I am addicted to Starbucks Coffee

Starbucks set to finalize India JVAdd to Clippings

2005-07-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

RATNA BHUSHAN: TIMES NEWS NETWORK
NEW DELHI: Starbucks Coffee Company, the world's biggest coffee retailing chain, is close to naming a joint venture partner to stage an entry into the Indian market.

It has met six potential partners, including the Rahejas, the Kishore Biyani-promoted Pantaloon group and Planet Sports. A top-level team from the Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee Company was in India last week, to talk to potential joint venture partners, sources close to the deal said.

According to sources, the six Indian firms, which met the Starbucks team, have interests in either lifestyle retailing or real estate. Sources also said that the first Starbucks store is likely to be set up in Mumbai, within a time frame of six months. The search for real estate across the country had also begun.

Starbucks did not respond to an e-mail questionnaire from The Times of India. "Though Starbucks has been studying the Indian market for a couple of years, it is now close to firming up plans for India," sources said.

While Starbucks is awaiting the Government's nod on allowing foreign direct investment in the retail sector, sources said the coffee chain was now open to the licensee route as well. "India has huge potential in the food retailing sector. Starbucks is looking to tap that," the sources added.

Though Starbucks is expected to price its offerings at a premium, it will largely compete in the same space as other coffee retailing chains Barista and Cafe Coffee Day. Historically, Starbucks has banked on growth through both a mix of company-owned and franchisee stores.

Coffee and music create a potent mix at Starbucks

2005-07-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 19, 2005
By Steven Gray and Ethan Smith, The Wall Street Journal

When Concord Records Inc. President Glen Barros was deciding whether to sign an Italian pop singer named Zucchero to a U.S. record deal this spring, his deliberations included an unusual consideration: Would Starbucks Corp. help finance and distribute the singer's next CD?

More than once, Mr. Barros says, he has consulted Starbucks executives when pondering a musical act -- effectively giving them final say on whether to sign an artist. "If they'll be our partner," he says, "we'll do it."

Starbucks, already the world's largest chain of coffee shops, has emerged as an improbably potent force in the music business, able to resurrect moribund careers, enrage music retailers, and now -- the company hopes -- create new stars. As the music industry's sales suffer from digital piracy and competition from DVDs and videogames, Starbucks has found success selling carefully selected music to its millions of loyal customers.

After receiving a commitment that Starbucks would help Concord license the album, "Zucchero & Co.," from its Italian distributor, Mr. Barros signed the artist. The 14-song album, which pairs the singer with a lineup of stars including Eric Clapton and Luciano Pavarotti, went on sale at thousands of Starbucks locations and other retail outlets this month.

Mr. Barros knows how powerful a boost from the coffee chain can be. Last summer, his independent jazz label joined with Starbucks to produce and distribute "Genius Loves Company," a collection of duets between the late Ray Charles and performers such as Norah Jones. Helped by the biographical film, "Ray," and attention about his death, the record sold nearly three million copies -- about a quarter at Starbucks stores -- and in February won eight Grammys. No new Ray Charles release in decades had come close to that sales level.

That performance grabbed the attention of a music industry that has seen sales sink by 13 percent since 2000. Almost overnight, fierce competition emerged to supply one of a handful of CDs sold at any given time at Starbucks. The latest albums by Coldplay and Carole King are now in Starbucks. Two discs by Bob Dylan are due in stores next month.

Most of the CDs Starbucks sells hit its shops at the same time that they reach traditional music outlets. The chain also offers some exclusives, such as an album by New York rock band Antigone Rising. The CD, which Starbucks co-produced with Warner Music Group Corp.'s Lava Records, has sold more than 70,000 copies -- a remarkable start for an unknown group with little radio support and a limited touring schedule. Selections from the band get heavy play at the chain's stores. One record-label executive calls Starbucks "the new cute girl that everyone wants to take to the dance."

The push into music is part of Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz's broader ambitions to make its stores the "third place" in consumers' lives, after home and the office. As Mr. Schultz, 51 years old, sees it, music and other forms of entertainment help draw customers and, in turn, drive up sales of Starbucks's pricey coffee and food.

Starbucks offers high-speed Internet access at some stores. Last year, the company also opened a sprawling combination coffeehouse and music store, called Hear Music Coffeehouse, in Santa Monica, Calif. Customers can shop for prepackaged CDs or burn their own on "media bars" using Starbucks's 200,000-plus song library. The company plans to open similar stores in Miami and San Antonio, later this year.

Starbucks plans eventually to install media bars in most of its traditional coffee shops as well. Already, at 45 coffee shops in Seattle and Austin, Texas, customers can pay to burn CDs. The company also says it has heard from movie studios and television networks about someday setting up online video downloads.

In music, the company has been careful to cultivate what its executives call "the Starbucks Sound" -- an aesthetic that's recognizable, if difficult for even those executives to articulate. Music sold at Starbucks tends to appeal to the chain's mostly adult customers, and generally reflects a sensibility similar to that of National Public Radio stations like Los Angeles' influential KCRW: moderately eclectic, often jazzy, and never noisy enough to disrupt a quiet cup of coffee.

Music has played especially well at the company because of the generally young, affluent, iPod-toting customers that lap up its lattes. Adding to the allure, the company has created a cachet for its music by choosing to sell only a few carefully selected CDs at a time. Even though record executives fight to have their wares displayed in front of Starbucks cash registers, many say they wouldn't want to see Starbucks add racks and racks of CDs. "We don't want them to become a place we can dump anything into," says Phil Quartararo, president of EMI Group PLC's EMI Music Marketing unit.

The risk for the company is that its music ambitions drain money that could be plowed more profitably into coffee and other beverages that made the chain such a success in the first place. A broader risk is that Starbucks is perfectly attuned to this particular generation of customers but won't adapt to changing tastes and styles over the years.

