In the recent Zagat Fast-Food Survey, Starbucks took top honors in the coffee department. And what do you know? Starbucks is our June stock of the month! For as little as $44, you can own a piece of the world’s most pervasive coffee franchise. And you can take the $10 you just saved and enjoy some lattes on us.
From its beginnings at the Pike Place Market in Seattle in 1971, Starbucks has catapulted into an international coffee sensation. During their peak growth period in the 90’s, Starbucks averaged a new franchise every weekday! Holy frappuccinos, that’s a lot of coffee. Here are some other interesting tidbits to drop-in next time you’re sippin’ a few with friends:
- The name comes both from “Starbo”, in honor of an old mining camp that was outside Seattle, and “Starbuck”, in honor of the Moby-Dick character of the same name
- Last year, Starbucks was ranked #15 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s list of Top 25 Green Power Partners
- Starbucks is the largest purchaser, roaster, and distributor of Fair Trade Certified™ coffee in North America
- To date, they have committed $10.5 million in affordable credit to approximately 74,000 small-scale farmers and suppliers
- They volunteered 383,000 hours in 2008 through their volunteer program Make Your Mark
Want to make your mark on the company? With their “My Starbucks Idea”, you’re encouraged to do just that. The Starbucks team of Idea Partners review suggestions submitted by users and choose popular or especially innovative ideas to put into action. In their own words, “It’s not just what you’re buying. It’s what you’re buying into.”
Tags: coffee, starbucks, stock of the month
Another good article! I visited the original Starbucks at Pike Place Market in Seattle just last week. More interesting though to your readers is that in addition to coffee, Starbucks also markets premium teas, various food items, compact discs and ice cream. Whom would have ever thought?
In line with your list of Starbucks’ further offerings, I also came across this article while doing research:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009305947_starbucksfood06.html
Looks like the Starbucks’ cuisine’s about to get a face-lift!