THE HISTORY OF STARBUCKS

OVERVIEW:
Starbucks is a global coffee company and
coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington.
Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the
world, with 20,891 stores in 62 countries, including 13,279
in the United States, 1,324 in Canada, 989 in Japan, 851
in China, 806 in the United Kingdom, 556 in South
Korea, 377 in Mexico, 291 in Taiwan, 206 in the
Philippines, 171 in Thailand, and 167 in Germany.
THE HISTORY OF STARBUCKS
FOUNDING:
The first Starbucks opened in Seattle, Washington, on
March 30, 1971, by three people that met at the University of
San Francisco: English teacher Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and
Gordon Bowker. They were inspired to sell high-quality coffee
beans and equipment by a coffee roaster, Alfred Peet, after
he taught them his style of roasting beans. Originally the
company was to be called Pequod, after a ship from Moby-
Dick, but the company was named after the chief mate on
the Pequod, Starbuck. From 1971–1976, the first Starbucks was
at 2000 Western Avenue. It then moved to 1912 Pike Place
Market; it then was never relocated. The company only sold
roasted coffee and did not yet brew coffee to sell. During their
first year of operation, they purchased green coffee beans
from Peet's, then began buying from growers.
THE HISTORY OF STARBUCKS
LOGO:
■ In 2006, Valerie O'Neil, a Starbucks spokeswoman, said that the logo is an
image of a "twin-tailed mermaid, or siren as she's known in Greek mythology".
The logo has been significantly streamlined over the years. In the first version,
the Starbucks siren was topless and had a fully visible double fish tail. In the
second version, which was used from 1987–92, her breasts were covered by her
flowing hair, but her bellybutton was still visible. The fish tail was cropped,
and the color went from brown to green. In the third version, used between
1992 and 2011, her bellybutton and breasts are not visible, and only little
remain of the fish tails. The original logo was moved to the Starbucks'
Headquarters in Seattle.
■ In September 2006 and then again in early 2008, Starbucks temporarily
reintroduced its original logo on hot-drink cups. Starbucks stated that this was
to show the company's heritage from the Pacific Northwest and to celebrate
35 years of business. The vintage logo sparked some controversy due in part to
the siren's bare chest, but the temporary switch had little attention from the
media. In January 2011, Starbucks made small changes to the company's logo,
removing the Starbucks word-mark around the siren, enlarging the siren
image, and making it green.
STARBUCKS LOGOS
BRIEF STARBUCKS TIMELINE

1970's
■ The first Starbucks opens. The name comes from Herman Melville’s
Moby Dick, a classic American novel about the 19th century whaling
industry. The seafaring name seems appropriate for a store that imports
the world’s finest coffees to the people of Seattle.
1980's
■ Howard Schultz joins Starbucks in 1982. While on a business trip in Italy,
he visits Milan’s famous espresso bars. Impressed with their popularity
and culture, he sees their potential in Seattle.
BRIEF STARBUCKS TIMELINE

1990's
■ Starbucks expands beyond Seattle, first to the rest of the United States,
then the entire world. After becoming one of the first companies to offer
stock options to its part-time employees, Starbucks becomes a publicly
traded company.
2000's
■ Starbucks has more than 15,000 locations in over 40 countries. In
addition to coffee and espresso drinks, people now enjoy Tazo® tea and
Frappuccino® blended beverages.
STARBUCKS MISSION
STATEMENT

To inspire and nurture the

human spirit – one person, one
cup and one neighborhood at a
time.
 OUR VALUES

With our partners, our coffee and our customers at our core, we live
these values:
• Creating a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome.
• Acting with courage, challenging the status quo and finding new ways to grow
our company and each other.
• Being present, connecting with transparency, dignity and respect.
• Delivering our very best in all we do, holding ourselves accountable for results.

We are performance driven, through the lens of humanity.

 ADVOCACY
ENVIRONMENTAL
STEWARDSHIP
RATIONALE
REASONS OF THE FORMULATION OF THE
ADVOCACY:
As a company with a deep heritage and passion
for coffee, they focused on the long-term sustainability
of coffee-growing communities. Through innovative
programs with an emphasis on continuous
improvement they are taking action to address their
concern about climate change and the impact it will
have on the long term supply of our coffee. They know
their customer is also concern with this movement.
RATIONALE
GOALS:

To help maintain their high-quality standards and

preserve the planet for future generations, they’re
taking bold actions to reduce their environmental
impact.
With this strategies:
• Green building
• Energy and water conservation
• Recycling