Starbucks itself seems to be wrestling with how far it can go in the music business without diluting its coffee roots. This month, it began installing in most of its North American stores four-sided, rotating racks that can hold up to 20 different CDs. Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks's entertainment division, insists, "The customer won't go into the store and feel like they've walked into a music store."

It isn't clear how much money, if any, Starbucks makes from music. The company declines to publicly disclose revenue from CD sales, but says it's growing steadily. Restaurant-industry analyst John Glass of CIBC World Markets in Boston estimates that music will account for less than 2 percent of Starbucks's U.S. retail sales of $4.5 billion during fiscal year 2005. So far, Wall Street has generally been warm to the company's musical ambitions, largely because they help draw customers beyond peak morning hours.

Starbucks's journey into music began in the late 1980s, when the chain barely had 100 stores. (Today it has about 9,500 locations world-wide, with about 6,900 in the U.S.) Mr. Schultz recalls visiting a Starbucks in Seattle's University Village section, where the manager, Timothy Jones, played his own music. "He'd put on a record and watch how people reacted," Mr. Schultz recalls. "He'd ask them about it. He was literally playing DJ." Mr. Schultz says he eventually took the manager's suggestion that Starbucks sell music in its stores. Today, Mr. Jones is a Starbucks music executive managing compilations and programming.

In the mid-1990s, Starbucks began selling CDs, such as a compilation of Blue Note Records' jazz artists. By 1999, at the onset of Starbucks's growth spurt, executives began telling Mr. Schultz about Hear Music, a chain of five U.S. music stores based in the San Francisco Bay area.

Hear Music was run by Don MacKinnon, a young music wonk who had spent hours in his Williams College dorm room mixing tapes of his favorite songs. When it started in 1990, the company published a catalog of CD compilations of the favorite songs of artists like Rickie Lee Jones and Bonnie Raitt. That didn't catch on, so Mr. MacKinnon and his partners opened stores to sell compilation CDs in San Francisco, Chicago and other cities.

In 1999, Mr. Schultz, curious, flew to San Francisco to visit the Hear Music store there. After walking into the store, he recalls, "My imagination was racing a mile a minute." He watched customers thumbing through the banks of carefully organized compilation CDs and decided they were rediscovering music in the same way people had rediscovered coffee at Starbucks. "The fact that Hear Music had elevated its status from a record store to an editor was compelling," he says. Later that year, Starbucks bought Hear Music for $8 million.

Starbucks named Mr. MacKinnon, now 37, vice president of its Hear Music unit. He and nine of his Hear Music colleagues moved to Starbucks's headquarters in Seattle, where they continued developing compilation CDs and negotiating projects like the Ray Charles "Genius Loves Company" release.

As that project neared fruition, Starbucks's music business was getting big enough that Mr. Schultz thought he needed a business person to run it. Enter Mr. Lombard. Before joining Starbucks as president of its newly created entertainment division in May 2004, the former investment banker had been president of a company owned by basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson. That company developed retail projects featuring Starbucks outlets in largely black and Latino communities.

Mr. Lombard, 50, says Mr. Schultz told him to expand and broaden the music venture. The primary focus was to shift from producing compilations to selling global acts such as Tina Turner and Beck. "This was a start-up in every sense of the word," Mr. Lombard says.

Mr. MacKinnon continued as Starbucks's musical guru, "talking to the labels, and making sure that there wasn't an opportunity out there that we'd miss," Mr. Lombard says. Mr. Lombard beefed up his entertainment staff, which since his arrival has tripled to about 60.

Today, the fan of the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. and the late singer Sam Cooke presides over meetings of the company's "editorial selection team," a group of nearly 20 executives responsible for sifting through mounds of CDs from aspiring artists.

Choosing the music isn't easy, partly because Starbucks's customer base is ever-widening, reflecting an increasingly young, multiethnic, transclass mix. Five years ago, about 3 percent of Starbucks customers were between the ages of 18 and 24, 16 percent were people of color, 78 percent had college degrees, and overall they had an average annual income of $81,000. Today, however, about 13 percent of the company's customers are between 18 and 24, 37 percent are people of color, 56 percent are college graduates, and they earn on average $55,000 a year.

Starbucks struck gold with relatively safe artists such as Norah Jones. But it has occasionally ventured beyond its traditional sound. The company sold about 38,000 copies of edgy rocker Beck's latest CD, "Guero," over a six-week period this spring.

When Starbucks carries an album, its stores often account for 20 percent to 30 percent of the record's weekly sales, and sometimes as much as 50 percent, Starbucks and music executives say. EMI Group's Mr. Quartararo says every time one of his company's releases has been sold at Starbucks, the coffee chain has been among the top four retailers selling it.

The highest sales percentages often are for CDs by relative unknowns who aren't selling many records overall. In some weeks, the chain was responsible for almost 50 percent of newcomer Amos Lee's total sales, but only 6 percent of the 1.5 million U.S. sales of Coldplay's new "X&Y."

Record companies like doing business with the chain because its stores don't return unsold merchandise, as traditional retailers do. Dealing with returns is costly and logistically cumbersome, and can make for unpredictable accounting, since revenue evaporates with each returned CD. Starbucks says it shifts unsold CDs to other stores or keeps them in a warehouse if it thinks they can be sold at a later date.

For that reason, as well as the scale of its operation, Starbucks often receives favorable wholesale pricing terms. In some cases, Starbucks pays the record company half the suggested retail price, which can mean the equivalent of $3 less than the wholesale price.

In a sales environment in which retailers from Amazon to Target routinely discount CDs, Starbucks often charges customers close to and in some instances more than the full retail price. For instance, Beck's "Guero" album carried a list price of $13.98, while Starbucks sold it for $15.95. But Starbucks customers, who spend an average of $4 per visit to the store on drinks and food, have proved themselves willing to pay full freight for a CD.

