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Starbucks

Organization

A global coffeehouse chain that replaced its CEO after 16 months of underperformance, facing challenges from inflation, declining revenue, complex orders, and labor costs.


entitydetail.created_at

8/20/2025, 3:03:28 AM

entitydetail.last_updated

8/26/2025, 6:01:55 AM

entitydetail.research_retrieved

8/20/2025, 3:04:47 AM

Summary

Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves, headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Founded on March 30, 1971, by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker, it initially operated as a coffee bean wholesaler. Under the ownership of Howard Schultz, who served as CEO from 1986 to 2000, Starbucks transformed into a coffee shop serving espresso-based drinks, leading to aggressive global expansion. As of November 2022, it operated 35,711 stores across 80 countries, making it the world's largest coffeehouse chain. Starbucks is credited with popularizing the "second wave" of coffee culture by offering a wide variety of coffee experiences, including hot and cold drinks, whole-bean coffee, teas, pastries, and snacks, often with free Wi-Fi. Despite its substantial brand loyalty and market share, the company, now led by CEO Brian Nichol, faces challenges such as a perceived cultural shift away from its founder's vision, market saturation, and the impact of health trends like the "anti-sugar" movement driven by GLP-1s.

Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Founded

    1971-03-30

  • Headquarters

    Seattle, Washington, United States

  • Current Business

    Coffeehouse chain, roastery reserves, serving hot and cold drinks, whole-bean coffee, teas, pastries, and snacks

  • Initial Business

    Coffee bean wholesaler

  • Primary Services

    Coffee, tea, food, free Wi-Fi

  • Key Cultural Impact

    Popularized the 'second wave' of coffee culture

  • US Company-Operated Stores

    Over 8,900 stores

  • US Stores (as of November 2022)

    15,873 stores

  • Fortune 500 Ranking (as of 2022)

    120th

  • Total Stores (as of November 2022)

    35,711 stores

  • Forbes Global 2000 Ranking (as of 2022)

    303rd

  • Countries of Operation (as of November 2022)

    80 countries

Timeline
  • Starbucks is founded by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker in Seattle, Washington, initially operating as a coffee bean wholesaler at Pike Place Market. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Wikidata, Web Search)

    1971-03-30

  • Howard Schultz joins Starbucks. (Source: Web Search)

    1982

  • Howard Schultz's trip to Italy inspires him to transform Starbucks into a coffeehouse experience, focusing on espresso-based drinks. (Source: Web Search)

    1983

  • Howard Schultz becomes Chief Executive Officer, beginning a period of aggressive expansion. (Source: Wikipedia)

    1986

  • Starbucks embraces the new coffeehouse vision, expanding beyond Seattle and changing its apron color to green. (Source: Web Search)

    1987

  • Starbucks makes its international debut in Japan. (Source: Web Search)

    1996

  • Starbucks expands its operations to Europe. (Source: Web Search)

    1998

  • Starbucks expands its operations to China. (Source: Web Search)

    1999

  • Howard Schultz concludes his initial tenure as Chief Executive Officer. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2000

  • Starbucks operates 35,711 stores across 80 countries worldwide. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

    2022-11

  • Starbucks faces significant challenges, including a cultural shift, market saturation, and the impact of the 'anti-sugar' trend driven by GLP-1s, with Brian Nichol as the new CEO. (Source: Related Documents)

    2024

Starbucks

Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker at Seattle's Pike Place Market initially as a coffee bean wholesaler. Starbucks was converted into a coffee shop serving espresso-based drinks under the ownership of Howard Schultz, who was chief executive officer from 1986 to 2000 and led the aggressive expansion of the franchise across the West Coast of the United States. As of November 2022, the company had 35,711 stores in 80 countries, 15,873 of which were located in the United States. Of Starbucks' U.S.-based stores, over 8,900 are company-operated, while the remainder are licensed. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. The company is ranked 120th on the Fortune 500 and 303rd on the Forbes Global 2000, as of 2022. The rise of the second wave of coffee culture is generally attributed to Starbucks, which introduced a wider variety of coffee experiences. Starbucks serves hot and cold drinks, whole-bean coffee, micro-ground instant coffee, espresso, caffe latte, full and loose-leaf teas, juices, Frappuccino beverages, pastries, and snacks. Some offerings are seasonal or specific to the locality of the store. Depending on the country, most locations provide free Wi-Fi Internet access. The company has been subject to multiple controversies related to its business practices. Conversely, its franchise has commanded substantial brand loyalty, market share, and company value.

