High-end Starbucks Roastery to open in Shanghai

SHANGHAI — Shanghai is set to get its own Starbucks Roastery and Tasting Room, the first high-end roastery from the international coffee chain to open outside the United States, the city's quality watchdog said Thursday.

The Shanghai border inspection and quarantine bureau has completed all necessary checks of the Seattle-based coffee chain's imported equipment for the cafe.

The 2,700-square-meter Roastery on west Nanjing Road will be the company's second high-end cafe, twice the size of the first Starbucks Roastery in Seattle, according to Cui Fuqiu, vice president of Starbucks China.

China is the company's fastest-growing market outside of the United States in terms of store count.

Starbucks has committed to operating 5,000 stores on the Chinese mainland by 2021.