Starbucks coffee experience lands in Helsinki airport

The global Starbucks coffee chain opened its first outlet in Finland at the Helsinki airport Tuesday, after conquering new territory at airports in Sweden and Norway.

Finns – and airline passengers travelling through Finland – can finally indulge their taste for the Starbucks coffee experience with the opening of an outlet of the iconic global coffee shop chain at the Helsinki airport in Vantaa.

With first batches of steaming java barely poured into patrons' cups, another coffee shop is already in the works at the airport location, and is expected to begin serving up later this year. Beyond the airport hub, the company has not disclosed plans to set up shop in other parts of Finland.

The first Starbucks was established in 1971 in Seattle in the United States. Since then it has exported its own uniquely branded "coffee culture" to more than 50 countries worldwide, through its network of nearly 20,000 outlets.

In recent years the coffeehouse giant has extended its reach into coffee-hungry Scandinavian airports, setting up in Stockholm's Arlanda and Norway's Gardermoen airports in 2010.

Starbucks is looking to cash in on the Finnish love affair with the black gold, as Finns boast the highest per capita consumption rate for coffee in the world – around five cups per day.

From: yle.fi