A message from Kevin Johnson, Starbucks ceo to partners (employees)

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Fifty years ago, Starbucks opened our doors in Seattle’s Pike Place Market and our journey began. Today we are a proud part of more than 33,000 communities around the world. Since the beginning, we have been a different kind of company, grounded in our Mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

This week, as we celebrate both National and International Coffee Days, we also continue to celebrate our milestone anniversary, honoring the legacy and heritage of Starbucks and all the partners who have come before us. I am filled with optimism for our future: one where we give more than we take from the planet, create a sustainable future for coffee, positively impact the communities we serve, and enhance the lives of all who connect with Starbucks.

The last 18 months have certainly brought unprecedented challenges in our society - with a historic global pandemic, extreme weather events, and racial and social injustice as just a few examples of what we’re navigating together. And as the economy continues to recover and more customers return to our stores, we’re navigating new supply chain challenges, staffing complexities, and other store pressures, much like others across the industry. Our operations and support teams have managed these challenges with flexibility and grace, working with urgency to find solutions. Starbucks partners have remained resilient, always rising to the occasion in support of other partners as we meet our customers where they need us to be. For that, and so much more, I am so grateful for each of you and so very proud to be a partner.

We know our success – past, present, and future – is built on how we partner together. This culture of belonging is both our heritage and our future.<a></a>

Since 1971, we have sought to inspire and nurture the human spirit by asking ourselves, repeatedly and frequently, “what’s possible?” I ask you that same question today. What is possible if we spend the next 50 years using what we’ve learned in our first 50 to make people’s lives better, the planet better, and all of humanity, better?

I invite you to join me in building our next chapter. One where together, we create positive impact on people and the planet, grounded in what Starbucks has learned over the past 50 years: that “possible” is just the beginning.

We know our success – past, present, and future – is built on how we partner together. This culture of belonging is both our heritage and our future.

Celebrating 50 Years of Starbucks Coffee Company

Stories to inspire and nurture the human spirit

Starbucks Stories

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Starbucks Corporation

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On Sept. 29 when customers bring a clean, reusable cup into the cafe at participating stores, they will get a free hot Pike Place Roast brewed coffee.

In celebration of Starbucks 50th anniversary, Starbucks is inviting customers to bring in a clean, empty, reusable cup (up to 20 fl. oz.) into participating cafe locations in the U.S. on National Coffee Day, Sept. 29, to receive a free cup of Pike Place® Roast brewed coffee*. Starbucks is marking the milestone anniversary with customers to share how grateful the company is to be part of their communities and daily lives.

Pike Place Roast represents Starbucks decades of coffee roasting experience, knowledge and passion. Named after the location of the original store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market that opened in 1971, Pike Place Roast is Starbucks signature medium roast coffee served in stores everyday around the world. <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2008/the-proof-is-in-the-cup-starbucks-launches-historic-new-pike-place-roast/">Pike Place Roast was introduced in 2008</a> and was created using input from nearly 1,000 customers who spent almost 1,500 hours providing feedback on what’s important to them in a cup of coffee. Master blenders and roasters at Starbucks then artfully created the coffee. The result is a smooth, well-rounded blend of Latin American coffees with subtly rich flavors of chocolate and toasted nuts. &nbsp;

Select Starbucks Reserve locations, including the Starbucks Reserve Roasteries in Seattle, Chicago and New York City, are also celebrating on National Coffee Day. On Sept. 29, customers who bring in a clean, empty reusable cup into those stores will receive a free Starbucks Reserve coffee or cold brew.**

To find a Starbucks cafe near you visit <a href="http://Starbucks.com/store-locator">Starbucks.com/store-locator</a> or the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.starbucksreserve.com/en-us/locations" target="_blank">Starbucks Reserve store locator online</a> for local hours and store information. Limit one free coffee per customer.

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Customers can also continue the celebration by signing up for free Pike Place® Roast packaged coffee to brew and enjoy at home. Visit <a href="https://athome.starbucks.com/">athome.starbucks.com</a> on National Coffee Day, Sept. 29 for details. Limit one per customer and available while supplies last.