Web Search Results
  • Starbucks - Wikipedia

    Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker at Seattle's Pike Place Market initially as a coffee bean wholesaler. Starbucks was converted into a coffee shop serving espresso-based drinks under the ownership of Howard Schultz, who was chief executive officer from 1986 to 2000 and led the aggressive expansion of the franchise across the [...] Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item Image 4: Page semi-protected From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia American multinational coffeehouse chain This article is about the worldwide coffee chain. For other uses, see Starbucks (disambiguation) "Starbucks (disambiguation)"). Starbucks CorporationImage 5 Logo since 2011 Image 6 [...] Starbucks originally opened in Seattle, Washington, on March 30, 1971.( By selling high-quality coffee beans and equipments related, Starbucks became a local coffee bean retailer for the first ten years in Seattle.( It was founded by business partners Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker who first met as students at the University of San Francisco.( The trio were inspired to sell high-quality coffee beans and equipment by coffee roasting entrepreneur Alfred Peet.( Bowker recalls that a

  • Starbucks Menu with Prices August 20, 2025

    Starbucks was founded on March 30, 1971, in Seattle, Washington, by Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, and Zev Siegl. The first store, located in Pike Place Market, sold high-quality coffee beans and equipment rather than brewed coffee. [...] In 1982, Howard Schultz joined the company and became fascinated by its high-quality coffee. A trip to Italy in 1983 introduced him to the vibrant espresso bar culture, inspiring him to transform Starbucks into a coffeehouse experience. By 1987, Starbucks embraced this new vision, swapping its original brown aprons for the now-iconic green ones and expanding beyond Seattle. [...] The company rapidly grew, opening stores in Chicago and Vancouver before expanding to California, Washington, D.C., and New York. By 1996, Starbucks made its international debut in Japan, followed by Europe in 1998 and China in 1999. Today, it operates over 38,000 stores worldwide, known for its premium coffee, innovative drinks, and cozy ambiance. FAQ’s ----- Is Starbucks Halal in the USA?

  • Starbucks | Description, History, & Facts | Britannica Money

    Starbucks was founded by Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, and Zev Siegl, opening its first store in 1971 near the historic Pike Place Market in Seattle. The three Starbucks founders had two things in common: they were all coming from academia, and they all loved coffee and tea. They invested and borrowed some money to open the first store in Seattle and named it “Starbucks” after the first mate, Starbuck, in Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick. original Starbucks Coffee shop [...] Britannica Money Amazon U.K. Services warehouse Nike logo Howard Schultz # Starbucks Amazon U.K. Services warehouse Nike logo Howard Schultz Starbucks: corporate headquarters Starbucks is an American company that operates the largest coffeehouse chain and one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the company operates more than 35,000 stores across 80 countries (as of 2022). Original Starbucks logo [...] Although Starbucks was not the first major coffeehouse chain in the U.S., it was the first to both popularize and mass-distribute a particular brand of café culture. Starting in the 1990s, Starbucks began promoting coffee as a holistic experience that combined ambiance, community, function, and lifestyle. By transforming people’s perception of coffee and coffeehouses, Starbucks achieved outsize growth and established itself as one of the most dominant names in the coffeehouse industry.

  • The Starbucks Story: From Beans to Billions - Quartr

    Author: Peter Westberg Reviewed by: Kasper Karlsson In the heart of Seattle, near the smell of fresh coffee and the busy Pike Place Market, a small coffee shop opened its doors in 1971. Named after a character in Herman Melville's book "Moby Dick," Starbucks aimed to provide top-quality coffee to Seattle's coffee lovers. What started as a small retail venture has since grown into a global phenomenon, transforming the way the world drinks coffee. This is the story of Starbucks. [...] Starbucks has always been about more than just coffee. It's about creating a sense of community, offering a place where people can come together, share stories, and make memories. Whether it's the barista who knows your name and your usual order, the cozy ambiance that invites you to linger, or the innovative beverages that surprise and delight, the Starbucks experience is designed to be special. In the words of former CEO Howard Schultz: [...] That's right, Starbucks actually began its journey as a retailer of coffee beans and equipment, founded by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker. Driven by a simple yet profound vision, they aimed to offer the world's finest coffee. However, it was about a decade later that the first seed of what we today recognize as Starbucks was arguably planted.

  • Our History - Starbucks® chilled coffee

    Our History Our mission Our values Stories & news 1900 1971 The Beginning It was here where Starbucks opened its first store, offering fresh-roasted coffee beans, tea and spices from around the world for our customers to take home. 1971 1981 The First Cup Ten years later, a young New Yorker named Howard Schultz would walk through these doors and become captivated with Starbucks coffee from his first sip. 1981 1983 Inspiration in Italy

Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 countries, 15,444 of which were located in the United States. Out of Starbucks' U.S.-based stores, over 8,900 are company-operated, while the remainder are licensed. The rise of the second wave of coffee culture is generally attributed to Starbucks, which introduced a wider variety of coffee experiences. Starbucks serves hot and cold drinks, whole-bean coffee, micro-ground instant coffee, espresso, caffe latte, full and loose-leaf teas, juices, Frappuccino beverages, pastries, and snacks. Some offerings are seasonal, or specific to the locality of the store. Depending on the country, most locations provide free Wi-Fi internet access.

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Location Data

Starbucks, 201, Carmichael Way, Edinburgh North Shopping Center, Chesapeake, Virginia, 23322, United States

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Coordinates: 36.6591586, -76.2319010

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