing their original plan and started to work on the first Starbucks ever in Italy. There were callings for a boycott against the opening of Starbucks, saying to the people to don’t go because it was an aggression to the local bar tradition or the italian identity. Nevertheless, there were also

4

messages and journal columns that made an effort to argue against those “myths� in the opinion of the writers.

After one year from the Starbucks arrival in Milan we dismantle a myth: it is not the absolute evil and it is not the death of the coffee culture. No more than they are, oftenly, our bars. For the other, no one obliges you to drink american missions if you don't like it. (Tonelli, 2016)

2.3.

Opening

The opening was marked by a very long line. Until the opening day, they had very tight security on the site, making absolutely sure no information leaked out to public. They put a big partition in order to cover the entire construction site, which also helped increase the curiosity of the public every day. The curiosity was overwhelming for the Italian customers, but also the desired created into them by Starbucks was a key point. The design and the placement were strategic, provocative and evocative. There was a new demand for their products, created among the Italian population.

2.4.

Divided reactions and more Starbucks coming

The main critic that has been settled by the public and the italian media is related with the prices and their relationship with the quality of the coffee. There is also a general acceptation of the space design and its quality, even if some citizens think that infringed the identity of the urban space of Piazza Cordusio and the center of the city using Palmas trees on their interior design.

The company also announced and has opened many other stores across Milan and have the intention to also get into other cities.

2.5.

Timeline

Figure 5. Starbucks controversy timeline Source: Own elaboration.

5

3. ACTORS AND POSITIONS The analysis of the positions in controversy is related with identifiable actors. In this section, we present different actors involved into the Italian Starbucks controversy, in some cases using examples to expose some opinions, like the costumers.

3.1.

Starbucks “During my first trip to Milan in 1983, I was captivated by the sense of community I found in the city’s espresso bars – the moments of human connection that passed so freely and genuinely between baristas and their customers. The opening of the Milan Roastery is the story of Starbucks coming full circle,” said Howard Schultz, chairman emeritus of Starbucks. “Everything we have experienced, since that first moment of inspiration 35 years ago to now being a daily part of millions of people’s lives around the world, we bring with great respect to Italy. (Starbucks stories, 2016)

This message expresses the approach of Starbucks as a brand to the Italian market. The company use some nostalgia argument to get into the feelings, going to the emotionality of the Italians. The company try to look as if they knew what they’re doing is a hostility against the population and the Italian-way. Schultz is grateful with Italy, basically because he took and used some of their tradition’s elements on a globalized business company. What is the intention of this message? They know the opinion of the Italians about the fast-coffee and the relation with “quality”, but what is the discussion that is trying to avoid the company with this message?

3.2.

Traditional coffee shops "Italians are hard to satisfy, and change," says Maurizio Stocchetto, owner of the historical Bar Basso in central Milan. "They want their espresso at the counter, fast like a tequila shot. This is what makes us Italiani when it comes to coffee and you just can't overturn certain things."

Stocchetto is annoyed.

“I must admit I do feel a bit invaded by Starbucks' arrival”, he adds. "Prices over there are also way higher than ours. It's going to be tough convincing people to pay 1.80 euros (about $2) for an espresso, nearly double the cost at local bars. (Marchetti, 2018)

The perception of invasion is one of the most emotional descriptions among the Italian coffee representatives. In other versions, they relate their feelings with logic arguments attached to the economic costs and the competence in disadvantage, but here, Stocchetto appeals to the preferences between the consumers. The relation and the experience that is offered by Starbucks is not the same that the people look for into a city like Milan, according to him.

3.3.

International media perspective: CNN It's as if Pizza Hut opened a restaurant in Naples, or Baskin-Robbins an ice-cream parlor in Sicily -- where pizza and gelato were first made and then exported to the rest of the world.

Sure, I might go to Starbucks to admire the cool location and the decor -- how an old post office has been restyled into a sleek coffee boutique -- but not to grab an espresso or cappuccino.

The arrival of Starbucks is bound to trigger mixed reactions among locals.

(Marchetti, 2018)

6

The comparison looks like a game between the “Italian” and the “International” way to do those “Italian things”. The copy would never been like the original, there is an impossibility to the market to own the identity of any place. In certain way, it can be understood as a Cultural Appropriation debate but, even worse, they’re trying to sell it among the culture the “stole” their identity.

3.4.