Earlier this year, some music retailers were incensed that Starbucks was given a six-week window beginning last month to exclusively sell the new acoustic version of Alanis Morissette's best-selling record, "Jagged Little Pill." In Ms. Morissette's native Canada, the country's largest music retailer, HMV Group PLC, pulled her other discs from store shelves in protest.

Humphrey Kadaner, president of HMV North America, says in an email interview that the action was "a means of conveying our sincere disappointment with Alanis's decision, given we at HMV had supported her well before she became a star. ..." Ms. Morissette says she looks forward to continuing a "mutually gratifying relationship with traditional retail outlets" and she'll "also continue to come up with other new and creative ways to share my music."

Tuned In

Starbucks has emerged as a growing force in the music industry. Some recent retail offerings:

ARTIST: Alanis Morissette
ALBUM: Jagged Little Pill Acoustic
ON SALE: June 13, 2005
UNITS SOLD AT STARBUCKS: 147,400
TOTAL UNITS SOLD: 147,400(1)

ARTIST: Coldplay
ALBUM: X&Y
ON SALE: June 7, 2005
UNITS SOLD AT STARBUCKS: 92,300
TOTAL UNITS SOLD: 1.5 million

ARTIST: Dave Matthews Band
ALBUM: Stand Up
ON SALE: May 10, 2005
UNITS SOLD AT STARBUCKS: 95,500
TOTAL UNITS SOLD: 1 million

ARTIST: Ray Charles
ALBUM: Genius Loves Company
ON SALE: Sept. 1, 2004
UNITS SOLD AT STARBUCKS: 775,000
TOTAL UNITS SOLD: 3 million
(1) Non-Starbucks sales data not yet available
Sources: Starbucks; Nielsen SoundScan

Starbucks Takes the Low-Profile Road to Renewable Energy

2005-07-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

Starbucks committed recently to purchase wind power to offset a portion of the energy used in its operations, a move that places the company in the top 25 U.S. purchasers of renewable energy. But mitigating climate change, not garnering pro-environment publicity, is the main driver behind Starbucks' decision to buy renewable energy certificates. By Denis Du Bois

A global enterprise has committed to purchase wind power to offset a portion of the energy it uses. The $5.3 billion company is involved in agriculture, transportation, equipment sales, music distribution, and brand licensing, with locations in 36 countries worldwide. But this company is better known to most of us as the coffee shop on the corner -- Starbucks Coffee Company.

Starbucks' renewable energy purchase represents 5% of the kilowatt hours used in 6,376 company-owned stores in North America. The commitment puts the company in the EPA's top 25 U.S. purchasers of renewable energy.

Renewable Energy Certificates

Starbucks purchases wind power through renewable energy certificates, or RECs, also known as green tags.

RECs are created when a facility produces electricity from a renewable resource. With RECs, the "soft" benefits -- in particular, the avoided pollution -- are sold separately from the energy itself. So buyers of the certificates financially support the production of renewable energy, though don't necessarily use the energy produced. For example, Starbucks accrues the soft benefits of the wind energy they buy, but not the electricity, so they still must buy power.

RECs are not the only way to get renewable power. Some businesses install renewable energy equipment and capitalize on incentive programs; for others, the local utility might offer renewable power purchase options.

But Starbucks was faced with the challenge of purchasing green power for thousands of individual locations, many of which are leased. RECs provide Starbucks with a vehicle for buying wind power for its stores nationwide from one source.

"RECs provide an interesting model for us to get into the market without incurring huge transaction costs," says Ben Packard, Starbucks Director of Environmental Affairs. "Third-party certifications provide assurance that what you are buying is actually renewable."

RECs are traded, like stocks, through brokers. Starbucks selected 3 Phases Energy.

Why Buy Wind Power?

Starbucks has a strong ethic of environmental and social responsibility. With its dependence on agricultural production, Starbucks is especially concerned about the effects of global warming.

"The purchase of renewable energy is the cornerstone of addressing our own contribution to climate change," says Packard. "We have concerns about the long-term implications of climate change on our core business, which is coffee."

In an effort to better understand its own contribution to climate change, Starbucks took an inventory of its greenhouse gas emissions in 2004. An emissions inventory evaluates such factors as the energy used, its sources, and the emissions caused by generating it. The result is an emissions figure measured in metric tons of carbon and other types of pollutants. Starbucks engaged CH2M HILL for the inventory effort, and applied standards established by World Resource Institute.

Starbucks then committed to setting targets for reducing the emissions caused by energy consumption throughout the organization by October, 2005. Company-owned stores in North America represent about half of the company's total greenhouse gas emissions, with the remainder divided among transportation, roasting, and other operations. Thus, Starbucks stores were a strong place to start reducing the company's environmental footprint.

Buying renewable energy to offset 5% of a company's energy use might not seem like much, but in a company this size it makes a difference. Starbucks says the commitment is comparable to removing 3,200 cars from the road; the wind energy would power 2,500 homes.

When utilities offer voluntary green power purchase programs, the suggested amounts typically range from 5% to 10% of the customer's total consumption. Energy Priorities' publisher buys green power equivalent to 10% of its offices' energy needs from its utility, Puget Sound Energy.

Some companies use RECs to go beyond the limitations of their utilities' offerings. Alterra Coffee Roasters, for example, buys 100% green power for all of its retail locations in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Alterra actively promotes wind power and, along with its green power provider, works to expand awareness of green power in its stores and through presentations at local events. Outreach efforts offer another benefit of green power: building the stewardship attributes of Alterra's brand. Marketing value is often touted as a primary benefit of RECs.

Starbucks says its commitment to renewable energy was not a marketing decision. Starbucks has had a robust social responsibility program for many years. The company takes pride in a long list of environmental awards, and is included in two dozen socially responsible investment funds.

