Our Company

Our story begins in 1971 along the cobblestone streets of Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. It was here where Starbucks opened its first storeoffering fresh-roasted coffee beanstea and spices from around the world for our customers to take home. Our name was inspired by the classic tale“Moby-Dick,” evoking the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders.

Ten years latera young New Yorker named Howard Schultz would walk through these doors and become captivated with Starbucks coffee from his first sip. After joining the company in 1982a different cobblestone road would lead him to another discovery. It was on a trip to Milan in 1983 that Howard first experienced Italy’s coffeehousesand he returned to Seattle inspired to bring the warmth and artistry of its coffee culture to Starbucks. By 1987we swapped our brown aprons for green ones and embarked on our next chapter as a coffeehouse.

Starbucks would soon expand to Chicago and VancouverCanada and then on to CaliforniaWashingtonD.C. and New York. By 1996we would cross the Pacific to open our first store in Japanfollowed by Europe in 1998 and China in 1999. Over the next two decadeswe would grow to welcome millions of customers each week and become a part of the fabric of tens of thousands of neighborhoods all around the world. In everything we dowe are always dedicated to Our Mission: With every cupwith every conversationwith every community - we nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection.

It takes many hands to craft the perfect cup of coffee – from the farmers who tend to the red-ripe coffee cherriesto the master roasters who coax the best from every beanand to the barista who serves it with care. We are committed to the highest standards of quality and serviceembracing our heritage while innovating to create new experiences to savor.

We like to say that we are not in the coffee business serving peoplebut in the people business serving coffee. Our employees – who we call partners – are at the heart of the Starbucks experience. We are committed to making our partners proud and investing in their healthwell-being and success and to creating a culture of belonging where everyone is welcome.

As it has been from the beginningour purpose goes far beyond profit. We believe Starbucks canand shouldhave a positive impact on the communities we serve.