Alsea renews Starbucks licensing deal through 2046 across Latin America and Europe

Starbucks secured a long runway across Latin America and Europe as Alsea renewed its licensing agreements through 2046, extending one of the coffee chain’s most important international operating partnerships. The deal, finalized May 22, keeps Starbucks coffee houses under Alsea’s management in Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Uruguay and Paraguay.

The renewal matters because it does more than preserve an existing footprint. It gives Starbucks stability across a broad, multi-market region while setting a clearer framework for expansion over the next two decades. Alsea said the new arrangement includes development obligations for the 2026 to 2028 period, with both companies still working through the details of future growth together. That points to more than continuity. It signals that store openings, market-by-market pacing and local execution will remain part of the playbook, not left to chance.

For Starbucks, the timing is useful. The company has spent the past year trying to steady its global business through changes in menu, operations and product availability. A long-term licensing relationship in Latin America and Europe helps protect its international presence while the turnaround continues. In practical terms, the agreement should give the brand room to keep building in markets where licensed operators still play a central role in scaling global coffee chains.

Alsea’s position makes the renewal especially significant. The company said it operates more than 4,800 units across its brands, giving the Starbucks relationship strategic weight inside a much larger foodservice and café network. That scale matters when a brand is trying to maintain quality and consistency while expanding across different countries, consumer preferences and retail environments.

Alsea chief executive Christian Gurria framed the renewal as a vote of confidence in the operator’s ability to grow the brand with high standards. Starbucks International CEO Brady Brewer said the agreement supports continued expansion of the Starbucks experience with a focus on quality coffee, operational excellence and shared commitments to customers, partners and communities. For Starbucks, the real headline is the same one in the opening: the company has locked in where and how it intends to grow across two continents, and it has done so through 2046.