Outside the frappuccino
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Starbucks, one of my all-time favorite businesses, is one of the most innovative companies in the world. They took the common European coffehouse concept and turned it into an American stalwart.Customers don't necessarily go because their coffee is so good, but because it's an ideal environment to kill an hour. It has become THE place to meet and hang out. In most U.S. cities except New York, there aren't places to lounge around in a non-smoky, quiet, and sleek environment. Customers love the fact they can walk into any Starbucks from Atlanta to New York to Seattle and know they'll get a similar high quality look, feel and product. People like it so much they don't even realize that they're paying $4.00 for a coffee.
Here's some interesting facts about Howard Schultz's company:
- Starbucks was named after the first mate in "Moby Dick".
- The first Starbucks opened in 1971 in Seattle's Pike Place Market.
- All employees get health care (even part timers!).
- Each new barista must taste every type of coffee.
- An office was opened in Costa Rica to help teach farmers how to grow the best-tasting coffee.
- Coffee beans take eight months to go from harvest to roasting.
- Starbucks sells eight million poiunds of coffee each week.
- The freshest bag of coffee will be the puffiest because it is still emitting gas.
- Starbucks loans money to farmers so they can invest in improving their farms.
- Fortune magazine named Starbucks the 11th best company to work for.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 4:14 PM |
