Starbucks was started by three friends who met in the University, who shared the love for coffee and tea. English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegl, and writer Gordon Bowker were fascinated by the coffee seller Alfred Peet’s roasting techniques and brewing skills.
Drawing inspiration from Peets, they decided to open a coffee outlet that sold quality roasted coffee beans. After considering some names, they chose ‘Starbuck’, the name of the first mate in Moby Dick, because they thought that the name starting with ‘st’ had some special power.
When they started the company in Seattle in 1971, they only sold roasted whole coffee beans and did not yet brew coffee to sell. The only brewed coffee served in the store was free samples as most of their customers did not know much about their products. The credit for the introduction of Starbucks cafe lies with Howard Schultz.
Schultz bought Starbucks in 1982 as a marketing head. Schultz brought Starbucks when Baldwin and Bowker decided to sell it in 1987 and introduced the cafe style of business. It was an instant hit, followed by a period of rapid expansion. Starbucks soon became the world’s largest public coffee-house chain.
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