The first Starbucks opens. The name comes from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick; a classic American novel about the 19th century whaling industry. The seafaring name seems appropriate for a store that imports the world’s finest coffees to the cold, thirsty people of Seattle.
Our Purpose
We create moments of connection with our customers and stores worthy of being their Third Place, while driving profitable growth to build and sustain our future success.
We develop our partners to be their very best, and we are a force for good in all the communities we touch.
Our Vision
For Starbucks to be Australia’s Third Place, whether it’s because of an amazing coffee experience, a special customer moment, our positive impact in the community, or being a great place for our partners to work, we want our Siren to evoke a memorable feeling of happiness.
Our Values
With our partners, our coffee and our customers at our core, we live these values:
Authentic & Inclusive
Creating a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome
Curious & Courageous
Acting with courage, challenging the status quo and finding new ways to grow our company and each other.
Present & Transparent
Being present, connecting with transparency, dignity and respect.
Disciplined & Purposeful
Delivering our very best in all we do, holding ourselves accountable for results. We are performance driven, through the lens of humanity.
Starbucks
Company Timeline
1970
First Store Opens
1982
Howard Shultz
Howard Schultz joins Starbucks in 1982. While on a business trip in Italy, he visits Milan’s famous espresso bars. Impressed with their popularity and culture, he sees their potential in Seattle. He’s right – after trying lattes and mochas, Seattle quickly becomes coffee-crazy.
1983
Travel to Italy
Howard travels to Italy, where he’s impressed with the popularity of espresso bars in Milan. He sees the potential to develop a similar coffee house culture in Seattle.
1990s
Starbucks Expands
Starbucks expands beyond Seattle, first to the rest of the United States, then the entire world. After becoming one of the first companies to offer stock options to its part-time employees, Starbucks becomes a publicly traded company.
2000s
Australia
The Starbucks phenomenon continues. Our first store in Australia opens in July 2000 at Hyde Park in Sydney, NSW.
Our Heritage
Our story began in 1971. Back then we were a roaster and retailer of whole bean and ground coffee, tea and spices with a single store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Today, we are privileged to connect with millions of customers every day in 76 markets.
Every day, we go to work hoping to do two things: share great coffee with our friends and help make the world a little better. It was true when the first Starbucks opened in 1971 and it’s just as true today.
Back then, the company was a single store in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. From just a narrow storefront, Starbucks offered some of the world’s finest fresh-roasted whole bean coffees. The name, inspired by Moby Dick, evoked the romance of the high seas and the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders.
In 1981, Howard Schultz (Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer) first walked into a Starbucks store. From his first cup of Sumatra, Howard was drawn into Starbucks and joined a year later.
The following year, in 1983, Howard traveled to Italy and became captivated with Italian coffee bars and the romance of the coffee experience. He had a vision to bring the Italian coffeehouse tradition back to the United States. A place for conversation and a sense of community. A third place between work and home. He left Starbucks for a short period of time to start his own Il Giornale coffeehouses and returned in August 1987 to purchase Starbucks with the help of local investors.From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and the rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection.
Today, with stores in more than 75 markets, Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. And with every cup, we strive to bring both our heritage and an exceptional experience to life.
