Starbucks Coffee Corporation is a nationwide coffee company based in Seattle, Washington. Their retail outlets offer a trendy atmosphere where customers can buy gourmet coffee, sit down and enjoy it right there. Their Prime product was the selling of whole bean coffee in one Seattle store. By 1982, this business had grown tremendously into five stores selling the coffee beans, a roasting facility, and a wholesale business for local restaurants. Howard Schultz, a marketer, was recruited to be the manager of retail and marketing. He brought new ideas to the owners, but was turned down. Schultz in turn opened his own coffee bar in 1986 based on Italian coffee cafes, selling brewed Starbucks coffee and by 1987, Schultz had expanded to three coffee bars and bought Starbucks from the original owners for four million dollars. He changed the name of his coffee bars from Il Giornale to Starbucks. .
Starbucks has become a well-known company for selling the highest quality coffee beans and best tasting coffee products. It was one of the first companies to realize that the real money to be made was in beverage retailing, not just coffee beans. Starbucks created a coffee for the coffee connoisseurs and go to great lengths to acquire only the highest quality of coffee beans. They have set new precedence by outbidding the European buyers for an exclusive crop of coffee beans, which produces one of the best coffees in the world. Roasters of Starbucks coffees are extensively trained for one year. Starbucks has the distinction of being the public's educator on Espresso. They have also recently started to expand to packaged and prepared tea in response to the growing demand for this product. .
Starbucks" coffee has grown to be a leader in its industry by focusing on the key principals of marketing: Global, Relationship, Ethic, Consumer Value, and Technology. Starbucks as well has become a leader in the global marketplace and has received recognition and many accolades for it.