Brief History of Starbucks Coffee

Starbucks is one of the fastest growing service industries of this generation. Who would have guessed that this small coffee shop from Seattle Washington would grow from just one minor store to what now must be more than fifteen thousand stores in fifty different countries in less than fifty years.

From the start Starbucks offered some of the world’s finest fresh-roasted whole bean coffees. The name of the compant was inspired by the book Moby Dick and evoked the romance of the high seas and the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders.
In 1981, Howard Schultz (Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer) took his first steps into a Starbucks store. From his first cup of Sumatra, Howard was drawn into Starbucks and wouldn't soon forget his experience. 

A year later, in 1983, Howard traveled to Italy and became captivated with Italian coffee bars and the romance of the coffee experience. He had a vision to bring the Italian coffeehouse tradition back to the United States. A place for conversation and a sense of community. A third place between work and home. He left Starbucks for a short period of time to start his own Il Giornale coffeehouses and returned in August 1987 to purchase Starbucks with the help of local investors.

From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and the rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection.

Their mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.