Starbucks work goes far beyond making a great cup of coffee

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Starbucks has a bold aspiration to be a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-announces-multi-decade-aspiration-to-become-resource-positive/">resource positive</a> company, to take less and give more to the planet in every aspect of its business – including coffee. In March, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-announces-coffee-specific-environmental-goals/">Starbucks announced coffee-specific environmental goals</a> to achieve carbon neutral green coffee and conserve water usage in green coffee processing by 50 percent by 2030.

Starbucks purchases coffee from more than 400,000 farmers in 30 countries around the world and is committed to a sustainable future of coffee for all. The company believes it has a responsibility to care for the entire supply chain and the many people who make coffee possible, from seed to cup, farmer to customer.

Starbucks is <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/this-earth-day-meet-some-of-the-people-working-to-make-coffee-sustainable/">committed to sourcing coffee responsibly</a>, for the betterment of people and the planet, while also working to help empower farmers, improve their livelihoods, and positively impact their communities so Starbucks can ensure coffee continues to flow for another 50 years. From the introduction of <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/cafe-practices-starbucks-approach-to-ethically-sourcing-coffee/">C.A.F.E. Practices</a> in 2004 to Starbucks <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2017/starbucks-100million-coffee-trees/">100 Million Tree Commitment</a> and research and development at <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2017/starbucks-hacienda-alsacia/">Hacienda Alsacia</a> as well as open-source agronomy philosophy – Starbucks continues to grow and expand its efforts to best support farmers while also caring for the planet.

Celebrations around the World

In honor of International Coffee Day (Oct. 1), Starbucks is also <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2021/starbucks-celebrates-international-coffee-day/">celebrating with its customers around the world</a>. Starting Sept. 28 in select Asia Pacific markets, Starbucks customers can get a free limited-edition reusable cup in participating stores when they purchase any handcrafted beverage. In Japan on Oct. 1, customers can receive an increased discount of 110 yen when they bring in a reusable cup. In select Latin America markets on Oct. 1, customers can either get free brewed coffee when they purchase a reusable cup or a free cup when they purchase any handcrafted beverage. In Europe and the Middle East on Oct. 1, customers who bring in a clean, reusable cup at participating Starbucks stores will receive a free Autumn Blend beverage.

For more information about Starbucks 50th anniversary and to see how Starbucks is celebrating around the world visit <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/50">stories.starbucks.com/50</a>.

U.S. and Canada NATIONAL COFFEE DAY OFFER DETAILS

*The offer is available in cafes only (not in the drive-thru or ordered ahead in the Starbucks app), limit one per customer, up to 20 fl. oz., no refills or modifiers. Available on iced or hot brewed coffee only; not valid on cold brew or Nitro. At participating locations. Supplies are limited. For safety reasons, Starbucks can only accept clean and empty reusable cups.

** Participating Starbucks Reserve locations include Starbucks Reserve Roasteries in Seattle, Chicago, New York City, and Starbucks Reserve Stores in Sodo Seattle, Naperville, IL, and Greenwich Lane in NYC. Offer only applies to free hot Clover or Clover X Starbucks brewed coffee and cold brew. Limit one per customer, up to 20 fl. oz., no refills or modifiers. For safety reasons, Starbucks can only accept clean and empty reusable cups.

Smiling barista offers reusuable cup of coffee, with "50-Since 1971" logo

On Sept. 29, get a free hot Pike Place Roast brewed coffee when you bring in a reusable cup at participating stores.

Starbucks Celebrates 50th Anniversary on National Coffee Day with Free Coffee

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One hundred percent of&nbsp;Starbucks company-operated&nbsp;stores in the U.S. are&nbsp;participating in the&nbsp;FoodShare&nbsp;program. Go with us on&nbsp;the&nbsp;journey of a&nbsp;donation box from&nbsp;a store&nbsp;in Los Angeles,&nbsp;through the&nbsp;food bank and into the hands of&nbsp;some of the&nbsp;people who need it&nbsp;the most.&nbsp;

LOS ANGELES – It’s 10:30 p.m. on a recent Tuesday night, and the cars are still stop-and-go in the drive-through line at the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/starbucks-opens-community-store-in-watts-neighborhood-of-la/">Starbucks Community Store</a> in Watts. Inside, Antonio Flores Sanchez, the store manager, is checking his inventory of perishable food.

