WAIPOULI — A good barista can be hard to find. Especially when Kaua‘i’s unemployment rate is below 3 percent. Leaders at Starbucks Coffee, widely popular for their specialty drinks, are actively recruiting new employees for their new store in Kaua‘i
WAIPOULI — A good barista can be hard to find.
Especially when Kaua‘i’s unemployment rate is below 3 percent.
Leaders at Starbucks Coffee, widely popular for their specialty drinks, are actively recruiting new employees for their new store in Kaua‘i Village shopping center here.
So are managers at Jamba Juice.
Officials with Starbucks Coffee and Jamba Juice, under the corporate aegis of Coffee Partners of Hawaii, an authorized licensee of Starbucks Coffee International, are opening new stores in the Kaua‘i Village shopping center.
Combined, the two stores will require up to 50 new employees.
At a job fair recently attended by employees of the Kukui Grove Starbucks and Jamba Juice as well as district representatives, applicants were few.
Each store leader received about half the applications they would have liked, according to Joann Kapololu, district manager for Coffee Partners of Hawaii.
She said the new Starbucks is scheduled to open in mid-July providing there are an adequate number of employees available.
Kapololu said that, based upon the company’s experiences in O‘ahu, she knew finding employees would be tough.
“It’s very challenging to find people,” Kapololu said. “Even on O‘ahu where we have more people, it’s hard to find workers, and there (O‘ahu), kids and employees who don’t have cars can get to work on the bus system.”
She said the hourly wage is even higher on Kaua‘i than on O‘ahu, to attract employees.
Starting pay on Kaua‘i for entry-level employees is $7.75 per hour, and $9.25 per hour for shift supervisors.
Kapololu said she would have a strategically placed banner advertising the job openings, and would also be making contact with officials at Kaua‘i Community College, and would also be making the job openings known at local Kaua‘i employment-assistance centers.
There is also a job hotline number posted on the door of the Kukui Grove Center Starbucks.
Prospective Starbucks’ employees have to attend four, five-hour classes as part of barista school.
Kapololu said that, unlike other cafes, Starbucks does not have franchises.
But Starbucks leaders do encourage partnerships. While the famous coffee products used in Starbucks’ stores all come from Seattle, local stores can make independent decisions about using local food vendors, she said.
Kapololu said the Waipouli store will be using bagels, pastries and sandwiches made by e.b.’s EATS, a Lihu‘e restaurant which has grown in popularity since opening two months ago.
“I think it’s great. It will be good for business. We’re very excited,” said e.b.’s founder and co-owner Elena Beth Ceridono.
The Waipouli store will also use Hanalima Bakery products, already used by the Kukui Grove store.
Kapololu said this is a departure from the policy of North American Starbucks stores, whose leaders do not allow outside vendors.
She said the Waipouli site is attractive because it offers a lot of foot traffic and plenty of parking.
Coffee Partners Hawaii (a joint venture) is a partnership between Starbucks International, Inc. and Café Hawaii Partners, a Hawai‘i limited partnership. Coffee Partners Hawaii leaders opened their first store on Dec. 12, 1996, in the Kahala Mall on O‘ahu.
Since that opening, Coffee Partners Hawaii officials have continued to grow. Now there are 48 stores on four islands: O‘ahu, Maui, the Big Island and Kaua‘i.
