TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The US-based multinational chain of coffeehouses Starbucks has felt the impact of the worldwide boycott for Israeli and Israeli-affiliated products. A number of Starbucks outlets in Indonesia were seen emptier than before October 7.

Anthony McEvoy, the head of PT Sari Coffee Indonesia, the holder of Starbucks' license in Indonesia said Starbucks' visitors this past few months were fewer in several regions.

"People feel the need to distance themselves [from Starbucks], whether from social pressure or others," he said when met last week.

In total, the boycott caused business to slow down 30 percent on average, Anthony said.

The impact is not only experienced by the company but also by its partners. "You know, we have 6,000 partners in Indonesia, and they feel the impact of this boycott every day and we need to protect them," he said, who claimed to be the only foreign official in Starbucks Indonesia. That number, he went on, excluded over 50,000 coffee farmers in Indonesia whose products are bought by Starbucks.

The boycott campaign started after the management of Starbucks Global sued Starbucks Workers United, who expressed their solidarity with the Palestinian people at the beginning of October 2023.

"They (the workers union) acted as if they represented Starbucks by using its brand, logo, and its name to support something," Anthony said. The workers union, he claimed, stands separated from Starbucks with its own beliefs and political aspirations.

The lawsuit was seen as an expression of Starbucks' support for Israel. Anthony denied this claim.

"We have stores in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi [Arabia], the UAE, and all of the region, but not one in Israel," he said.

The Starbucks boycott is worldwide, but the impact is most felt in Middle Eastern countries and Malaysia, in addition to Indonesia.

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