While Starbucks does not actively publicize its REC purchases, it quietly supports other organizations that are spreading the word about renewable energy -- an acknowledgement that Starbucks can't change the world alone. The company considers itself a leader in this arena, and thus feels a responsibility to share its practices and to support others who are increasing the awareness of climate change.

"We could take care of our entire climate footprint and still not mitigate the long-term risk of climate change to the company," Packard explains, referring again to the potential negative impact of global warming on coffee harvests.

Starbucks has joined the World Resources Institute's Green Power Market Development Group and the Climate Group. Starbucks has also announced a two-year commitment of cash and in-kind contributions to Global Green USA.

Getting Started with RECs

Starbucks has employees like Packard who are dedicated to staying informed about renewable energy and climate change. But for most companies, learning about climate change is the first step toward understanding the company's environmental impact and taking action.

Fortunately, there are many informative resources available. Packard suggests starting with these:

Climate Solutions
Green Power Market Development Group
EPA Climate Leaders
EPA Green Power Partnership
The Climate Group
GreenBiz.com

The next step is to take action. Starbucks set targets for reducing its emissions and defined a renewable energy initiative to reach its targets. For assistance, some nonprofit organizations will consult with companies about buying renewable energy.

Getting top executives behind a renewable energy program is essential. Starbucks' management clearly has embraced the concept of environmental stewardship. Justifying the wind energy purchase was simple -- supporters explained to management that this action is consistent with the company's mission and values.

For executives who are not yet on board, Packard advises first conveying that energy is a financial resource that must be managed carefully. He admits that communicating the concept of climate change to the uninitiated is somewhat more problematic, but not impossible.

Aggressive action on the part of U.S. businesses is important, if the most serious effects of climate change are to be averted, says World Resources Institute president Jonathan Lash. "A successful climate future is simply not possible without immediate participation," he says. "Starbucks is to be congratulated for taking a leadership stance on climate change."

"It's not as difficult as it may seem to justify renewables," says Starbucks' Ben Packard. "Even small steps would make a significant difference."
---------
Source Energy Priorities
URL: http://www.greenbiz.com/news/reviews_third.cfm?NewsID=28391

New Starbucks Mint Frappuccino

2005-05-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

Mint Mocha Chip Frappuccino blended coffee is an indulgent blend of rich Starbucks coffee, cool mint, chocolate, chocolate chips and ice, mixed with our creamy Frappuccino coffee base, and topped with sweet whipped cream and a mocha drizzle. The unique thin mint cookie flavor is something you’ve never tasted in a syrup before!

I had the chance to check out the new Starbucks Mint Frappuccino. At first I thought it tasted a lot like the peppermint drink froma few years ago. I thought the new mint drink is a little too strong, but also a little bland. I honestly, will be sticking with my favorite drink, the Double Blended Mocha Frappuccino.

The Perfect Gift

2005-05-01T23:43:00.000-07:00

I was my birthday on april 29, I just turned 22, and guess what my presents consisted of! - A Starbucks Card.... If I were anyone else, this would not be a huge deal, but for me, this is probably the best gift ever! Lets sweeten the pot a little bit more by saying that it was a Starbucks card LOADED with $200! Now, if that's not an insane present, I don't know what is. Have a Hyper, starbucks filled Week! ....You can bet that I will....

On Architecture: Starbucks puts a double shot of hometown flavor into every store

2005-04-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

It's not about the French roast. Alec Whitney prepares a drink at Starbucks on 2344 Eastlake Ave., where an elegantly curved aluminum wing over the bar functions both as a dropped ceiling and sculptural intrusion.

Starbucks' globe-storming success is about place -- creating coffee bars that feel grounded in their neighborhoods, that lure people to hang out for a wide spectrum of reasons, and that somehow make us think "Starbucks" for refreshment or conversation instead of "Tully's" or "Ben & Jerry's."

The ubiquitous Frappuccino flogger readily acknowledges its debt to Ray Oldenburg's pathbreaking book "The Great Good Place." With increasing sophistication, it's backfilling the gaping hole in American city life that Oldenburg chronicled in 1989 -- the void of informal gathering places, or "third places," apart from home and work.
By LAWRENCE CHEEK
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

A coffee master's ground rules for flavor

2005-04-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

By Emily Shartin, Globe Staff
John Barry tastes coffee the way some people taste wine. He smells it, considers its body and acidity, and he can even recommend foods to pair it with. He can often tell in one sip whether a coffee has Latin American or Indonesian origins.

Barry, who is based in Newton, is a district manager and regional coffee and tea specialist for the java giant Starbucks Corp. He has been certified by the company as a ''coffee master," a process that typically takes 1-3 months, and he offers regular tasting seminars for staff and the public. (Full Story)

Thousands of Starbucks partners (employees) and volunteers around the world celebrate Earth Day

2005-04-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

Jim Donald, Starbucks president and ceo, left, shoveled rock with fellow partner (employee) Charles Toxey at a neighborhood Seattle park on Friday, April 22, 2005, as part of Starbucks nationwide celebration of Earth Day.

