Starbucks Coffee

Starbucks was originally founded in 1971 in Seattle, Washington, by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker at Pike Place Market. Originally a retailer of whole bean coffee, it was transformed into the modern coffeehouse chain known today after Howard Schultz acquired the brand in 1987. Schultz, inspired by Italian coffee culture, expanded the business across the United States and globally.

Today, Starbucks is a publicly traded multinational corporation with its global headquarters still located in Seattle. Its manufacturing operations are distributed worldwide; while the company maintains major roasting and production facilities in the United States (such as in Washington, Pennsylvania, and Georgia), it also operates roasting plants in the Netherlands and China to serve international markets. Ownership of the brand is held by Starbucks Corporation, which is owned by thousands of institutional and individual shareholders, with major stakes held by investment firms like Vanguard and BlackRock.