The History of Starbucks: From Local Seattle Store to Global Coffee Giant

Coffee is an integral part of American culture; The name “Starbucks” has become almost synonymous with “coffee shop”.

Starbucks, easily recognized by its iconic green mermaid logo, arose from the vision of its three founders to provide high-quality, freshly roasted coffee beans.

Beginning with a humble storefront in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, the company has expanded to include more than 38,000 locations worldwide in all 50 states, territories and territories.

A timeline of Starbucks, from Pike Place Market to household name

Starbucks was founded in 1971

In 1971, three college friends founded the Starbucks brand and opened its first store near the famous Pike Place Market.

Initially, it sold coffee beans, teas and spices from around the world, as well as specialty products for the home, including coffee brewing equipment.

The founders honed their coffee roasting skills with inspiration from Alfred Peet, the Dutch immigrant founder of Peet’s Coffee & Tea and original coffee bean supplier to Starbucks. Under Pete’s guidance, they experimented and eventually developed unique roasting methods and blends.

Starbucks expansion in 1980

In 1980, Starbucks opened four stores in Seattle. Around this time, as the core business began to flourish, co-founder Zev Siegel left the company and sold his shares.

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Howard Schultz joined Starbucks in 1982

Howard Schultz joined Starbucks in 1982, while working as vice president and general manager of Hammerplast, a kitchen appliance company, he received a large order for coffee machines that sparked his interest in the company.

He was so impressed by what he saw during his visit to Starbucks that he joined the company as director of operations and marketing. He focuses on enhancing customer service and empowering employees to engage with customers through product knowledge and friendly customer interactions.

“Through every cup of coffee, every conversation, every community – we cherish the endless possibilities of human connection.”

-Starbucks Mission Statement

In 1983, Schulz returned from a trip to Milan, Italy and was inspired by Italy’s rich coffee culture. He was determined to bring that essence to Seattle and envisioned Starbucks as a national coffeehouse chain.

However, he failed to convince co-founders Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker to realize his vision. They prefer to maintain the original vision of the brand as an artisanal coffee drink as a medium for social interaction.

Unable to align with the vision of other shop owners, Schulz took the plunge and started his coffee shop, Il Giornale. It quickly became successful and expanded to multiple cities.

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In 1987, Starbucks aprons changed from brown to green.

In 1987, Baldwin and Bowker decided to sell Starbucks.

Schultz jumped at the opportunity, using the profits from his company Il Giornale and investor support to acquire the company.

He put all his efforts into the cafe concept, which led to the growth of the cafe chain, opening more than 100 branches across the country. Expansion began in Chicago and Vancouver in Canada and later expanded to California, Washington, DC and New York.

Starbucks went public in 1992

On June 26, 1992, Starbucks went public at $17 per share. By the end of the first trading day, the price per share had risen to $21.50.

Starbucks continued to grow and introduced the Frappuccino in the 1990s

In the 1990s, Starbucks achieved several significant milestones.

In the summer of 1995, it introduced the Frappuccino, an iconic sweetened iced coffee drink that originally came in two flavors in the United States and Canada.

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The company opened its first trans-Pacific store in Japan in 1996, followed by Starbucks in Singapore in 1997. It entered Europe in 1998 and Starbucks entered China the following year.

Schultz resigned in 2000

“To be a long-lasting, great company, you have to create a system to prevent or solve problems that outlasts any one leader.”

——Howard Schultz

In 2000, Schultz announced his decision to step down as CEO of Starbucks and retained his position as chairman. Orrin Smith succeeded him as CEO. By this time, Schultz had grown the company to more than 3,000 stores.

Schultz returned in 2008

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Customer satisfaction at 15,000 locations worldwide declined after Schultz stepped down as CEO.

Schultz returned as CEO in January 2008 and implemented several strategic changes, including the closing of 900 stores and additional menu items. By 2012, these actions helped Starbucks regain financial stability.

The origin of the name Starbucks

The company’s name comes from Herman Melville’s classic story “Moby Dick” depicting the seafaring heritage of early coffee traders.

“Starbuck” is Pequot’s first companion in the novel. Although one of the founders initially suggested “Pequot” as the company name, they eventually settled on “Starbucks”.

Who is the founder of Starbucks?

Starbucks was founded by Baldwin, Bowker and Siegel near Pike Place Market. Each of the founders brought their own personalities and strengths to the coffee industry and were united by a shared passion for coffee and tea.

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Originally friends at the University of San Francisco, they began careers in their respective fields before transitioning to the coffee industry.

Baldwin was a teacher, Boker was a writer, and Siegel taught history. They were motivated from their current careers to join forces to pursue their vision of introducing premium dark roast coffee to the people of Seattle.

The history of the Starbucks logo

Designed by Terry Heckler in 1971, the Starbucks logo is originally brown and features a majestic, bare-breasted siren.

The two-tailed mermaid was inspired by ancient books on the sea. Coffee lovers can still find the iconic Kraken logo at the original Seattle Pike Place Market location.

After Schultz acquired Starbucks in 1987, the logo received a modern makeover, blending the Starbucks and Il Giornale logos. In 2011, the logo evolved into the current image of a siren.