Coffee’s Presence in the Disney Parks
Not even Disney is magical enough for me to survive without coffee.
Walt Disney World is a place where guests can find literally any type of food or drink imaginable — and more often than not, it’s in the shape of Mickey. From the classic Mickey pretzel, to food around the world in Epcot, and even Blue Milk in Galaxy’s Edge, there’s not a shortage of delicious food. When it comes to coffee, there are a few options that guests have, including Joffrey’s Coffee, Starbucks, resort-specific cafés, country-inspired cafés in the World Showcase, and a few individual restaurants.
How Did Joffrey's Coffee Become a Disney Icon?
Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Company was established in 1984 in Tampa, Florida. Joffrey’s has had kiosks in WDW since 1995, but the company entered a long-term agreement with Disney to be the official specialty coffee brand in WDW, Disneyland, and Disney Vacation Club properties in 2013. So, what does this mean?
Joffrey’s website states that the alliance expanded the presence of its coffee across the Disney resorts and dining and also presented the opportunity to develop unique coffee blends that are exclusive to Disney. Joffrey’s developed 28 different blends for its Disney Specialty Coffee Collection, 20 of which you can find across the WDW property. The blends are also available for purchase online, individually or as a monthly subscription. Who would have ever known?
As an avid coffee drinker and aspiring marketing professional, I would love to see a coffee tour or festival that allows guests to taste the different blends and learn more about their roasting process. Currently, the different roasts are only sold at their inspired location with little advertising.
For example, the Kona Blend is only sold at Kona Cafe at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. If there were more varieties of coffee available, guests could learn what their taste in coffee is and they would be more likely to seek out new blends they haven’t tried before. Maybe they would even purchase them for at-home use.
What About Starbucks at Disney?
As most Disney-goers know, guests can find a Starbucks in each of the parks and Disney Springs. I mean, how could anybody forget to post a picture of themselves holding their Disney Parks x Starbucks collaborated logo cup in front of the castle?
This partnership was announced in 2016 and allowed Starbucks to open a company-owned store in each of the parks as long as it blended in with the theming of its surroundings.
For example, in Magic Kingdom guests will notice that Starbucks is called Main Street Bakery and only has the Starbucks logo in the window. This covertly states that it is a Disney-owned store that sells Starbucks products. It is also noted on the Disney website as Main Street Bakery Featuring Starbucks.
We know the Joffrey's vs. Starbucks' decision is about as highly debated as your favorite park or ride. But as long as it has caffeine in it, we’re drinking it.