Every day, we go to work hoping to do twothings: share great coffee with our friends
and help make the world a little better. It was true when the first Starbucks opened in
1971, and it's just as true today.
Back then, the company was a single store inSeattle's historic Pike Place Market.From
just anarrow storefront Starbucks offered some of theworld's finest fresh-roasted whole
bean coffes.The name, inspired by Moby-Dick, eveoked theromance of the high seas and
the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders.
Howard Schultz first walked into a Starbucks store in 1981. From drinking his first cup
of Sumatra coffee, Howard became drawn to Starbucks and he joined them a year later.
In 1983, Howard traveled to Italy and became captivated by Italian coffed bars and
theromance of the coffee experience there. He had avision to bring the Italian coffee
house tradition back to the United States. It has since become our vision: a place for
conversation and a sence of community, a third place between work and home. Howard
left Starbucks for a coffee houses and returned in August 1987 to purchase Starbucks with
the help of local investors.
From the begining, Strabucks set out to be a different kind of company, one that not
only celebrated coffee and its rich tradition, but also brought a feeling of connection.
It's just a moment in time-just one hand reaching over the counter to present a cup
to another outstretched hand. But it's a connection. we make sure everything we do honors
that connection-from our commitment to seeving the way we engage with our customers and
communities to do business responsibly.
Today, with more than 18,000 stores in 62 countries, Starbucks is the premier roaster
and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. And with every cup, we strive to bring both
our heritage and an exceptional experience to life.
From our bginnings as a single store over 40 years ago, in every place that we've been,
and every place that we touch, we've tried to make it a little better than we found it.