Thousands of Starbucks partners (employees) and volunteers around the world celebrate Earth Day with events during April and May as part of the Company's commitment to contribute positively to communities and the environment. Today, Jim Donald, Starbucks president and ceo, left, joined several partners to make improvements at a neighborhood Seattle park, an example of Starbucks taking an environmental leadership role in the communities in which it operates. (Photo: Business Wire)

Starbucks Brewing Hits

2005-04-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

Coffee chain gets behind Antigone Rising

The long island all-female band Antigone Rising had just performed three songs for Starbucks executives at their record label's New York offices. The Starbucks team huddled briefly, then offered to release an Antigone Rising CD exclusively at the coffee chain, which serves 33 million customers a week. It was a huge break for a hard-rock band that has sold just 20,000 albums on its own. But before signing, singer Kristen Henderson had a question for the Starbucks execs. "I asked, If they were at a Starbucks, would they know how to go behind the counter and make the coffee themselves?" she says. "They said they would. That was reason enough. I liked these guys. It was really important to us that it was, like, a grass-roots mentality." (More on the Antigone Rising Story)

Fraud charges for Starbucks employee

2005-04-21T00:51:00.000-07:00

By Monica Soto Ouchi
A federal grand jury charged a Starbucks human-resources employee with giving her co-workers' personal information to others, who then used it to make $1.5 million in illegal bank withdrawals.
Seattle Times

Hotline: You oughta know Alanis is coming

2005-04-21T00:50:00.000-07:00

By Dean Johnson
Thursday, April 21, 2005

Alanis Morissette will embark on her first acoustic tour this summer in support of a newly recorded acoustic edition of her landmark 1995 debut album, ``Jagged Little Pill.'' She is scheduled to do a show at the Wang Theatre on June 17, though no ticket information for the Boston show has been released.
The tour will begin June 7 in Toronto, followed by the new album six days later. The set will be sold exclusively by Starbucks for the first six weeks.
``We'll play the album from start to finish,'' she told Billboard, ``although we'll probably play around some with the order. We'll also throw in some other songs from the last 10 years.'' Morissette said she is not saying goodbye to these songs: ``I'll be playing them until I'm dead.''

Starbucks Is Out To Save Seconds In Serving Time-Pressed Patrons

2005-04-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

A confessed Starbucks junkie, Steve Bush is a fixture at the coffee chain's Howard Avenue location, which has become a favorite haunt of the fit and fabulous of south Tampa.

In fact, the store has become such a hot spot for people- watching that Bush is writing a book that's set in a Starbucks: It's about a character who eavesdrops on customers' coffee shop conversations.

``Have you ever seen the line here?'' Bush said on Monday. ``At 7:30 or 8 o'clock [a.m.], the line will almost be to the door.``

But how long is too long to wait for a vanilla latte?
The question is a key one for the world's largest chain of coffee shops.

At Starbucks, it takes about three minutes on average from the time a customer gets in line until the order is delivered. That is down about 30 seconds since the company started measuring five years ago. However, waiting times in busy urban outlets at peak hours can be considerably longer than the average. Times for drink preparation range widely, from less than 20 seconds for a Tall black coffee to about 90 seconds for the Venti Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino Blended Creme.
Read Full Story

Starbucks Logo History | Siren history

2005-04-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

The siren (sometimes referred to as a mermaid, but this figure has two tails) in the Starbucks' logo changed over the years due to political reasons. In the first version she had naked breasts. In the second, streamlined version, they were covered by hair, but the navel was still visible. In the current version, the navel is not visible anymore. You can see the change over the years, the long has become more "zoomed-in" and more streamline.

First Starbucks Logo

Second Logo

Current Logo

Although the old logo is not used on any products
except for reproductions of old mugs, etc, you can
still find the logo used on a few of the original
starbucks'.

Starbucks History - Pikes Place

2005-04-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

Starbucks began in 1971 when three academics—English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegel, and writer Gordon Bowker—opened a store called Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spice in the touristy Pikes Place Market in Seattle. The three partners shared a love of fine coffees and exotic teas and believed they could build a clientele in Seattle much like that which had already emerged in the San Francisco Bay area. Each invested $1,350 and borrowed another $5,000 from a bank to open the Pikes Place store. Baldwin, Siegel, and Bowker chose the name Starbucks in honor of Starbuck, the coffee-loving first mate in Herman Melville's Moby Dick(so company legend has it), and because they thought the name evoked the romance of the high seas and the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders. The new company's logo, designed by an artist friend, was a two-tailed mermaid (Check back for a history of the Logo) encircled by the store's name.

First Starbucks, Pikes Place 1971

The inspiration for the Starbucks enterprise was a Dutch immigrant, Alfred Peet, who had begun importing fine arabica coffees into the United States during the 1950s. Peet viewed coffee as a fine winemaker views grapes, appraising it in terms of country of origin, estates, and harvests. Peet had opened a small store, Peet's Coffee and Tea, in Berkeley, California, in 1966 and had cultivated a loyal clientele. Peet's store specialized in importing fine coffees and teas, dark-roasting its own beans the European way to bring out their full flavor, and teaching customers how to grind the beans and make freshly brewed coffee at home. Baldwin, Siegel, and Bowker were well acquainted with Peet's expertise, having visited his store on numerous occasions and spent many hours listening to Peet expound on quality coffees and the importance of proper bean-roasting techniques. All three were devoted fans of Peet and his dark-roasted coffees, going so far as to order their personal coffee supplies by mail from Peet's.

The Pikes Place store featured modest, hand-built nautical fixtures. One wall was devoted to whole-bean coffees; another had shelves of coffee products. The store did not offer fresh-brewed coffee by the cup, but samples were sometimes available for tasting. Initially, Siegel was the only paid employee. He wore a grocer's apron, scooped out beans for customers, extolled the virtues of fine, dark-roasted coffees, and functioned as the partnership's retail expert. The other two partners kept their day jobs but came by at lunch or after work to help out. During the start-up period, Baldwin kept the books and developed a growing knowledge of coffee; Bowker served as the "magic, mystery, and romance man."1 The store was an immediate success, with sales exceeding expectations, partly because of a favorable article in the Seattle Times. In the early months, each of the founders traveled to Berkeley to learn more about coffee roasting from their mentor, Alfred Peet, who urged them to keep deepening their knowledge of coffees and teas. For most of the first year, Starbucks ordered its coffee beans from Peet's, but then the partners purchased a used roaster from Holland and set up roasting operations in a nearby ramshackle building. Baldwin and Bowker experimented with Alfred Peet's roasting procedures and came up with their own blends and flavors. A second Starbucks store was opened in 1972.