International consumer reporter: QUARTZY For Starbucks, the goal in Italy is not to do coffee better than local cafes, but to find consumers interested in a different way of approaching coffee. That means the next few years in the country will be an experiment for the global giant, as it figures out just how many Italians can accept a fastpaced experience replete with paper cups. (Purdy, 2018)

The change of perspective from an international consumer explains the differential approach that the company take to get into the Italian market. Their intentions are slightly are diverse and more sophisticated because the market requires this. The Italian population already has a habit regarding the consume of coffee on different moments and there is a whole experience related even with their imaginaries about what does means to be an Italian. The exigence is higher, and the requirements are on the details.

3.5.

Italian critic consumer reporter: KeepItSuitable You can see that both the drink and the behaviour differ a lot from the typical Starbucks experience.

Italy’s La Stampa newspaper wrote: “We thought we had everything in Italy, but it turns out we lacked one thing: American coffee”.

It’s no coincidence that the first Italian Starbucks will open in Milan, the most international city in Italy, heart of Italian business, fashion and a highly multicultural centre.

For most of the time, “having a coffee” for Italians, means having a quick break, standing up at the counter. Particularly in the afternoon or after lunch. It is not the long sit-down break that is common in other countries. (KeepItUsable, 2019)

KeepItSuitable explain that the purpose of Starbucks, with their first opening in Cordusio, was to provide a “new” experience to the Italians through the basis of having new services and spaces that make their store as a new reference in the center of the City. The roastery is an attractive concept that take advantage on the desires of the people to know more about the coffee production processes and, at the same time, puts Starbucks as something different from the other coffee bars separating the idea of competence. Starbucks is really trying to attract the existing consumers of Italian coffee or are they creating a new market segment taking advantage of the interest that the Italians have in the coffee?

3.6.

Italian critic: GamberoRosso Italy is not the world's leading consumer of coffee per capita, but in all probability, it is the country where this drink has a more crucial and indispensable social, cultural and anthropological role. However, as happened for many other excellences of Italy, this one too has been mistreated and humiliated over the years, to the point of becoming the shadow of itself.

And so those who criticize Starbucks find it hard to realize the reality: that is that today in Italy we drink on average bad coffee, we do it in inadequate, sloppy, poor contexts in terms of consumption experience and service. Those who criticize have a hard time understanding, in short, that Starbucks, meanwhile, has become on average higher than the Italian bar type: the Seattle chain has improved, our glorious cafés terribly deteriorated. Obviously net of excellence, quality jobs, accurate, serious and rigorous entrepreneurs. And honestly, we can say it more than others: the Gambero fact keeps an eye on the sector for years and realizes the first and only guide of the

7

sector (Bar d’Italia), an authentic editorial case for quality, care and uniqueness. Furthermore, from a year or so, we are committed to documenting the world of independent roasting, specialty coffees, alternative bars, abroad but also in Italy (which, just like Starbucks - mutatis mutandis - propose extraction systems that do not limit themselves to espresso). (Tonelli, 2016)

GamberoRosso exposes some data that attack the foundations of the Italian coffee identity: the Italians don’t drink good coffee in average. The objective of those elements is to attack the premises about Starbucks as a bad-coffee company and, au contraire, it is a company that is offering a refreshing air to the coffee world in the country that has very interesting values for the consumers.

3.7.

Independent consumers perspective: Vice interviews

The following text corresponds to an interview realized by Vice about the opinion of the milanesi regarding the entry of Starbucks and their impressions of the space and the menu offers. In general, try to get the opinion about the experience of the Starbucks in Milano. In the document we only make reference to one of those interviews.

FABRIZIO, 20 AND CHRISTIAN, 19.

Munchies (Vice reporter): What do you like from Starbucks?

Fabrizio: For me this is my first time, I didn’t know it before.

Christian: I have been a couple times also abroad, and what I like the most is the Frappuccino.

M: Have you been disappointed that they don't serve it here (frappuccino)?

C: Yes, a lot. When I learned that there would not have been the classic drinks, but only above all - various types of coffee, I was quite ill. But I think it's all about coffee since I'm in Italy.

M: Do you think that coming back often?

C: Yes, due to the quality of the coffee, there are several types that I want to try.

M: Are you willing to pay 1.80 euros for a coffee?

C: Yes absolutely, I don't see anything wrong with it, if it's a good coffee.

M: What did you get?

F: An espresso and a slice of chocolate cake.

C: A Moroccan and a cookie.

M: Fabrizio, will you come back?

F: Yes, but only once in a while. (Dalla Bona, 2018)

The impression of the consumers is divided in two big elements: 1. Regarding the product: The coffee is not that exceptional and it’s expensive. The lines and also some pretentious approach can also generate the sensation of snobbism.

