ARIANA Grande boosted sales for black-owned coffee shops around LA after fans are convinced she’s “boycotting” Starbucks due to their Black Lives Matter clothing policy.
Earlier this week, the 26-year-old Rain on Me singer unfollowed the beverage giant she’s been an ambassador for and has since only supported small businesses.
Starbucks faced backlash after Buzzfeed published an internal memo last week that said workers were not allowed to “wear buttons or pins that advocate a political, religious or personal issue” amid the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests.
Soon after their views were made public, Ariana removed Starbucks from her Instagram and has since strictly advertised black owned coffee shops in Los Angeles.
On Wednesday, the Grammy winner posted a picture on her Instagram Stories of a cup of coffee from South LA Cafe and captioned it “morning” with a heart.
Celia Ward-Wallace, who owns the cafe with her husband, Joe, tells The Sun that the store has gained more than 4,000 in less than one day since her post.
In addition to the social media spike, the company – which aims to bring their community good quality food and drinks with affordable pricing – has seen overall sales increase since the pop star gave them a shoutout.
“Sales were steady in the last couple weeks because many have been supporting black owned businesses lately with the Black Lives Matter movement.
“But Ariana’s post has boosted sales,” she said while adding it’s “been great for business.”
She continued: “We’re so grateful she ditched Starbucks and came to support us.
“In her case, she has the privilege of celebrity. And with her influence she can speak to millions of people around the world.
“So I’m very grateful she chose to support us. Black Lives Matter is a movement we fight for all our lives, it’s not a fad for us.
“And her support is everything and we appreciate her helping us work on the frontline to fight for the message,” the business owner added.
Celia emphasized Ariana’s global impact has reached people from all over the world who have now messaged the business to show their support.
The thank u, next songstress also showed off her love for downtown LA’s wizarding-themed shop, Nimbus Coffee.
Since Ariana snapped a shot with a drink from Nimbus, the small store has gained over 5,000 followers with hundreds more coming to visit in-person who mentioned they saw her post.
Co-Owner Shawn Farrar said that she is “excited and grateful” for the Victorious alum’s shoutout.
“This means so much to us. The staff freaked out and it made all of us so happy she would think to do that.
“Business has definitely been a lot busier since her post. She has made a great impact,” Shawn revealed.
Fans of the singer are convinced her relationship with Starbucks is now a thing of the past.
“Lmao the way Ariana Grande has been on insta every single day posting her coffee from minority owned businesses!! she said if i disowned starbucks you guys can too,” one person tweeted.
Another said: “Ariana really dropped starbucks after they kept silencing the blm protestors. i really love this woman.”
Starbucks has since reversed its policy after days of outrage.
On June 12, they tweeted: “In response to this historic time, our store partners can also show support for the Black Lives Matter movement with their own t-shirts, pins and name tags.”
The Scream Queens star was an ambassador for the beverage chain and even had her own drink come out last year called The Cloud Macchiato.
Ariana has attended multiple BLM protests in recent weeks and has also shared resources while donating money to foundations.
