How Starbucks Benefits Helped Annastasia Realize Their Dream of Becoming a Mom 


Annastasia, a Starbucks Canada store manager, knew from a young age that they wanted to be a mom. In 2014, at 18 years old, Annastasia’s partner encouraged them to go to a local job fair where Starbucks was taking applications. Little did Annastasia know that landing that first job at Starbucks would be a critical first step toward realizing their dream of parenthood. 

“My partner is Trans, so I knew right from the start that having a baby wouldn’t be easy. We weren’t going to be able to conceive at all without the help of fertility treatments like IUI or IVF, so we had to start preparing ourselves early for that journey.”  

Annastasia J., Starbucks store manager

Like many younger people today, Annastasia’s awareness of potential fertility challenges was stronger than previous generations – and having an employer that offered fertility benefits could help to make that dream a reality. It’s more expensive than ever for parents to raise a child in Canada today. And for those facing fertility challenges at the outset, the costs can be astronomical: between consultations, testing, and procedures, the average cost of just one round of IVF treatment, for example, is now upwards of $25,000.    

Fortunately for Annastasia, being a Starbucks partner (employee) meant they would have access to robust fertility benefits that would ultimately help in that journey. And after more than a year of fertility testing and treatment, in 2022 Annastasia and their partner welcomed their new baby into the world – and they couldn’t be happier! 

“Without our benefits, I would have been waiting years to save enough for even the first attempt, but with Starbucks benefits I was able to conceive that same year and have my little one in 2022,” says Annastasia. “Now, it's something I share with new partners in our First Sip (onboarding), every time: just how amazing our benefits are and how without them I couldn't be a mom.”  

About Starbucks Canada Family Expansion and Fertility Benefits

As part of its overall total rewards program, Starbucks Canada offers all benefits-eligible partners – whether salaried or retail hourly who work a minimum of 20 hours per week:   

  • A maximum of $25,000 in IVF treatment and $10,000 for medication, for a total of $35,000 in potential insurance coverage  
  • A maximum of $40,000 in benefits for intra-uterine inception (IUI) treatments 
  • A Partner Choice Program  in which eligible partners can allocate an annual amount to a Health Spending Account (HSA) and/or Personal Wellness Account (PWA). The fund can be put toward a variety of out-of-pocket expenses including medical expenses not covered under Extended Health plan (HSA) or toward wellness and lifestyle expenses like childcare costs and groceries (PWA). 
  • Family Support Services such as childcare matching, adoption services and caregiver support groups through TELUS Heath Employee Assistance Program (EAP). 

For more information about the benefits Starbucks Canada offers, visit starbucksbenefits.ca

Read more about how Starbucks supports Starbucks support for 2SLGBTQI+ partners and communities here

Photography Credit: Meg McAdoo

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