2. Regarding the design: The space is incredible and attractive, imponent and makes a statement from the company but, still, is not a pleasant experience for drinking a coffee.

It’s not the same compared with the Italian experience and, of course, some consumers don’t feel it right.

8

4. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION Four points of discussion were identified, related to, first, economic competition and its impact on the Italian coffee industry. The second point of discussion is related to the low quality of the products offered by Starbucks and is based on the lack of interest in having a chain cafeteria when there is a higher installed offer in the country. The Italian identity and its relationship with the culture of coffee consumption constitute the third point of contact, outlining arguments, on the one hand, from the phenomenon of cultural appropriation and, on the other hand, derived with the possible loss that Starbucks could cause. the Italian coffee identity. The last argument, which results from a different nature, is built on the urban impact of the first chain store located in Piazza Cordusio and its use as a statement of the power and intentions of the North American multinational with its entry into the Italian market. In the following subsections are explained in detail the premises of those arguments and analyzed on their basis and logic structures.

4.1.

Economic competence

The critique of the entry of Starbucks from the perspective of economic competition is based on two principles: 1. Starbucks is a giant multinational that can compete from a position of absolute advantage over small Italian coffee shops.

2. The entry of Starbucks will succeed in attracting the existing market niches on which the Italian coffee culture is based. Sooner or later, the company will have an inordinate capacity in the sector.

The importance of these assumptions explains a call for protection to local economic structures made by small merchants, which asked to restrict the entry of the multinational. An intermediate point was tacitly found with the company about the specialization of its offer and the exclusive use of Italian brands in some of its industrial sections.

The distinction of market segments proposed by Starbucks from its statements and expressly made by contrasting the opinions of visitors allows glimpse as there is no direct competition at the moment between the multinational and local coffee shops.

9

STARBUCKS

ITALIAN COFFEE BARS

Figure 7. Espresso Source: Evelyn Chavez (2013)

Figure 6. Starbucks’ Coffee and dessert Source: Own picture

Figure 9. Espresso Source: Vigan Hajdari (2016)

Figure 8. Starbucks’ curious coffees Source: Own picture

4.2.

Quality and performance

The greatest flag of the Italian coffee culture is the quality in its processes of preparation of the drink. Italy, which is not a coffee-growing country, managed to develop the machinery that allowed the massification of the drink globally during the 20th century. This process opened the door to the democratization of the beverage that laid the foundations for its exploitation by a commercial chain such as Starbucks. The premises that support this argument are: 10

1. Italy has a greater tradition in the production of coffee, so its products are superior.

2. The relationship of efficiency and cost is higher, so it would not be attractive or responsible to enter a market saturated by better products.

3. Starbucks, with its status as a fast service chain, lacks protocols and processes that allow it to guarantee high quality in its products and services.

The conclusion is that, regardless of the quality of the product, the size and position of Starbucks as a multinational would lead to the cultural impoverishment of the coffee market in Italy. Because of its simple size, it would take away from the traditional bars and, with its inferior drinks, it would cause this damage to the coffee culture of the country. As the article of Gambero Rosso showed, most of those arguments are part of a Myth that is related with the Italian coffee industry but that can be widely discussed. The counterargument shows that the competence proposed by Starbucks can help to improve the quality of the coffee and the services in the italian cities.

Figure 10. Starbucks’ product and brochure counter Source: Own picture

The image that Starbucks projects is related to the delicate and sophisticated presentation of its products, emphasizing its superior qualities.

11

4.3.

Identity issue

The Italian identity, which is a united republic with a recent history despite having been home to great empires, has bases in few things, being gastronomy perhaps the cross-brand of the country towards the world. In this way, coffee is one of its greatest symbols as has been mentioned repeatedly in this document. Talking about coffee is talking about Italy and the fact that a foreign, multinational and impersonal brand tries to sell coffee in the country calls for the foundations on which that identity is based.

The premises in which the attack on identity is constructed are the following: 1. Starbucks makes an Italian cultural appropriation and commercializes it globally, entailing the loss of the traditional values of the Italian bars and cafes.

2. There is a nationalism and the protection of the community values that surrounds the coffee bars in the cities.

3. Is not only about the beverage or the economic impact but also with the rituals and traditions that gives to the country its identity.

The analysis allows intuiting the dose of chauvinism characteristic of a national identity strengthened in the marketing of Italian food. The broader discussion should include the different myths related with the coffee in Italy, but also take into consideration the emotional relation of the italian citizens with this beverage and the ritual related. Being Italian is mostly related with this phenomenon.