By the early 1980s, the company had four Starbucks stores in the Seattle area and could boast of having been profitable every year since opening its doors. But the roles and responsibilities of the cofounders underwent change. Zev Siegel experienced burnout and left the company to pursue other interests. Jerry Baldwin took over day-to-day management of the company and functioned as chief executive officer; Gordon Bowker remained involved as an owner but devoted most of his time to his advertising and design firm, a weekly newspaper he had founded, and a microbrewery he was launching (the Redhook Ale Brewery).

(Source http://www.mhhe.com/business/
management/thompson/11e/case/starbucks.html)

Starbucks Nerd

2005-04-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

What a great idea...if you're a total nerd.
This guy brought his entire computer into starbucks, hooked up his internet and just started gaming away.

Do you see any coffee anywhere? - I don't.

Original story

New Starbucks Liqueur

2005-04-10T23:42:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to try this Starbucks Liqueur out this last weekend, it was the best I've ever had! I have tried the Godiva Chocolate Liqueur and Starbucks wins - out right!

One of the best ways to down some of the new Starbucks Liqueur is to mix it with a starbucks frappuchino - the bottled kind that you can buy at the store. The new Liqueur only has about 20% alc, which isn't much at all. I would also suggest adding some half-and-half to the Liqueur and drinking them together. This acutally tastes pretty good.

Starbucks Black Apron Exclusives

2005-04-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

Coffee like none other As the name suggests, Black Apron Exclusives represents the best of the very best in a lineup of already outstanding coffees. Our tasters go to the ends of the earth, literally, in search of a bean whose profound flavors and unique characteristics earn them the highest honor we can bestow. And in a show of appreciation, participating farmers receive an additional cash award for their unrivaled contributions.

Since its introduction in April of this year, the Black Apron series has exceeded expectations both in flavor and in demand. The limited batches make these rare coffees ones to be treasured and enjoyed for as long as we can keep them around. Ask your barista about our latest Black Apron Exclusive coffee and learn about those we’ve already featured.

Hear Music @ Starbucks : XM Satellite Radio Ch. 75

2005-04-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

The coffeehouse sound, 24/7 Hear Music, the audio ingredient to your Starbucks experience is now on XM Satellite Radio.

Making great music synonymous with great coffee, Hear Music has been introducing us to countless new artists while paying tribute to the legends in Starbucks stores and on compilation CDs. Now you can access the Hear Music song library in living rooms, offices, car stereos and online, coast to coast and 100% commercial free on XM channel 75.

With over 2.5 million subscribers and more than 130 channels, XM Radio is the premier satellite radio service. Get XM Satellite radio or, if you’re already a subscriber, stop by channel 75 and dial in our special blend of daily inspiration. Find out more - at our partner Top Satellite Radio

The Ichiro Starbucks Card

2005-04-10T01:48:00.000-07:00

Starbucks, Major League Baseball & the Seattle Mariners have joined forces to create a unique and limited-edition Starbucks Card featuring Ichiro Suzuki that benefits seriously ill children.

This one-of-a-kind Card will be available through Starbucks.com and in stores in Washington, Oregon and Japan. It will be pre-loaded for $10. $2 from each sale will go to charities including the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation in the U.S. and Make-A-Wish of Japan.

HOW TO GET FREE DRINKS AT STARBUCKS

2005-04-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

During my years frequenting Starbucks, I’ve observed ways to beat the system and get free drinks. This is dedicated to your poor schmos who cant afford an affordable luxury. I pay for my drinks but have “accidentally” stumbled on these field-tested rules.

Rule number 1: Go the busiest store near you to capitalize on worker confusion.

The key is to find a *$ that is busy, where confusion makes it easy to get away with things. If you go to an empty store where the person who rings you up is the same person who makes your drink, you aren’t getting away with anything.

Rule number 2: Make it seem like your order was incorrect.

If a barista screws up your order, they correct it and give you a coupon for a free drink the next time you come. Technically this isn’t completely free since you have to make that first purchase, but you can keep the chain alive and get free drinks forever.

Example: “Yeah, um, this is a caramel latte but I actually ordered a vanilla latte.” Of course you really did order a caramel latte but the person who took your order is busy (you’re at a busy *$ remember?) and forgot what you really ordered.

Rule number 3: Purchase something small and then act like a patient, confused customer waiting for his coffee beverage.

A bolder extension of rule number two is the real/fake purchase scam. You first need to order a baked good from the cash register person. After she gives it to you in a bag, mill around for about five minutes and then go to the barista and say, “Have you made a grande white mocha?” Look confused but gentle, like a puppy dog. They will look at their cups and see it was missing, and then promptly add yours to the queue.

Rule number 4: Wait by the bar like a snake and grab a drink that has been sitting there for more than 3 minutes.

At busy stores the inefficiencies in the system cause a lot of duplicate drinks to be made. The drinks sit on the bar for a while until the barista’s throw them away. All you gotta do is go up there and grab a drink. This scam has a couple downsides: the drinks will probably be lukewarm by the time you get it and like a person shopping for a home in a hot real estate market, you will never get your first choice. Most of the drinks are lattes with some wussy modification like a splash of soy milk.

Rule number 5: Greet barista’s by their name.

If you are a regular at a specific store, simply ask for the first names of the people that work there and introduce yourself. They will promptly forget your name but it doesn’t matter, for each time you go there and greet them by name you create a friendly vibe that encourages them to hook you up. It’s acceptable to be a little funny. To milk your connection indefinitely, it may be a good idea to tip them every now and then so they don’t think you are cheap. Little do they know that you are just broke because you have no skills that companies would pay for.

