Starbucks is a coffee favorite of many throughout the world. Starbucks has a rich history and how this coffee franchise came about is a very interesting story.

Starbucks was originally founded back in 1971 by three partners; an English teacher, a history teacher and a writer. Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel, and Gordon Bowker opened the first store up in Seattle Washington. Originally, they sold top of the line coffee beans and related equipment. 

Starbucks quickly became popular, as they were known for having exceptionally fresh beans at affordable prices. They offered a wide variety of beans including delicious gourmet beans.

By the time they had an additional six stores in the Washington area, Zev Siegel decided it was time to move on and sold out his share in the company. 

In 1982, they hired on a man named Howard Schultz to help them with marketing. While in Italy enjoying their wonderful caffeine beverages, inspiration struck Schultz. He thought it would be a wonderful idea to create coffee houses in America. 

Howard Schultz loved the cozy cafe atmosphere in Italy and believed that Americans would also appreciate having a wonderful gathering place where they could sip on various caffeine beverages.

One of the current owners of Starbucks at that time was not excited about the idea, as he did not want to be in a cafe type business. He really only wanted to focus on selling the coffee beans and related equipment.

This owner eventually decided to let Schultz give his idea a try, on a small-scale level. In a section of one of the Starbucks stores, Schultz was allowed to create an espresso bar. This espresso bar immediately became a hit. 

Schultz left Starbucks and went on to open his own coffee bar. However, when Starbucks went on the market for sale in 1987, Schultz purchased the outfit for an outstanding 3.8 million dollars.

Schultz was able to convince investors to come on board when he told them of his goals for Starbucks. Howard Schultz had the dream of seeing 125 Starbucks being in operation within five years. As we all well know, Howard Schultz more than exceeded his plans.

Starbucks carries an extensive array of beverages and a number of delicious treats. Starbucks is by far the most popular coffee shop in the entire world. Millions of people visit Starbucks all throughout the nation on a daily basis for their caffeine fix.

By 1992, there were 165 Starbucks cafes operating throughout the world. As of today, there are more than eight thousand stores in 30 countries. It is an understatement to say that Schultz made a wise investment as Starbucks generates annual revenues of over 7.5 billion dollars.

Every year more Starbucks pop up all over the world and the revenues show absolutely no signs what so ever of slowing down.

Although Starbucks is a huge, popular, well-known chain throughout the world, each store has an intimate, feel. Howard Schultz was able to make his Italian vision come true and by the popularity of Starbucks, it is obvious that the world appreciates it.

Another reason that Starbucks is so popular is that they are constantly evolving in an attempt to please their customers. These days, many Starbucks are now serving hot breakfast to go along with your coffee beverage. 

With the implementation of hot ovens in a number of the Starbucks stores, you may soon be able to have lunch on the premises as well. No matter how much Starbucks may change and evolve, one thing is for sure; Starbucks will always be the premiere choice for caffeine beverages.
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