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Emma Klein

Kelly Dunbar

Senior Project

19 March 2013

Starbucks

Starbucks could be called one of the largest success stories in American history. The

company started from humble beginnings and worked its way to the top. Starting from a small

building in Pike Place market in Seattle Washington, there are now more than 20,000 locations

worldwide. The company’s mission and goals have allowed it to succeed in a fast pace world,

and Starbuck’s loyal customers have stuck by their favorite brand through it all. The Starbucks

experience is unique from all others. The history and progress of the company have contributed

to the Starbucks lifestyle we all know today.

In 1971 Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel, and Jordan Bowker pulled together $8,000 to open up

the first Starbucks. Alfred Peet, their supplier of premium coffee beans and equipment helped

inspire their venture (gourmet-coffee-zone 1). In 1982, Baldwin insisted on bringing Howard

Shultz into the company as leader of the marketing department. After a trip to Italy, Shultz felt

very inspired by the fashionable coffee houses and café culture he saw. Baldwin was not

originally sold by the idea. He didn’t want selling coffee by the cup to distract from his whole

coffee bean sales, but he let Howard test it out in a corner of one of the stores. Eventually

Howard Shultz left Starbucks to start his own business. Selling his coffee by the cup was a big

success. In 1987 he purchased Starbucks for 3.7 million dollars (gourmet-coffee-zone 1).
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Although it may have seemed like a gamble at the time, it was the best business decision that

Howard Schultz would ever make. Throughout the years, Starbucks has celebrated many

successes, along with some failures. The company has since moved on from that and has

become even stronger. In 1988 came a big step in the Starbucks Company. They started offering

full health benefits to full time and part time employees (Global assets 1). This was a major deal

because it was not very common to get complete health benefits at that time, especially if you

were a part time employee. As you can imagine, Starbucks has been through many ups and

downs. In 2009 they were forced to cut thousands of jobs and close many stores (The New York

Times, 1). However, they persevered, and as the company has evolved, so has the Starbucks

logo.

The Starbucks logo’s history has a long story itself. The concept of the logo is to capture

an image of Seattle’s many sea ports and the seafaring history of coffee (Steve, 1). That is where

the two-tailed mermaid came in, or Siren. The original icon of the siren was very suggestive but

also showed the nautical theme that Starbucks was going for. Through the years, the Siren has

evolved along with the company. The mermaid’s bare breasts that were exposed in the original

logo are now covered by her long hair and the image is now cropped so you can no longer see

her navel. Even after all of the changes, the siren is still the heart of the Starbucks and helped the

company become what it is today .

The Starbucks mission is divided into 5 major focuses. The first and most important is the

coffee. One thing that Starbucks declares very proudly is that the quality of the coffee always has

and always will be the number one priority. Ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans the world

has to offer will never be put on the backburner in the Starbucks empire (Starbucks, 1).

Starbucks coffee buyers take time to travel to farms in Latin America, Africa, and Asia to make
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sure that only the highest quality coffee beans are being selected (Global Assets, 1). Another

focus is their partners. All employees of Starbucks are called partners because they are

passionate about their work. Partners are treated with respect and comfortable in their work

environment, it is home (Starbucks, 1). In Howard Schultz book, Pour Your Heart into it, he

states "The key is heart. I pour my heart into every cup of coffee, and so do my partners at

Starbucks. When customers sense that, they respond in kind.” The customers of Starbucks are

the next focus. Every customer’s experience is unique and they all connect with partners

differently. Whether one is a regular or ordering their very first latte, a connection is made with

that person, even if it’s only for a few moments (Starbucks, 1). Starbucks stores are what give the

customers a sense of belonging. It has become a place where one can meet your friends, and

escape. Whether you live a slow or fast pace life, Starbucks accommodates that (Starbucks, 1).

Our neighborhood is where everything described above comes together. It becomes where a

customer is comfortable. Taking the same route to and from work or school to stop by their

Starbucks neighborhood is something the company takes pride in. Building relationships is what

Starbucks strives to do every day (Starbucks, 1). The immense growth of the company shows

just how successful Starbucks has become. There are over 20 thousand stores worldwide and still

growing. Starbucks has also very involved in community service. In 1977 the Starbucks

Foundation was created. It inspires youth to be extraordinary leaders in their own community.

The Starbucks Foundation also encourages employees to get involved (Starbucks, 1). Other

community service projects include Surfers for Autism, food banks, and cleaning shelters

(Starbucks, 2).