There are holes in every system and if you patient enough its easy to pick them apart with simple observation. I conclude with a disclaimer: don’t blame me if your stupid ass gets caught.
Syndicated from the DC Bachelor: http://www.dcbachelor.com

SOLV-IT Partners with Starbucks

2005-04-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

Throughout Portland and SW Washington
Saturday, April 23, 9:00am - 1:00pm

Join your fellow Starbucks partners for one of the largest Earth Day celebrations in the nation taking place in the greater Portland metropolitan area. Thousands of volunteers converge on approximately 100 project sites and work together to SOLV IT.

SOLV IT, focuses on cleaning illegal dumpsites, beautifying and enhancing neighborhoods and public spaces, restoring watersheds, and much more. In the past fifteen years, SOLV IT volunteers have removed more than 5,900 tons of debris from illegal dumpsites, neighborhoods and natural areas.

For more information talk to you favorite barista, visit

www.solv.org

or you can call the SOLV office directly at 503-844-9571.

2005-04-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz built one of the best and most profitable brands- but it was'nt just with espresso, steamed milk, and foam.

While many of us like coffee, even love it, Schultz is passionate about it. Really passionate.

During a now-famous trip to Italy, on a piazza in Milan, Schultz's life was forever changed. The Italians were passionate about their coffee, he excitedly told his wife. Schultz brought that passion back to America and transformed a small Seattle coffee-bean store into an American institution. His zeal convinced investors to buy into his concept of bringing Italian-style cafes to America -- and without it, we never would have been introduced to mocha frappuccinos!

CONTAGIOUS ENTHUSIASM. "You either have a tremendous love for what you do, and passion for it, or you don't," Schultz told me. "So whether I'm talking to a barista, a customer, or investor, I really communicate how I feel about our company, our mission, and our values. I've said this for 20 years -- it's our collective passion that provides a competitive advantage in the marketplace, because we love what we do, and we're inspired to do it better. When you're around people who share a collective passion around a common purpose, there's no telling what you can do."

Contemporary audiences -- not to mention employees -- are hungry for people who show an unbridled passion for what they do. At its core, passion simply means this: Reaching the hearts of your listeners by identifying a deep emotional connection to your story and sharing that enthusiasm with your audience.

For Schultz, it's the story of how his father was laid up after an accident with no insurance or safety net. He reminds employees that the same thing won't happen to them. It forms the backbone of the Starbucks Bean Stock program, whereby even part-time workers get full health benefits. His stirring defense of the program convinced a skeptical board to implement it, even when they thought it might cost too much. It actually wound up saving the company money, as it dramatically reduced turnover.

EMOTIONAL RAPPORT. At this point, some of you might be saying, "My passion is to get rich." Fine. But I'm urging you to dig deeper. You see, I've personally met and interviewed several entrepreneurs who have joined the billionaires club. I've watched them address staff, customers, and investors. Not once did they ever discuss how much joy they get out of being wealthy. Instead, they build an emotional rapport with their listeners by sharing their connection to the topic -- their passion -- through personal stories, anecdotes, and examples.

Now ask yourself, "What's my connection to my message?" If you're a financial planner, is it to help your customers avoid the painful debt you saw your parents fall into? It is for Suze Orman, who tapped into that passion to fuel her success as an author and television host. If you sell networking hardware, is your passion fueled by the desire to change the way the world lives, works, plays, and learns? It is for Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers, whose passionate vision of the future has earned him a spot as one of the most admired chief executives in corporate America.

If you manage a coffee shop or restaurant, is your passion to create a welcoming "third place" between home and work for your customers to enjoy? It is for Howard Schultz, whose passion has literally changed the daily habits of millions of people around the world. So whether you're addressing an audience of 1 or 1,000, reveal your passion by identifying and sharing your personal connection to your company message. It will set you apart as a speaker.

Coffee Drink Basics

2005-04-08T23:06:00.000-07:00

When you enter a coffee house, you have a multitude of drink choices like latté, cappuccino, straight shot and caffé mocha just to name a few.

Sometimes knowing what to order can be overwhelming unless you know what you are getting. After all, who wants to pay an outrageous amount of money for a mystery drink that you may not even like?

So PerfectCoffees.Com has come to the rescue, and after you read this, you'll have a basic understanding of how the most popular coffee drinks are made and what they are made of.

Most coffee drinks start with espresso and espresso is just coffee that is brewed a certain way. It is finely ground to almost a powder then very hot water is forced through the grounds under intense pressure.

The brewing process is timed so that the flavorful and aromatic oils are extracted from the coffee and not the bitter components. This produces a strong flavored, but not bitter, concentrated shot of coffee.

Straight Shot

The straight shot refers to espresso coffee and the secret to good espresso is the extraction time, volume, and golden crema which is a thick light brown layer of frothed coffee oils that float on top of a properly extracted espresso.

The short shot or ristretto is extracted to a volume of three-quarters of an ounce. The shorter restricted pour magnifies the essence of the coffee and the chance of any bitter elements being extracted is minimized. If you have ever ordered an espresso shot in Europe they usually serve the ristretto.

The long shot or lungo is extracted to a volume of one and one-half ounces.

The double shot is a 2 ounce shot using twice as much coffee in the portafilter.

The correct way to serve a straight shot is to extract it directly into a warmed demitasse cup. The warm demitasse cup will keep the straight shot warm and prolong the crema. A straight shot is best enjoyed immediately after brewing.

It is rare to see people drinking straight shots of espresso in the US. Most people here drink variations using steamed milk mixed with the shots to make the different coffee drinks listed here.

Espresso Macchiato

The Espresso Macchiato starts with a shot of espresso and then a small amount of foamed milk is spooned over the shot. Macchiato in Italian means "marked," as the espresso is marked with foam.

Espresso Con Panna

This is an Espresso Macchiato using whipped cream in place of the foamed milk. The drink gets its name Con Panna which means "with cream."

Caffé Americano

The Caffé Americano is a drink similar to American brewed coffee. It is made with a single or double shot of espresso combined with 6 to 8 ounces of hot water out of an espresso machine. The result is a very smooth cup of coffee that is much hotter than brewed coffee.

