About Us

The story of Starbucks begins in 1971 along the cobblestone streets of Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market.

It was here where Starbucks opened its first store, offering fresh-roasted coffee beans, tea and spices from around the world for its customers to take home. Their name was inspired by the classic tale Moby-Dick, evoking the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders.

Over the next 50 years, they would grow to open stores globally and welcome millions of customers each week, becoming a part of the fabric of tens of thousands of neighborhoods all around the world.

In everything they do, Starbucks employees remain dedicated to their mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.