Many people are not aware that Starbucks participates in Fair Trade. Fair trade is paying

locally owned coffee growers top dollar for high quality beans. These beans are natural and not
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mass produced like most coffee beans. All funds go to environmental, economic and social

projects. Each community is allowed to determine themselves where the money should go (Fair

Trade USA, 1). This gives all communities a better quality of life. There are many advantages of

Fair Trade such as improvements in education, environment, poverty, health care and women’s

rights. Fair trade provides income for families to keep their children in school instead of on the

farm. These funds provide supplies, tuition, scholarships and daily meals (Fair Trade USA, 1).

Low income leads many farmers to practices that decrease environment quality such as

deforestation and getting rid of pesticides in water resources. When fair trade is involved they

ensure that farmers follow strict environmental standards. They aid in organic conversion and

water conservation (Fair Trade USA, 1). Doing these things help their bean quality and in return

Starbucks pays top dollar for their exceptional coffee. Fighting poverty is another huge impact of

fair trade. By providing things such as tools to further smallholder farms, they are able to rise

above debt and poverty (Fair Trade USA, 1). Small communities need proper health care to

thrive. Under Fair Trade Certified standards, all farmers and farmer’s families are provided with

adequate health care. This includes doctors’ visits, vaccinations and medicine. They work hard to

build health facilities in these growing regions to provide appropriate assistance to their workers

(Fair Trade USA, 1). The lives of women are also strongly impacted by Fair Trade. Under fair

trade women are empowered because they are given many of the same jobs as men and they are

free of harassment on the job. They are given many opportunities such as scholarships and leader

positions (Fair Trade USA, 1). These advantages are only a fraction of what fair trade provides to

these small coffee farm communities. Starbucks cares about their workers and strive to make

lives better for them and their families.

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Ethical sourcing is a huge priority to Starbucks. Their goal by 2015 is to have 100 percent Commented [B1]: Starbuck’s goal

of coffee ethically sourced. They are well on their way to reaching their goal because in 2012, 93

percent of that had been accomplished (Starbucks sourcing, 1). Ethical sourcing has many

advantages. It helps ensure transparency, good labor standards, and has a low environmental

impact. Transparency helps indicate how much of what the buyer paid went directly to the

farmer who grew the coffee(Coffee and Tea Resource Manual, 53). Another thing that ethical

sourcing promotes is good labor standards. This means that farmers meet or exceed minimum

wages while hiring no child or slave labor. It also provides safe, healthy working conditions for

all growers(Coffee and Tea Resource Manual, 55). Also, low environmental impact is very vital

to the Starbucks Company. Every day they are working to provide biodiversity on the farms by

reducing the use of or eliminating pesticides and protecting their water sources(Coffee and Tea

Resource Manual, 56). Summing up, the fact that Starbucks uses ethical sourcing makes it

favorable to other companies that don’t use these practices.

Starbucks imports most of their coffees from different farms from around the

world. There are several types of farms the supply their high quality, whole coffee beans. Some

of their growing regions include Latin America, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Kenya and Asia, just to

name a few(Coffee and Tea Resource Manual, 43). These regions hold at least one of four types

of farms that supply Starbucks coffee. The most common coffee growers are called smallholder

farms. A majority of the world’s coffee supply is grown here. Another type is cooperatives.

Cooperatives are coffee farmers organized into groups and join together to help promote and sell

their coffee(Coffee and Tea Resource Manual, 46). Also, there are estates. They combine

farming and processing in one location(Coffee and Tea Resource Manual, 47). This is a good

type of farm because it produces high quality coffee beans, and at the same time promotes
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efficiency. Next are exporters. Exporters are independent organizations that buy coffee from

smallholder farms, cooperatives and estates then help arrange coffee transportation to the

buyers(Coffee and Tea Resource Manual, 48). Something that makes Starbucks stand out is that

they support these locally owned farms that would otherwise be forgotten about. Starbucks cares

about their coffee growers by building health care facilities in villages and creating Farmer

Support Centers. This shows you that a large corporation can be successful without taking

advantage or neglecting any of their coffee growers.

Starbucks offers many different types of coffee. The lightest blend is the Blonde. The

Blonde was created for customers with more sensitive pallets. Many people complain that

Starbucks coffee is too strong but the Blonde roast offers a lighter, fresher taste that pleases

many more coffee drinkers. There are two variations of the Blonde Roast, Willow and Veranda.