Sandwiches, salads, pastries, wraps. Various protein boxes filled with vegetables, eggs, cheese and chicken. He rifles through them all, filling an orange tote box with unsold products.

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“When you’re on the receiving end, every bit counts,” Flores Sanchez says, walking the box to a refrigerator in the back and putting it inside.

This is where the story of a Starbucks FoodShare donation box begins. A story about all the people and groups who play a role in addressing something as big and complex as hunger. A story about Art Ortiz, a delivery driver, who knows the difference a refrigerated truck can make, and Liz Cervantes, from the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, who sees the scale of need every day.

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It’s a story about how a box like this eventually ends up in the hands of a man named Eric Perkins, a cook, who transforms the ingredients every night into a hot meal for a few dozen men participating in a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation program at the Long Beach Rescue Mission.

And it’s a story that happens thousands of times over, at every company-operated Starbucks in the United States.

FoodShare is Starbucks commitment, in partnership with Feeding America® and other hunger relief organizations, to making sure unsold food doesn’t go to waste. It aims to help address <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/hunger-relief/">food insecurity </a> as <a href="https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america">1 in 8 face hunger</a> in the U.S., and tries to help address some of the root causes of that hunger. To that end, Starbucks is announcing a commitment to reinvest $100 million into hunger relief over the next 10 years. This year alone, Starbucks is making a $1.7 million donation to Feeding America to advance equitable access to nutritious food among households with individuals who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) residing in communities experiencing high rates of food insecurity, such as Watts.

FoodShare also represents an exercise in the power of scale. What’s the impact of one box? In Los Angeles County alone, 592 Starbucks stores together donate around 2,000 boxes a week – about 1.2 million pounds of food so far this year. Now, scale that by almost 9,000 – the number of company-operated U.S. stores. Since 2016, Starbucks has donated close to 34 million meals* through FoodShare.

"Rescuing our unsold food is table-stakes. I'm very proud of what we've been able to accomplish to scale FoodShare to 100% of our stores,” says Jane Maly, a Starbucks director who has been instrumental in FoodShare’s growth. “I'm excited for what's next, and how we can consider using our scale, network, and expertise to move from feeding those experiencing hunger, to also addressing some of the root causes of hunger."

For Flores Sanchez, the Watts store manager, his part in the story feels very personal. He grew up in a family that lived paycheck to paycheck, and he ate free breakfast and lunch at school. He worked in retail for about 15 years before joining Starbucks, where he now helps lead and organize social-impact programs in his community.&nbsp;

During the pandemic, Flores Sanchez, 35, distributed food alongside a local youth mentorship organization. Next month, he’ll start collecting supplies to make and distribute hygiene kits. In the future, once society starts to reconnect, he dreams of a dental care awareness event inside the spacious meeting room that’s the centerpiece of the company’s <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-continues-to-strengthen-communities-opens-17th-community-store/">community-store concept</a>.

“My parents, I saw how much they struggled, I saw how much we didn’t have,” Flores Sanchez says. “If you can donate this food to somebody who needs it … they can focus their money on something else. That’s going to help give them a better life. That’s my drive.

“I get paid to set up volunteer events. I get paid to connect with community leaders and provide support. I get paid to nominate local organizations for grants. I get paid to figure out what’s possible. Don’t think the only thing I can do is make coffee.”

Next stop: Art Ortiz, the delivery driver

It’s 1 p.m. the next day, and a delivery truck has just arrived at one of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s warehouses, a 90,000-square foot storage and distribution center that processes four million pounds of food donations every week. Art Ortiz, the driver, waves out the window and backs his refrigerated box truck into one of the empty bays.

