The first Starbucks at UC Santa Barbara will open in the University Center (UCen) this fall, replacing Nicoletti’s, a café that has been on campus for more than 25 years.

The university will own and operate the location and employ UCSB students, according to Sue Hawkins, director of dining services in the UCen.

Hawkins said a committee of faculty, staff and students evaluated bids for the location and decided the new Starbucks would be more popular among students. Starbucks is also expected to generate more revenue than Nicoletti’s, Hawkins said.

“It will do better than Nicoletti’s,” she said. “We think it’s something that the campus wants, and that’s our goal, to provide services that our campus constituents want and we think that Starbucks is one of those.”

A short blurb on the UCen website describes Nicoletti’s as “The only true coffeehouse on campus” and says the café “offers organic and Fair Trade coffees and espresso.”

Hawkins said while Starbucks does not provide fair trade certified coffee, its coffee is “fairly traded.”

Students who work at the new Starbucks will need to go through Starbucks training, but the location will be owned by UC Santa Barbara.

Other coffee locations around campus including The Arbor and The Corner Store will continue to serve Peerless Coffee, a roaster based in the Bay Area.

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