Outrageous! Fake Starbucks Coffee Delivery from Rental Apartment with Astonishing Sales Volume!

According to a report by Sichuan Observation on March 14, on January 18, the Fucheng District Market Supervision Bureau in Mianyang, Sichuan Province, received a tip-off that someone was selling counterfeit Starbucks coffee in a residential building. Through investigation, law enforcement officers discovered that this counterfeiting operation was using food delivery platforms under the pretext of purchasing from two official Starbucks stores - the Metropolitan MixC store and the Wanda commercial district store - to provide consumers with products that had the same branding and pricing as legitimate Starbucks products but were not actually made by official Starbucks stores.

After gathering relevant information through investigation, when law enforcement officers arrived near the residential building provided by the informant, they happened to encounter a delivery person named Kong who was about to go out for deliveries. The officers approached to conduct an inspection and found a bag of beverages ready for delivery to customers in the delivery box behind his vehicle, packaged in paper bags with Starbucks branding. Through comprehensive analysis of the on-site situation and confirmation by law enforcement officers, it was determined that the delivery person Kong was actually the person in charge of the counterfeiting production point, and they located the production site.

The counterfeiting operation was located in a private residence within a residential building. Inside the house, various materials with Starbucks branding were found, including straws, paper bags, and disposable paper cups. Even the syrups used to make the counterfeit beverages carried Starbucks branding. According to on-site video provided by law enforcement officers, the production environment for these counterfeit beverages appeared to be extremely concerning.

Dirty cleaning cloths that had turned gray, powdered ingredients used for beverage preparation left in unsealed containers, extracted coffee that was neither used nor discarded, and steam wands for milk frothing with obvious milk residue attached...

Since Kong was unable to provide necessary qualifications such as a food business permit and business license, law enforcement officers took compulsory measures against his production tools and raw materials. According to reports, Kong claimed through delivery platforms that he was helping customers purchase from official Starbucks stores, but was actually producing the beverages in a rented apartment and delivering them to customers. Law enforcement officers stated that the operation had received a total of 729 orders, with the case value exceeding 40,000 yuan.

Starbucks China's Response

In response, Starbucks China also issued a statement through its official Weibo account this morning: "We have noted the media reports about relevant market supervision departments cracking down on counterfeiting operations selling fake Starbucks beverages through delivery platforms claiming to be proxy purchases. Starbucks actively participated in the investigation of this case and assisted relevant departments in firmly combating illegal counterfeiting activities. We also call on consumers to purchase brand-related products through official stores and Starbucks' dedicated delivery online channels to jointly protect legitimate rights and interests. Starbucks customer service reminds customers to purchase through official platforms and to contact customer service as soon as possible if counterfeit situations are discovered."

Counterfeit Starbucks Materials Easily Available

Reading this, some people might ask: Aren't the beverage ingredients and materials used by Starbucks exclusively supplied for internal use at Starbucks? Theoretically, this should be the case, but if we search on platforms like Taobao for Starbucks syrup or Starbucks paper bags, we can easily purchase these products with Starbucks branding. Consumers who have purchased such syrups have commented: "The color looks somewhat different from what I've seen at Starbucks, but the taste is quite similar."

Recommendations for Consumers

Starbucks has established a dedicated delivery service with extremely high coverage, as nearly every store in every city offers delivery services, so consumers have no need to choose proxy purchasing services. This incident also reflects problems in the management and review processes of major delivery platforms. Relevant law enforcement departments have stated that they will hold talks with responsible persons from delivery platforms, while also reminding consumers to always choose official stores when purchasing products and services!

Image source: Sichuan Observation video screenshots, Weibo

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473