Starbucks uses an innovative backhaul model, which means the same drivers who drop off the supplies at each Starbucks store also pick up the donation boxes and bring them back to a central warehouse, unlocking efficiencies and possibilities that didn’t exist before.

Like Ortiz. One driver with one truck, who started his shift that day at 5 a.m. at a warehouse in nearby La Puente. He organized all the FoodShare boxes that came in the night before – including the one Flores Sanchez filled in Watts – stacked them 42 to a pallet and then wrapped each bundle for travel. The numbers add up. He hauls about 50,000 pounds of Starbucks food to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank every week.

“I used to work at a gas station and people would come in and ask for food all the time. I hated seeing people hungry,” says Ortiz, who’s been a FoodShare driver for two years, first in Washington state and now in Los Angeles. “So I'm happy that this food is going to somebody and not just being thrown away, because there's a lot of food that gets thrown away.”

Born and raised in Southern California, Ortiz, now 40, comes from a family of truck drivers. When he started delivering the Starbucks food, he found he enjoyed talking to the people at the food banks and liked the sense of purpose.

He watches as the workers unload pallets off his truck and give him back the stacks of empty boxes from the previous day’s delivery. “I love being able to help. I love being a part of providing meals to people who need it,” Ortiz says. “There’s no reason someone should go hungry with all the food that’s around.”&nbsp;

Liz Cervantes, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank

Another important number in the fight against hunger: 34-35 degrees Fahrenheit.

That’s the temperature inside the huge walk-in refrigerator at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank where the Starbucks FoodShare boxes are all stored after they arrive, the same temperature inside the back of Ortiz’s box truck, the same temperature back at the warehouse in La Puente.

Perishable donated food – especially fresh, healthy options that agencies like to distribute and that families like to eat – needs to be kept that cold to prevent spoilage.

But that’s where it gets tricky, says Liz Cervantes, the food bank’s director of Agency Relations and Product Acquisitions, who has worked there for 19 years. Refrigeration is an equity issue, she says. &nbsp;

Nearly 700 smaller, local agencies work with the food bank to get food free of charge for their own programs, whether it’s a larger sub-agency or a kids’ backpack program or a senior-citizen home delivery service. But for them, Cervantes explains, “the largest challenges are transportation, number one, and then cold storage, number two. Refrigerated trucks and vans, commercial freezers, they’re expensive.”

She estimates that less than 200 of those partner agencies have the capability to keep their food cold, which means the rest have to borrow trucks, or use an SUV or the back of a pickup truck and hope for the best in the California heat, or not take fresh, perishable food at all. And these agencies are often the ones serving the people who need fresh food the most.

Even if they can somehow get the food there, smaller agencies don’t have a refrigerated storage space big enough on site – or the money to buy it – which is why Starbucks has also invested in buying refrigerated vans for hunger-relief organizations, and on innovative delivery methods like mobile food pantries.

The pandemic has only increased the need. According to the food bank’s estimates, about 300,000 people per month were serviced by the organization before the pandemic. Now, it’s at about 900,000 per month.&nbsp;

“I would say in 2020, there were definitely more people who needed food assistance, who never needed food assistance in the past, nor did they ever think they were going to need food assistance,” says Cervantes, 48. “Because of the pandemic, I think people are more aware that anybody can fall through the cracks.

“There are families who are behind on bills, who lost work, who are going to need food assistance for a couple more months, if not years, and we can be that backbone.”&nbsp;

It’s Thursday afternoon at the Long Beach Rescue Mission, and the kitchen is hot. Large, flat pans with 150 servings of chicken have been baking since noon. That’s when Eric Perkins started preparing dinner for the people who live in the mission as part of a rehabilitation program, or just come by at mealtime to eat.

The day before, he’d driven up to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to pick up the delivery – 250 pounds of orange Starbucks FoodShare boxes. Someone from the mission drives up five times a week to bring back the donated FoodShare items.