Cappuccino

Cappuccino is made with a fluffy, wet foam, mixed with espresso coffee upon the pour to create a blend of the two flavors. Cold milk is essential, as is expertise in the foaming process. Cappuccino has a large volume of foam making it a light weight drink and less filling.

Caffé Latté

Caffé Latté is similar to the cappuccino but with much less foam and more steamed milk. A latté is made by holding back the foam with a spoon while pouring the frothed milk from the steaming pitcher. The caffé latté is completed by being topped with a small amount of the held back foam.

Caffé latté gets its name from the addition of coffee to milk. For an iced latté, cold milk is combined with the espresso and then the ice is added.

Caffé Mocha

A caffé mocha is made by adding powdered or chocolate syrup to a hot shot of espresso and blended. Steamed milk is then be added to the espresso-chocolate mixture and usually it is topped with whipped cream.

Iced mochas are made with cold milk and the ice added after the coffee and chocolate have been blended.

Flavored Coffee Drinks

Some popular coffee flavors are: vanilla, Irish creme, almond, hazelnut, caramel and fruit flavors such as orange and raspberry. These drinks usually start with a flavored syrup that is mixed with hot espresso and stirred. Then steamed milk is stirred in like in a latté.

An iced version of these flavored coffees made with cold milk instead of steamed makes a delicious cold drink in the summer months.

So now that you know what's in the basic coffee drinks, try one you haven't tasted yet. Who knows, you might find a new favorite.

About The Author

Gary Gresham is the webmaster for www.perfectcoffees.com where you can purchase quality coffee, tea, cups & mugs, coffee gifts and delicious desserts online. He offers a free monthly coffee newsletter at www.perfectcoffees.com/newsletter.html.
Gary@perfectcoffees.com Copyright © 2004 PerfectCoffees.com. All Rights Reserved.

Starbucks Coffee

2005-04-08T23:02:00.000-07:00

I started this blog because I am and have been addicted to starbucks for probably 10 years now. It really is a place away from home and work/school for me.
Read here for my take on the adventure to starbucks....every day...sometimes twice a day.

A new kind of jolt from your coffee

2005-04-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

Starbucks, Jim Beam team up to develop liqueur
April 8, 2004

SEATTLE - Starbucks Corp.'s extensive coffee-based beverage lineup is about to get a different kind of jolt.

The Seattle-based coffee shop chain, along with the Jim Beam unit of Fortune Brands Inc., is developing a premium coffee liqueur to be sold in bars, restaurants and liquor stores — but not in Starbucks' 7,800 retail locations, the companies said Thursday.
The liqueur will be tested in two undisclosed U.S. markets later this year in Starbucks' first attempt to tap into the alcohol business.
"It has been our intention since the mid '90s to build a very strong brand at retail and then to leverage into other product categories and channels of distribution," Starbucks Chief Executive Orin Smith told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Starbucks plans to announce similar product deals with other companies in the next three to six months, Smith said, declining to elaborate.
On Wednesday, however, Tazo Tea Co., a Starbucks unit, reached an agreement with Kraft Foods Inc. to bring Tazo's tea products to more U.S. grocery stores.

A new taste for coffee fiends
The companies have yet to name the new liqueur, but the Starbucks name will be featured prominently, executives said. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
A Starbucks-branded liqueur has a built-in audience, Smith said, noting the company's best customers are also regular drinkers of coffee liqueur and have been clamoring for a Starbucks alternative for years.
Starbucks actually developed an in-house coffee liqueur a decade ago, but has been waiting for the right time, and the right partnership, to roll it out.
The company has no plans to sell liquor in its stores, which would create a range of logistic hurdles, including seeking permits to sell alcohol.
"For the type of business it might generate for us, it's just not the way we want to go," Smith said.

Starbucks launched Starbucks Ice Cream with Dreyers in 1995 and developed a bottled frappuccino drink with PepsiCo Inc. in 1996, each of which has performed well, Smith said.

Fortune Brands, which makes products ranging from Moen faucets to Titleist golf balls, also uses partnerships to leverage its brands.

The company has deals with home improvement retailers Home Depot Inc. and Lowe's Cos and a distribution agreement with the Absolut Spirits Co.

The Starbucks deal fits in with Fortune Brands' goal of developing new high-end products, Chairman and Chief Executive Norm Wesley said.

The new liqueur will compete with the Allied Domecq Plc's sweet-tasting Kahlua and Bailey's Irish cream, which account for 2.5 million cases of the 6 million to 10 million sold each year in the United States.

Fortune Brands currently sells a coffee liqueur called Kamora, but the Starbucks liqueur will cost more and offer a different taste, serving a different market.

Starbucks liqueur concept 'forced' investor to sell

2005-03-23T14:41:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Puget Sound Business Journal

Pax World Management Corp., a mutual fund operator that invests in socially and environmentally responsible companies, said it has sold 375,000 shares of Starbucks Corp. as a result of the coffee giant's deal with Jim Beam to sell alcoholic beverages.

The Portsmouth, N.H.-based fund company said in a press release Wednesday that it urged Starbucks CEO Orin Smith in mid-February to reconsider the deal that puts the Seattle company's name on a coffee liqueur.

"While we continue to admire and respect many aspects of Starbucks' business and corporate citizenship activities, the company essentially forced our hand in this matter, Pax officials said in a statement. "We have divested ourselves of these shares reluctantly and only after trying to get the company to reconsider its course of action."

Pax World said the shares were worth about $23.4 million as of Dec. 31. Starbucks said in its most recent quarterly report it had 415.3 million shares outstanding as of Jan. 2.

Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) and Jim Beam Brands Co. announced Feb. 17 that marketing tests of the high-end coffee liqueur they jointly developed were successful in Colorado and Texas, and that the concept would be launched nationwide.