Coffee Information

CSnet7.com Home Page

Starbucks Coffee History


To summarize something as phenomenonally successful as Starbucks coffee history might be a challenge. Many volumes have been written on the subject, it is examined and taught in business schools, and whole semesters are dedicated to the marketing genius of the company. The amazing success of Starbuck's business model certainly deserves commendation if not adoration in the business world.

The story of Starbucks coffee history begins in Seattle in 1971, when three friends with a passion for fresh coffee, Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker, opened a small shop and began selling fresh-roasted, gourmet coffee beans and brewing and roasting accessories.

In 1980 Zev Siegl sold out to pursue other ventures. By that time Starbucks was the largest roaster in Washington with six retail outlets. In 1981 the small coffee company caught the attention of Howard Schultz, a plastics salesman that noted the large quantity of plastic drip-brewing thermoses that they were buying from Hammarplast, the Swedish manufacturer that Shchultz represented here in the U.S.

In 1982 Starbucks coffee history was changed forever when Baldwin hired the energetic Schultz as the new head of marketing and shortly thereafter sent him to an international housewares show in Milan, Italy in 1983. Schultz found himself infatuated with the vibrant coffee culture of Italy. While in nearby Verona, Schultz had his first caffe' latte' and, as he observed the cafe patrons chatting and laughing joyously while sipping their coffees in the elegant surroundings, inspiration struck.

In what he describes as an epiphany, the idea hit him, "why not create community gathering places like the great coffee house of Italy in the United States?" he wondered. This idea would place Starbucks coffee history into the annuls of business journals for decades to come.

However, his idea was not well received by Baldwin as he wasn't too keen on getting into the restaurant business and distracting him from his original plan of selling whole beans. But he did let him test a small espresso bar in the corner of one of the stores. It was an immediate success and Schultz branched out on his own and opened Il Giornale, a coffee house named after Italy's largest newspaper, 'The Daily'.

In 1987 Starbuck's was up for sale and Schultz raised the $3.8 million by convincing investors of his vision, one hundred and twenty-five outlets in the next five years. Schultz modified the Starbuck's bare-breasted mermaid logo into a more socially acceptable figure, changed the name of Il Giornale to Starbuck's and converted the six existing Starbuck's roasting shops into elegant, comfortable coffee houses. Starbucks coffee history was just was beginning to take shape.

Shultz exceeded his goal of one hundred and twenty-five stores in five years, in 1992 there were 165 cafes in operation. Today there are over 8,000 stores in 30 countries and annual revenues in excess of $7.5 billion.

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

You can find more articles on coffee such as Coffee Breaks, Coffee and Health and Coffee Colonics.


MORE RESOURCES:

Morning Coffee: Notre Dame says cease and desist - Independents ...
ESPN - 10 hours ago
Today's Morning Coffee centers on Notre Dame and its attempt to make sure its football season doesn't end before it begins. According to an article posted ...


Sky News

McDonald's pays to place fake coffee on real newscasts
USA Today - Jul 22, 2008
McDonald's is paying KVVU-TV to place "two logo-emblazoned plastic cups" filled with fake coffee on the Fox affiliate's anchor desk in Las Vegas, ...
US TV News Videos Sky News
McDonald's brings product placement to US TV news Telegraph.co.uk
McDonald's Coffee Finds Placement in Vegas Newscast mediabistro.com
The Washington Independent - Las Vegas Sun
all 28 news articles


DC gets taste of high-end coffee scene
SmartBrief, DC - 4 hours ago
Baristas in Washington, DC, are churning out high-quality coffees using pricey equipment. The owner of Big Bear Cafe says she doesn't even stock artificial ...
Study raises concerns about fragrances in household products SmartBrief
all 11 news articles


Police Arrest Robbers Who Throw Hot Coffee At Clerks
WISN.com, WI - 1 hour ago
The robbers threw hot coffee in the clerk's face, police said. That clerk flagged down a patrol officer who caught up with one of the suspects in the ...
Arrests in Gas Station Robberies Newsradio 620
all 2 news articles


Gourmet coffee eats into Panama forest
Reuters - 56 minutes ago
By Andrew Beatty PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama's gourmet coffees fetch record prices for their prized flavors but the strong demand is convincing some ...


Court upholds LA conviction on DNA from coffee cup
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 43 minutes ago
In 2006, Adolph Laudenberg was convicted of the 1972 strangling death of Lois Petrie, based on DNA evidence that detectives collected from the coffee cup ...


Coffee marketing permits suspended
Business Daily Africa, Kenya - 4 hours ago
July 24, 2008: Kenya risks losing major investments in the coffee industry following a Coffee Board decision to suspend the licensing of new players. ...


Study: Recovering Alcoholics Drink More Coffee, Smoke More Cigarettes
FOXNews - 7 hours ago
In movie scenes where characters attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, they are often seen drinking coffee or smoking cigarettes. A study, which will appear ...


The specialty coffee industry is struggling against the idea that ...
guardian.co.uk, UK - 9 hours ago
Nicholas Cho has become an infamous figure in the world of gourmet coffee. In February, the owner of Murky Coffee had his Washington DC location shut down ...


Morning Coffee: Sun Belt partners with bowls
ESPN - Jul 22, 2008
So today's Morning Coffee comes from the Sun Belt. The conference announced Tuesday that it will partner with the St. Petersburg Bowl, the Papajohns.com ...

Coffee - Google News

home | site map | Coffee | Fashion | Landscaping and Gardening
Chocolate | CShroeder | Gifts
© 2006 EZmatic.com