When the delivery arrives back in Long Beach, the kitchen staff opens the packaging and separates the food into like piles. The sandwiches will be reheated and passed out at breakfast or lunch. The hard-boiled eggs, cheese and greens from various ready-to-eat boxes are saved in a fridge until there’s enough to feed everybody. The greens will make a big salad soon.

On this day, Perkins’ focus is on the snap peas and carrots that come from the Starbucks protein boxes. It’ll make the perfect side to his chicken, donated from a local grocery store chain, seasoned with a red rub recipe he refuses to divulge. Usually, he can find enough peas and carrots to feed everybody if he waits through three days of deliveries. Sometimes he goes big with a brown-butter glaze; today it’s a simple sauté in butter.

Born in New Jersey, Perkins, 52, was placed with foster families at a young age, and as a teenager became addicted to crack and alcohol. As an adult, he lost his job after a failed drug test. He was clean for seven years, scared straight after he started coughing up black phlegm, but then relapsed after his brother died. He was in a bad place.

“The last week before I came here, I was in a hotel and decided I wasn’t ready to die,” Perkins remembers. “So I came here to sign up for the program. I didn’t want to die.”

He got clean the second time, in 2019, through the mission’s New Life Program – a strict one-year residential program for drug and alcohol addiction with wrap around services such as legal aid, education, classes on interpersonal relationships, work therapy, daily chapel services and bed checks. And he impressed the staff enough to get hired on as a cook after he graduated. &nbsp;

Around 4:30 p.m., three volunteers show up to help serve dinner. After hugs and handshakes, Perkins directs them to their stations behind a small service counter, next to heaping piles of rice, beans, chicken and snap peas and carrots. Some of the food is sent across the street to the Lydia House, where women and children who receive the mission’s services live, and some is reserved for the walk-up crowd who’ll come by later that night, just to eat.

Nick Roberts, the mission’s volunteer program coordinator and another graduate of the New Life Program, leads announcements for the 40 or so men in the room. He welcomes several who recently joined the program, assigns a few others after-dinner tasks, and then talks excitedly about the big half-marathon coming up this weekend. He’s the coach of the mission’s running team; it’s part therapy, part reward.

After a short prayer, the men start to line up in front of Perkins, who greets them one at a time, with a smile or a joke or a bit of conversation. He hands over a hot plate of food to each one across the counter.

“This basically is what the program is, feeding the community,” Perkins says later, after the food’s all gone. “For me, this food, it means a chance, to try to give them something to enjoy. I don’t just say, ‘Here take it.’ I try to make it look different, make it taste different. Nourishment. I know what it’s like to be hungry. So someone coming in here, I just try to treat them with dignity and respect in the best way I can.”

*According to the USDA, 1.2 pounds of food is the equivalent to one meal.

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Go with us on the journey of a donation box from a store in Los Angeles, through the food bank and into the hands of some of the people who need it the most.

Meet four people on the journey of Starbucks FoodShare donations box

‘This food, it means a chance’: Meet four people on the journey of Starbucks FoodShare donations box

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Gigi is about to begin her senior year of college through the <a href="https://starbucks.asu.edu/faq">Starbucks College Achievement Plan</a>, which provides 100 percent tuition coverage through a partnership with Arizona State University’s online degree program.

The Starbucks 50th anniversary television commercial spotlighting the company’s innovative tuition benefit features a Starbucks barista in Southern California – an aspiring musician and daughter of immigrants from the Philippines who will be the first in her family to graduate college.

Meet GenevaMay – Gigi for short – who’s about to begin her senior year of college online through the <a href="https://starbucks.asu.edu/faq">Starbucks College Achievement Plan</a> (SCAP), which provides 100 percent tuition coverage for eligible U.S. partners (employees), working 20 hours a week or more, through a partnership with Arizona State University.

Since the program’s inception in 2014, more than 6,500 Starbucks partners have earned first-time bachelor’s degrees.

“When I started working at Starbucks, I had no idea – no idea – that it would open so many doors for me,” says Gigi, who’s majoring in film and media studies with a minor in digital audiences. “Not just in terms of getting to work at a beautiful store but being able to finally be on my way to finishing my degree.

