American coffeehouse Starbucks announced on Thursday that it will establish its very first roastery in Shanghai, China, next year. This will be the first Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room outside the United States.

Currently, Starbucks has one roastery operating in Seattle, and it has made deals to open another one in New York.

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Amid the economic slowdown, Starbucks is heavily investing in the Chinese market. In April, the coffee brand revealed that its business in China is strong.

"I wouldn't be surprised if one day we have more stores in China than we do in the U.S.," Howard Schultz, Starbucks' CEO, told CNBC. "We've been so successful in China over many years and we're just starting to get the morning-day part - where we're educating local Chinese to drink coffee in the morning."

China is the company's largest international market. It has over 2,100 outlets in more than 100 cities in the country. In Shanghai alone, there are 300 Starbucks stores.

According to Schultz, even though the company sees a potential for strong expansion in the country, it will not hasten the pace that it opens new stores in China. Instead, Starbucks plans to open 500 branches per year over the next five years.

Schultz said the company is not worried about potential economic changes in the country over time. He is confident that Starbucks will succeed and establish long-term value for its shareholders.

"If there's something cataclysmic, that certainly could change our plans," he said. "We have no intent of slowing down. We're building our business in China and playing the long game."

TagsStarbucks, china, coffee, roastery, Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room