Six employees from the Starbucks store on Fabian Way in Swansea worked together to clean up the rubbish from Swansea beach, helping make sure the sand is ready for Swansea residents to enjoy this August.
The group of volunteers was led by Bartek Kusmierz, the Starbucks Barista Champion 2018 for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) who has recently moved to the Swansea store. Bartek was crowned Barista Champion in 2018 after competing in the final competition, which was held in Amsterdam in October 2018. The competition saw 28 National Barista Champions from across EMEA gather to show off their latte art and learn more about Starbucks ethically-sourced coffee roasting process and Bartek took the title for his impressive skills.
Bartek Kusmierz, Starbucks Barista Champion 2018 for EMEA, said, “The beaches in Swansea are breath-taking and much loved by the local community. My colleagues and I at the Fabian Way store decided to get outside and give the beach a much needed clean. We removed a large amount of debris from the coastline and encouraged local residents to keep the beach tidy so everyone can enjoy the beach during the summer and help protect the local wildlife.”
Starbucks values building strong and lasting relationships within local store communities through partnerships with community groups, local charities and residents. Bartek and the store team are dedicated to volunteering and contributing to causes in the local community, which includes plans to hold monthly beach cleans in the future.
The Starbucks Fabian Way store is also proud to support its local charity partner, the MS Society. The MS Society is committed to driving research into better treatment for people suffering from multiple sclerosis in the local area and across the UK.
