Starbucks: Founding Story

How one company became the largest coffee company in the world, and so much more.

Three students from the University of San Francisco named Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker wanted to sell high-quality coffee and roasts. 🌆

The first store opened in 1971 in Washington 🛍

In 1987, Howard Schultz purchased the company and started to expand Starbucks across Seattle.

Starbucks was a hit, and it soon entered the national market 🌎

In 1994, Shultz sold 12% of the company for $25 million to expand internationally.

In the early 200s, Starbucks heavily focused on selling to local markets 📚

They added local books, music, films, and ice cream.

Howard Shultz continued to lead Starbucks as the CEO and even led a 38% growth bump in 2021 ⚡️

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Starbucks: Founding Story

How one company became the largest coffee company in the world, and so much more.

Test your knowledge

How many people founded Starbucks?

Howard Shultz was. . .

In the early days, Starbucks only sold. . .

What's next?

Teamwork makes the dream work, and sometimes even companies 👟

Great products don’t grow alone. Here's how Nike won the marketing race.

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