Feature: Will U.S. Starbucks, Italian espresso peacefully coexist?

"Starbucks? Who does not know it? I am so happy that I will be able to have my Frappuccino here," Rosa Candida Scarlato, a modern literature student, said. "Starbucks? It might be fashionable, but is nothing compared with Italian espresso," said Wally Frasson, owner of a bar in the city center of Milan.

Milan is where the first Starbucks store will open in early 2017. The official announcement, after years of rumors in the local press, was made by the Seattle-based coffee chain early this week in partnership with Percassi, an Italian business company, with a track record for operating major brand partnerships across the country.

"Since I had Frappuccino for the first time when I was on a trip in New York, I have been dreaming of it," Scarlato went on saying. Like her, many students say they love Starbucks.

"I did a tour of the world a long time ago, and I remember that the most difficult thing was not being able to have Italian espresso for 40 days. I could not take it anymore," Frasson, the bar owner, said.

Her establishment, Nuovo Bar delle Ore (New Bar of the Hours), is a typical Italian bar, one of around 150,000 throughout Italy, or one for every 400 residents. Their customers in general consume quickly and move on, according to figures of the Italian federation of bars and restaurants (FIPE).

"I am not worried about the opening of Starbucks, I do not think it will pose a risk to traditional Italian bars. We have clients of all types and ages, who are attached to us. Trendy drinks pass, but the quality of Italian espresso remains," Frasson said.

Italy's highly competitive coffee market resisted Starbucks from setting up shop in Italy in the past. But on the other hand Italian consumers' habits have changed over the years. In the main cities of Italy, one can find bars offering a variety of coffee choices, free internet access and takeaway service.

In fact, they resemble Starbucks, noted Luca Misculin, a journalist at Il Post online newspaper, while sitting in one of these new bars, Arnold Coffee, in a central area of Milan.

"If these coffee bars have been successful, why should Starbucks not be? Moreover, compared to the others, the U.S. chain possesses a strong brand," Misculin added. "We all know the complexity of the Italian market, but in fact Starbucks is entering a country where it already exists," he said.

The price of a Starbucks coffee is expected to be higher than the average coffee price of 96 euro cents (1.04 U.S. dollars) at traditional Italian bars.

Monica Forcella, founder and CEO of Mogi coffee, which hand-picks coffees and exports Italian espresso, sees the arrival of Starbucks as a positive challenge for the Italian market.

Italy is a tourist destination visited by crowds of people already used to Starbucks, which suggests that Starbucks can be successful in some locations. For example, in shopping malls and in the country's largest cities, she noted.

"Italians are masters in creativity and innovation, and do not fear competition. That is why I believe Starbucks will be a stimulus for many coffee bars to diversify their offer and improve their service," she said.

"Like McDonald's adapts to local tastes, Starbucks itself may tailor its offerings to Italian customers and put espresso at the center of its menu," said Daniele Alberto Pavia, owner of another Italian bar named Wagner Caffe.

"It is a U.S. chain, and like everything which is from the United States, I think that it will become fashionable. However, even though Italians are famous for often changing their opinions, I bet they will never their mind on the uniqueness of an exquisite, real Italian espresso," he said. Endit