4.4.

The urban context break-up

The attack on the Italian urban context by the entry of Starbucks has two points: 1. The multinational will end up with a network of local bars from which a sense of community has been built in favor of impersonal spaces of mass attention with advantages in services and access to the market.

2. The opening of the store of Piazza Cordusio was made considering multiple points that, in addition to making it an attractive location by market, has a political and organizational value in the city's imaginary.

The designs of the store were a response to the criticism that the company had received after announcing its entry into Italy.

The quality of the design of the space was of very high level and included spaces to refute the arguments about the quality of their drinks. However, it also gave rise to the construction of a space that looks more like a museum than a traditional store of the franchise and that runs counter to the existing imaginary of the city. Even with its "political" position between the Duomo and the Castello Sforzesco, in the historic and economic center of the city, Starbucks broke with the notion of the city using trees like Palmas in one of the places where postcards of the city are built.

12

Figure 11. Starbucks’ terrace Source: Own picture

Figure 12. Palazzo Broggi Source: Own picture Figure 13. Starbucks’ door Source: Own picture

13

4.5.

The new coffee experiences

The new Starbucks in Milan has brought in new experience to the country of high coffee consumption.

1. The Roastery is a place that offers customers, not only the experience of drinking coffee, but also of understanding the making of a cup of coffee from the roasting, grinding and blending process, unlike the Italian bars, which is also different from the usual Starbucks experience.

2. Most of the interior and the artwork in the Store in Piazza Cordusio was made by Italian artists and craftsmen. It gives a modern artistic atmosphere which offers the visitors a chance to experience Italian traditions in one place.

As there has been many criticisms, mostly from the Italian locals, there have been some doubts whether the entry of Starbucks in Italy was a smart idea or not. This could be argued by the points mentioned above, that by bringing in the Roastery as their first store for Italy, it has brought new experience to the Italian coffee tradition, which could enrich the coffee life of the Italians.

Figure 14. The experience and the cellphones Source: Own picture

14

Figure 15. The Starbucks’ museum design Source: Own picture

Figure 16. The coffee and the shopping Source: Own picture

15

5. CONCLUSIONS The conflict caused by the entry of Starbucks to the Italian market is mainly social. While at the beginning the arguments to defend the Italian coffees were tied to imaginaries like the one of the superior quality and the call to the closing and the protection of the local structures, with the passage of the days it was migrating towards explanations less logical and more emotional. The feeling of Italian coffee was rooted in the pride derived from feeling specialized in the matter and the entry of a multinational brand like Starbucks defied this rhetoric.

The aesthetic and economic arguments were answered by the brand with calls for respect and humility seeking to generate empathy in the Italian population. In addition, the design of its first store is a sample of how it translates a social response to the criticisms received. The physical conditions of the classic Italian palace and the Renaissance touch, mixed with elements such as the use of palms, are proof of the power of the brand. They affirm that they come to be part of the Italian market with respect, recognizing their values and their history, but that they will do it in their own way. They are no less than Italian cafes and have a lot to offer to an international city such as Milan.

The community structure and the confluence of a young and old nation, like the Italian one, are attacked in one of the pillars from which its nature has been drawn: coffee. It is not the economic or aesthetic value, but the experience and routine that makes the Italian coffee shops special for the population. The appropriation that has been made about this rite translates into brands, products, inventions and the design of specialized places in all these elements, such as coffee, which in turn is a laboratory in which these customs are reinforced.

Controversies about the economic impacts and the qualities of coffee or services become accessory in the face of an attack on identity. This attack on identity is passed through the sense of cultural appropriation developed in the idea that Starbucks took the qualities of Italian bars and cafĂŠs to build and commercialize a business model based on experience. Its most aggressive translation is a Renaissance palace in the historical economic center of the city, between its institutions of power and with some transgressions to the aesthetic budgets of the Italian city that, taking advantage of the high media attention, became a symbol and A statement from Starbucks to Italy: "Here we are, we respect, and we have learned from you, but there is another way" The global interaction with the local context is a phenomenon widely documented. The intensification of the global market relations creates an appropriate environment to produce this kind of clashes between the local traditions and the global tendencies. Showing up next, there are some examples that responds to similar challenges: 1. Coffee in Colombia: The coffee is an industry that frequently creates this discussion as many countries and regions relates factors of their identity with the coffee. Colombia used 16

to relate its exportations to the coffee production mainly. Even if this has change, the coffee economic sector is still very important in the economy of the country and is the base of the pyramid in certain regions. The discussion in the country was related with the existence of a brand from the coffee productors called “Juan Valdez”. In the end, the result with the entry of Starbucks on 2013 was like in the italian case: Not the end of the world and with huge lines.

