It’s been almost six months since Russia invaded Ukraine, which has earned the former widespread condemnation (with the notable exception of certain figures on the American far right). Not only has the aggressor nation been hit with sanctions, but companies have pulled out, forcing them to find creative replacements. In June, the country’s many McDonald’s rebranded as a knock-off with almost the same menu. Now the same thing has happened with Starbucks.”
According to CNN, a new coffee chain opened its doors on Friday, with a similar name and a similar logo. It’s called Stars Coffee, and its logo also features a green circle with a female figure at the center. (Starbucks has forbidden them from using the exact same logo.) The chain was launched by Timati, a pro-Kremlin rapper, and Anton Pinskiy, a restauranteur. The slogan, as per The Daily Mail: “bucks is gone, stars stay.”
Because Starbucks has its own resource and production base, Stars Coffee had to find new suppliers. That they did, importing beans from South America and Africa. Other items come from suppliers within the country.
This may all sound very much like “Dumb Starbucks,” the beloved episode of Nathan for You in which Nathan Fielder competes with the coffee giant by opening a similar but different store with almost the same name and logo. But truth, as always, is stranger than fiction.
(Via CNN and The Daily Mail)