“For a long time, I thought I wasn’t going to. I thought I was just never going to graduate college and (was going to) be a disappointment to my parents. But something truly ignited the fire in me – you’re almost there, just push through.”

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Gigi, now 24, grew up immersed in the arts. She performed in vocal jazz ensembles, starred in school plays and musicals and taught herself instruments and songwriting. But creativity was just a hobby and the plan was to go to a four-year school and study business and hospitality. Until she couldn’t come up with the money.

It was really hard, she remembers. “But honestly, I’m really grateful that happened, because it pivoted me and redirected me to focus on the things that I was actually passionate about.”

It meant diving into theater at a local community college, producing a film festival – a competition she’d won Best Picture in the year before – and moving to Los Angeles in 2019 to pursue more creative opportunities. After relocating, she’s recorded a solo songwriting project, found a concert and tours management internship, hosted a community open mic event at her Starbucks store and auditioned for – and earned – the spot in the Starbucks commercial.

“I have a passion for storytelling, whether it’s through music or film or really any other medium. I just really like the idea of being able to turn an idea into fruition,” Gigi says. “Success ultimately at the end of the day means fulfillment. Do I feel fulfilled in what I’m doing? For me, as long as I’m able to tell a story and be content with that, I think that would be success for me.”

Gigi started working at Starbucks in 2018 but didn’t know about the SCAP benefit until after she moved to L.A. and transferred to a different store. After she enrolled, she found that the online classes, the strong community – she was part of ASU’s first global online sorority – and the personalized coaching around academics, well-being and finances all combined to give her the flexibility and support she needed to succeed in school and pursue her artistic ambitions. &nbsp;

This past spring quarter, for the first time in her life, she received a 4.0 on her report card.

Gigi’s parents immigrated from the Philippines to the United States in the 1990s. Her father gave up a career as a police officer to do so. As a young adult, she’s beginning to understand the sacrifices her parents made – and are still making. Both her parents were laid off from their jobs during the pandemic.

The fourth of five children – her two oldest siblings are in the Navy – Gigi says her journey of finishing her degree has also brought her closer to her father, something she didn’t expect when she was a teenager pushing back against the pressure she felt he was putting on her to succeed, and values she thought were too conservative and strict.

“My dad and I just had this conversation, the whole idea of sacrifice, and the types of sacrifices you have to make when an opportunity presents itself,” Gigi says. “For him, it was, ‘Hey, I have the opportunity to move to America with this woman I love. But that means I have to give up this dream of being a cop.’

“That’s something I learned from him. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for an opportunity that might present a better thing for you, even if you just don’t know what that thing is quite yet. It’s something I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older and I moved out and saw what it was like to really support yourself. Being an adult, it’s hard, and there are things you don’t want to do that you have to do.

“That’s what’s helped me build empathy for my dad. I hope that my dad knows that he did a good job. And I hope that he feels like that sacrifice was worth it.”

Gigi is one of more than 18,000 partners currently earning a degree through SCAP. More than 6,500 others to date have graduated. For more information on becoming a Starbucks partner, visit <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/careers/">our careers page</a>.

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Gigi is about to begin her senior year of college through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, which provides 100 percent tuition coverage through ASU’s online.

Meet Gigi – barista, musician and star of Starbucks new TV spot

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Gigi is about to begin her senior year of college through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, which provides 100 percent tuition coverage through a partnership with ASU’s online degree program.

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Test your coffee knowledge with Starbucks fun facts. In honor of the coffee company’s 50th anniversary, here are ten things you might not know about Starbucks – from the true story behind the Starbucks siren logo, unique store locations, to winning a Grammy and more.

1. The story of the Starbucks siren logo

Co-founders Gordon Bowker, Jerry Baldwin, and Zev Siegl opened the first Starbucks in Seattle's Pike Place Market on March 30, 1971. The name was inspired by author Herman Melville’s famous novel, Moby-Dick (Starbuck was the name of the first mate on the ship, the Pequod). After settling on a name, next up was to create a logo.

