Starbuck

Baldwin and Bowker experimented with Peet's roasting procedures and came up with their own blends and flavors. Such was the success arising from this first store that a second Starbucks store was opened in 1972.
             Nine years later Howard Schultz, vice president and general manager of U.S. operations for Hammarplast "a Swedish maker of stylish kitchen equipment and house wares "noticed that Starbucks was placing larger orders than Macy's for a certain type of drip coffeemaker. Curious to learn what was going on, Schultz decided to pay the company a visit. Schultz met with Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker, whose offices overlooked the company's coffee-roasting operation. Baldwin showed Schultz some new beans that had just come in from Java and suggested they try a sample. Baldwin did the brewing himself, using a glass pot called a French press. Bowker, a slender, bearded man with dark hair and intense brown eyes, appeared at the door and the three men sat down to talk about Starbucks. Schultz was struck by their knowledge of coffee, their commitment to providing high-quality products, and their passion for educating customers about the merits of dark-roasted coffees. Baldwin told Schultz, "We don't manage the business to maximize anything other than the quality of the coffee." Starbucks would purchase only the finest Arabica coffees and put them through a meticulous dark-roasting process to bring out their full flavors. Baldwin explained that the cheap Robusta coffees used in supermarket blends burn when subjected to dark roasting. He also noted that the makers of supermarket blends prefer lighter roasts because they allow higher yields since the longer a coffee is roasted, the more weight it loses.
             Schultz was struck by the business philosophy of these partners. It was clear from their discussions that Starbucks stood not just for good coffee, but rather for the dark-roasted flavor profiles that the founders were passionate about.