Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) is set to open its first long awaited shop in Italy with the first shop to launch in Milan in 2017.

Starbucks’ chief executive Howard Schultz claims that the company has had the dream of launching operations in Italy for more than 30 years and now they are excited because the dream is about to become a reality. The long awaited launch has a lot to do with the fact that Italy has a very strong coffee game. Just to clarify, the espresso was invented by Italians, and this shows how tough it will be for Starbucks to beat the home competition.

Starbucks has already launched thousands of shops in Europe, but it has not yet tested the Italian market. Mr. Schultz wrote in a statement that his company has always dreamt of competing in Italy, but it has not been ready in the past. He stated that his experiences in Italian coffee shops were what pushed the desire to launch Starbucks coffee shops in the country.

The coffee company has teamed up with a company called Percassi to launch Zara in Italy. Percassi’s founder Antonio Percassi stated that opening a coffee shop chain will not be an easy task, especially in Italy. He further added that the country will present itself as a unique challenge market. However, he believes that Italians are ready and eagerly waiting to try out the Starbucks experience.

Starbucks reported that the Expresso will be one of the primary focus, but it will tailor some of the other drinks to attract the customers in the country.