Street Coffee Counterfeit Starbucks Case in Mianyang

A counterfeit Starbucks operation in Mianyang, Sichuan was found running out of a residential building, selling homemade drinks through delivery platforms under the guise of purchasing on behalf of customers. Authorities counted 729 orders and more than 40,000 yuan involved. The site held Starbucks-branded straws, paper bags, cups, and syrup, and the production environment was poor. Starbucks China has cooperated with the investigation.

The Fucheng District Market Supervision Bureau received a public report on January 18 and identified the operator after officers spotted a delivery worker carrying a Starbucks-logo paper bag. The case also exposed loopholes in how delivery platforms vet merchants. Starbucks urged consumers to buy through official stores or Starbucks Delivers rather than through unauthorized street coffee sellers on third-party apps.

A counterfeit Starbucks coffee case in Mianyang, Sichuan has drawn attention. The counterfeiters hid in a residential building and used delivery platforms to sell homemade products under the guise of "purchasing on behalf of customers," accumulating 729 orders and involving more than 40,000 yuan. The on-site environment was worrying, yet the ingredients and packaging bore Starbucks logos. Starbucks China has responded and cooperated with the investigation, urging consumers to buy through official stores or Starbucks Delivers. The incident also exposed loopholes in delivery platform vetting. This article outlines the case, the official response, and consumer reminders, and includes Front Street Coffee's professional information channels.

According to a March 14 report by Sichuan Observer, on January 18, the Market Supervision Bureau of Fucheng District, Mianyang City received a public report that someone was selling counterfeit Starbucks coffee in a residential building. After investigation by law enforcement officers, the counterfeit production site used delivery platforms to offer customers products with the same logos and prices as regular stores under the guise of purchasing on behalf of customers from two Starbucks stores—Metropolis Parkson business district store and Wanda business district store—but the products did not come from Starbucks stores.

After obtaining relevant leads, law enforcement officers went to the area near the residential building mentioned by the reporter and happened to encounter Kong Moumou, who was about to go out to deliver food. The officers immediately stepped forward to inspect and found in the delivery box behind his vehicle a bag of drinks packaged in a paper bag with the Starbucks logo and ready for delivery. Based on the on-site situation and the officers' comprehensive judgment, delivery worker Kong Moumou was precisely the person in charge of the counterfeit production point, and the location of the site was thus identified.

The site was hidden in a room in a residential building. Inside were various materials bearing the Starbucks logo, including straws, paper bags, and disposable paper cups, and the syrup used to make the counterfeit drinks also bore the Starbucks logo. From the on-site video provided by law enforcement officers, the environment for making the counterfeit drinks was alarming.

The rags had turned gray and white, the powdered ingredients needed to make the drinks were not stored sealed, the coffee after extraction was neither used nor poured out, and the steam wand used to froth milk had obvious milk stains...

Because Kong Moumou could not present qualifications such as a food business license and business license, law enforcement officers took compulsory measures against his production tools and raw materials. It is understood that Kong Moumou claimed on delivery platforms that he was helping customers buy from regular Starbucks stores, but in fact he made the products in a rented room and delivered them to customers. Law enforcement officers said the site had received a total of 729 orders, involving more than 40,000 yuan.

In response, Starbucks China said in a statement on its official Weibo that morning: We have noticed media reports about relevant market regulators cracking down on an illegal counterfeit production site that sold counterfeit Starbucks drinks through delivery purchasing stores. Starbucks actively participated in the investigation of this case and assisted relevant departments in resolutely cracking down on illegal counterfeiting. At the same time, it called on consumers to buy brand products through regular stores and Starbucks Delivers online channels, and to jointly defend their lawful rights and interests. Starbucks customer service reminded customers to make purchases on official platforms and to contact customer service as soon as possible if counterfeit products are found.

At this point, some may ask: Aren't the drink ingredients and materials used by Starbucks supplied exclusively for internal use by Starbucks? In theory, that is indeed the case, but by searching for Starbucks syrup and Starbucks paper bags on Taobao, these products bearing the Starbucks logo can easily be bought. Some consumers who have purchased such syrup said: The color looks somewhat different from what is seen in Starbucks, but the taste is relatively close.

Starbucks has a dedicated delivery service with extremely high coverage, and almost every store in every city offers delivery, so consumers do not need to choose purchasing services. At the same time, this incident also reflects problems in the management and vetting of major delivery platforms. Relevant law enforcement departments said they will summon the persons in charge of delivery platforms for talks and reminded consumers to be sure to choose regular stores when purchasing products and services!

Image source: Screenshot from Sichuan Observer video, Weibo

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.