"Starbucks Brewing Art for Good: The Bearista Project" campaign is in partnership with skilled Malaysian artists, including Deaf and Autistic individuals, and art students.
24 Jun 2024
OHSOM DESK
Starbucks Malaysia has unveiled its newest initiative, called "Starbucks Brewing Art for Good: The Bearista Project." This campaign is in partnership with skilled Malaysian artists, including Deaf and Autistic individuals, as well as art students, aims to enhance the popular Starbucks Bearista. Previously known as a stuffed bear wearing the recognizable green apron and various seasonal outfits, the Bearista has been transformed into larger-than-life versions by local artists who have put their hearts and souls into the project.
Starbucks celebrates its 25th anniversary in Malaysia by showcasing 25 distinctive life-sized Bearista designs where each design represents the rich diversity of Malaysia's different states and the project was recently launched at Pavilion Damansara Heights on June 22, with an initial unveiling of 12 captivating life-sized Bearistas with more designs will be added to the collection by December 2024.
Starbucks introduces a limited-edition series of mini-Bearistas, available as ‘blind box’ collectibles in all Starbucks stores for RM25 each and a portion of the proceeds from these collectibles will be channeled toward charitable causes.
During an announcement, Dato’ Sydney Quays, Group CEO of Berjaya Food Berhad and Managing Director of Berjaya Starbucks, revealed that a portion of the proceeds from mini-Bearista sales will go towards supporting artists and will be contributed to a Gaza humanitarian fund supported by MERCY Malaysia. The entire donation is planned to be directed to MERCY Malaysia’s Palestine Relief Fund by January 2025. This effort supplements the RM1,000,000 that Starbucks had previously contributed in October through Tabung Amanah Kemanusiaan Rakyat Palestine (AAKRP), an initiative led by the Malaysian Government.