Photos: Highlights of Starbucks 2019 Annual Meeting

By Joshua Trujillo • March 21, 2019 • 3 min read

Coffee is brewed for guests on a siphon during the Starbucks Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

The first Starbucks Annual Meeting of Shareholders in 1993 was just a small gathering in a downtown Seattle hotel conference room, with a slide presentation and stack of tri-fold brochures. On March 20, 2019, the event drew a crowd of thousands to WaMu Theater in downtown Seattle where guests could rake coffee in a simulated drying patio, immerse in video playing on screens from coffee farms and sample some of Starbucks latest beverages and food. Here is a visual summary of the event as captured by Starbucks Stories.

  • People line up during the Starbucks Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Wednesday March 20, 2019 at WaMu Theater.
  • Coffee is ready for guests to scoop during the Starbucks Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Wednesday March 20, 2019 at WaMu.
guests rake coffee
Raking is the method used to rotate coffee as it dries on patios in some coffee growing regions. Guests at the shareholders meeting were able to try their hand at turning the coffee.

The Annual Meeting of Shareholders featured Starbucks leaders offering updates on the business and future initiatives as well as goals, stories, films and, of course, a special musical guest.

A video opens the Starbucks Annual Meeting of Shareholders in WaMu Theater.

Coffee tastings are a key feature of Starbucks meetings. This year, shareholders smelled, slurped and tasted Starbucks Pike Place® Roast during annual meeting. Here's what it took to serve coffee to thousands:

  • 13 pouring stations
  • 104 pounds of Starbucks Pike Place® Roast coffee
  • 162 hawking trays
  • 265 volunteers
  • 2,608 short recyclable and compostable cups
  • Military members had front-row seats.
  • Kevin Johnson, Starbucks chief executive officer, speaks on stage.
  • Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson asks a question during the Q & A.
Starbucks partners prepare to distribute thousands of cups of coffee.
  • Coffee is handed out to people for the coffee tasting.
  • Kevin Johnson serves coffee to military members seated in the front row.

“She is one of the best lyrical storytellers in music today, a woman who combines her art with her personal mission.”

-Kevin Johnson, introducing special musical guest Brandi Carlile

Surprise guest musician and Western Washington resident Brandi Carlile performs during the Starbucks Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
  • Brandi Carlile tells the story behind one of her songs.
  • Kevin Johnson thanks Brandi Carlile.
Starbucks partners take to the stage as the meeting wraps up at WaMu Theater.

More Like This

Following the global search for the new leader of Starbucks, Laxman Narasimhan joined the company as incoming ceo on October 1, 2022, bringing nearly 30 years of experience leading global consumer goods businesses and advising retail, grocery, restaurant and e-commerce companies.

Ahead of its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Starbucks announced planned investments to advance its ambitious target to cut its water and waste footprints in half by 2030.

“As we execute on our Reinvention plan, we are building on our 51-year history of market leading innovation to position our business and our brand for the next chapter of growth,” said Schultz.