The Willow beans come from Latin America and East Africa. It holds light and sparkling notes

(Starbucks, 4). The Veranda blend’s lightly roasted beans come from Latin America. The unique

roasting process allows the cocoa and nut flavors to shine through (Starbucks, 3). Starbucks also

has ten varieties of medium roasts as well, the most popular being the Pike Place Roast. This

roast is rich in flavor but also balanced enough to enjoy it every day. Many customers describe it

as not too strong and not too weak (Starbucks, 14). Another medium favorite is the House Blend.

These beans come from Latin America and slowly roasted to bring out the rich flavor. Another

popular medium blend is the Breakfast Blend. This coffee is called the Breakfast Blend because

is features a sparkling, tangy flavor that gives you a jolt of energy to star your day.

Complimenting flavors of this coffee include blueberry and lemon (Starbucks, 10). The other

medium roasts include Colombia, Guatemala, Iced Coffee, Kenya and Organic Yukon Blend.

The bold Starbucks blends acquire a stronger taste (Starbucks, 1). The most popular bold roast is
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Sumatra. These coffee beans come from Asia. This roast comes with a full bodied, buttery

flavor. Sumatra is different from the other bold roasts because it has strong earthy herbal notes.

Many customers prefer this roast because there is no acidity. The best way to drink this coffee is

to slurp it so the flavor can cover the pallet (Starbucks, 25). Another popular dark, full bodied

coffee is the Fair Trade Italian Roast. It features an intensely sweet, smoky flavor. This multi-

regional blend is enjoyed by customers who are looking for a potent but sweet roast (Starbucks,

21). A classic bold Starbucks blend is the Espresso Roast. The espresso is used in almost all of

the lattes, cappuccinos, and Frappuccino’s at Starbucks. The rich, caramelly, distinct flavor

keeps customers coming back for more. It can also be enjoyed at home and in decaf (Starbucks,

20). The French Roast is yet another signature dark blend. This roast is reserved for the most

adventurous coffee drinkers. It offers intense smoky flavors that customers either love or hate

(Starbucks, . Other bold roasts include Café Verona, Komodo and Gold Coast Blend. Every

years Starbucks promotes their very popular seasonal blends (Starbucks, 1). Starbuck’s Casi

Cielo bold roast is a very rich, satisfying cup of coffee. The word Casi Cielo translates to “almost

heaven”. These Latin American beans produce a floral cocoa taste. This coffee goes especially

well with savory herbs and cheeses or rich chocolate (Starbucks, 36) . The Tribute roast is a

multi-regional blend that features many different notes through out. The flavors include hints of

berries, dark cherries, nuts and cedar spices (Starbucks, 38) . A highly anticipated blend that

customers look forward to every year is the Christmas Blend. The rich flavor comes from the

beans that they age for 3-5 years. Through the aging process the beans develop flavors such as

spicy, cedary and syrupy (Starbucks, 40). This blend seems to put everyone in the holiday spirit

and satisfy their anticipation every year. To summarize, Starbucks offers coffees from all over

the world to satisfy all types of taste buds. Whether you prefer a light, medium or dark roast,
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there are many different blends and flavors to accommodate that. All of these different coffees

wouldn’t be where they are today without Starbuck’s loyal customers.

The heart of Starbucks is their customers. There is a lot that goes behind what keeps them

coming back every day. As people become more attached to brands in the world, it helps them

have a sense of the person they are. Brands give people a place to belong (McGrath, 1).

Starbucks is a great example because their main goal is to connect with customers. A major

contribution of the Starbucks lifestyle is the language. It completes the Starbucks experience.

The language is even something as simple as knowing the sizes; a small is a tall, a medium is a

grande and a large is a venti. If you are new to the Starbucks world, the baristas will be happy to

help you make decisions and pronounce menu items. The baristas are there make your day better

and easier. After the first few visits, the new customer will feel like part of the in crowd.

Starbucks represents growth and innovation. In an ever changing world, customers connect

because society is always fascinated with the newest thing. A smart tool that Starbucks uses is

providing customers with free Wi-fi (Asham, 1). Another way Starbucks keeps up with this

technology driven world is offering free music and app downloads every week. Whether a

student needs to finish their homework or if they want to video chat with friends, Starbucks gives

them a place to do that. Starbucks gives similar people a place to meet and connect, like a third

home.

The Starbucks company continues to succeed through a long journey. From its humble

beginnings, to where it is today. This company contributes so much to the world by doing

community service and using positive practices such as ethical sourcing and fair trade.

Starbuck’s mission guides the company through the ever changing world. The Starbucks

experience is unique from all others and this is apparent through it’s amazing success.
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