2. Italian pizza and Gelato: The italian attachment to the food production and the quality as one of the most important and shared elements into the construction of an identity represents a close ecosystem where the foreign is despised. The cases of Domino’s and the big pizzerias, but also from the Ice Cream brands, has opened the door to the same kind of discussions with different results. Some brands survived and other quit after a couple months. The reasons are specific, but the nature of the controversy is similar.

3. IKEA: The entrance of IKEA normally breaks structures of different sectors related with the provision of furniture and house decoration products. Where those sectors have been historically closer, there have been a monopolistic pattern that makes harder the competence and, in some cases like in the south of Italy, the relation with other power structures, as the mafias, can make this problem even harder. In this case the discussion differs on the nature of the local resistance but remains problematic the introduction of global companies.

According with Low, the “production and construction of space is disputed and fought for economic and ideological reasons; understanding those reasons can help us see how local conflicts can be used to discover and illustrate broader cultural problems” (Low, 2000) The tension related into the disposal of global economic networks implies a social struggle present at the local level. This struggle is expressed on the opinions of the different actors, that make specific demands according to their desires to organize the discursive positions on the public debate creating struggles between the policy adoption. Should the State take a protectionist and close position? Should be prioritize the free market right for the enterprises? How closed should the countries be on their cultural assets and traditions protection and which are the reaction legitime options? Those questions are just an introductory note that is part of a wider research field.

17

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY Chavez, E. (31 de October de 2013). Searching for Italy's perfect cup. Obtenido de Airforce Medical Service: https://media.defense.gov/2013/Oct/31/2000900375/-1/-1/0/131028-FPB969-031.JPG Dalla Bona, C. L. (10 de September de 2018). Siamo andatia vedere chi c'era all'inaugurazione di Starbucks a Milano (e cosa ne pensa del caffè). Obtenido de Vice: https://www.vice.com/it/article/yw4mkv/starbucks-milano-cosa-si-beve Fuchs, L. (27 de June de 2018). Por qué en Italia no hay Starbucks o cómo el café italiano sigue siendo el mejor del mundo. Obtenido de MiMundo Philips: http://www.mimundo.philips.es/por-que-en-italia-no-hay-starbucks-o-como-el-cafeitaliano-sigue-siendo-el-mejor-del-mundo/ Hajdari, V. (30 de June de 2016). Coffe Italian Photo. Obtenido de Pixbay: https://pixabay.com/photos/coffee-bar-cafe-people-shop-1488288/ Jueguen, F. (9 de June de 2016). El temor a Starbucks en Italia. Obtenido de Independent Typepad: https://independent.typepad.com/elindependent/2016/06/el-temor-a-starbucksen-italia-y-la-protesta-de-paypal-contra-la-ley-anti-trans-de-carolina-del-norte.html KeepItUsable. (10 de May de 2019). Starbucks in Italy? An Italian customer experience perspective. Obtenido de KeepItUsable: https://www.keepitusable.com/blog/starbucksin-italy-an-italian-customer-experience-perspective/ Low, S. (2000). On the plaza, the politics of public space and culture. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Marchetti, S. (7 de September de 2018). Starbucks in Milan: Is this the end for Italian coffee?

Obtenido de CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/starbucks-milan-italy/index.html Purdy, C. (24 de November de 2018). Starbucks' Bid to conquer Italy has begun. Obtenido de Quartzy: https://qz.com/quartzy/1473903/starbucks-opens-more-outlets-in-italyfollowing-debut-in-milan/ Starbucks. (28 de February de 2016). Starbucks Stories. Obtenido de Starbucks: https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2016/starbucks-announces-it-will-open-stores-initaly-in-2017/ Starbucks Coffee Company. (2018). Starbucks Reserve Roastery - Milano. Brochure. Milano, Italy.

Starbucks stories. (28 de February de 2016). Starbucks stories. Obtenido de Starbucks: https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2016/howard-schultz-dream-fulfilled-starbucks-toopen-in-italy/ Tonelli, M. (2 de March de 2016). 10 motivi per cui l’arrivo di Starbucks in Italia non è una catastrofe. Obtenido de Gambero Rosso: https://www.gamberorosso.it/notizie/articolifood/10-motivi-per-cui-l-arrivo-di-starbucks-in-italia-non-e-una-catastrofe/

18