The great network of coffee shops Starbucks is one of the most frequented by Brazilians since the first one opened in São Paulo in 2006. Did you know that it has been around for over 50 years? Come and learn a little about the history behind this coffee brand. Who are its founders? We'll tell you everything now.
How did Starbucks come about?
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The first store opened in 1971 in Seattle, Washington. The company started as a local business, but today it is considered one of the largest coffee chains selling beans, food and its signature items. In the beginning, it was just a coffee shop that didn't have a menu or stock of products as large and diverse as it currently is.
start of business
When it first appeared, Starbucks sold beans from Peet's Coffee, an old California company. Only bags of coffee beans were sold, not the finished drink, so there was no drive-thru like we see nowadays.
expansion of the enterprise
From 1982, they also started to sell some ready-to-eat products, offering the first strained coffee. A few years later, the first espresso bar was opened, which culminated in the growth and expansion of the brand.
Who is behind Starbucks' success?
We actually have three responsible: Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker and Zev Siegl.
The three businessmen are longtime friends and met at the University of San Francisco. The idea for the company came from an English teacher, who thought of creating a cafeteria that offered quality and a comfortable environment. The friends were 20 years old when they decided to open the coffee business, motivated by the teacher.
In the early 1980s, they sold the company to Howard Schultz, who – after a business trip to Milan, in Italy – decided to convert the coffee bean shop into a coffee shop serving coffee drinks express.
As CEO from 1986 to 2000, Schultz's first term led to aggressive expansion of the franchise, first in Seattle, then on the west coast of the United States.
By 1989, there were 46 Starbucks stores located in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest, and the company was roasting over 2,000,000 pounds (907,185 kg) of coffee annually
At the moment
As of November 2021, the company has 33,833 stores in 80 countries, 15,444 of which are located in the United States. Of Starbucks stores in the United States, more than 8,900 are company-operated, while the rest are licensed.