While scouring old marine books a mysterious, nautical figure called to them, a twin-tailed siren. Starbucks has two connections to the seafaring world, Seattle is a port city, and coffee often travels long distances across the water to get to us. Over time, Starbucks has given the Siren a few makeovers, but she remains as alluring as ever. You can learn more about the story of the Siren <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2016/who-is-starbucks-siren/">here</a>.

2. And the Grammy goes to…Starbucks!

In 2004, Starbucks and Concord Records teamed up to co-produce, market and distribute a groundbreaking album with Ray Charles, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2014/ray-charles-genius-loves-company/">“Genius Loves Company.”</a> At a time when duet albums were not commonplace, Charles was paired with legendary guest artists including Norah Jones, Diana Krall, James Taylor, Elton John, Willie Nelson and Bonnie Raitt. The landmark album went on to receive eight Grammy® Awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year, and was certified multi-platinum with worldwide sales of more than 5 million copies.

3. Starbucks has its own coffee farm

Yes, Starbucks owns a coffee farm and you can take a (virtual) tour! <a href="https://1912pike.com/starbucks-hacienda-alsacia/">Purchased in 2013</a>, Hacienda Alsacia is a 240-hectare coffee farm located in Costa Rica that serves as a working farm as well as Starbucks global Research and Development facility. Costa Rican coffee has been a part of Starbucks core offerings since it opened its doors in 1971. In 2018, Starbucks sold a limited-edition offering of Hacienda Alsacia single-origin packaged coffee to customers around the world.

This year, Starbucks launched an all-new virtual experience that invites partners and customers to explore Hacienda Alsacia. To access the virtual experience, visit <a href="https://coffeeexperiences.starbucks.com/">coffeeexperiences.starbucks.com</a>.

4. The secret meaning behind partners’ aprons

In more than 80 markets around the world, the green apron is a symbol of Starbucks. It signals a warm welcome and expert coffee craft from the more than 400,000 baristas who proudly wear one each day. But did you know there are many types of Starbucks aprons?

Here are a few of the aprons your barista may be donning in stores:

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You can learn more about Starbucks aprons <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2017/story-behind-starbucks-iconic-green-apron/">here</a>.

5. Starbucks first latte was introduced 13 years after opening in 1971

When Starbucks first opened its doors in 1971, its now much beloved brewed coffee was not on the menu – although it was only given as samples. The store sold bulk whole bean coffee, tea, and spices as well as a selection of coffee makers, grinders, and teapots.

That changed in 1983 when Howard Schultz walked the streets of Milan for the first time and immersed himself in the culture of the Italian café. “The Italians had created the theater, romance, art and magic of experiencing espresso,” Schultz recalled. “I was overwhelmed with a gut instinct that this is what we should be doing.” The following year, Schultz convinced the founders to test the coffeehouse concept in downtown Seattle, where the first Starbucks® Caffè Latte was served.

When Starbucks launched its carbonated coffee beverage called Mazagran in 1994, customers were polarized. Some loved it. Some hated it. Not many bought it more than once. But Mazagran is still an important part of Starbucks history, because it launched the North American Coffee Partnership with PepsiCo, and the coffee extract found a new home in 1996 with the game-changing bottled Frappuccino.

7. Investing in communities

To provide economic opportunities in underserved and rural communities across the globe, Starbucks created the Community Store Program. These stores focus on hiring from the community, partnering with nonprofits and working with local artists, and serve as a space for community events and programs. Starbucks has invested in 19 Community Stores with most recent store dedications in Carbondale, Illinois and Tampa, Florida. The company plans to open 100 Community Stores by 2025.

To learn more about how Starbucks Community Stores are making a positive difference in the communities it serves, see this <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/starbucks-opens-community-store-in-watts-neighborhood-of-la/">story</a> about the Watts neighborhood Community Store in Los Angeles.

8. Unique Starbucks stores

With over 33,000 stores across the globe, each Starbucks store offers something unique to the community that it serves – from locally inspired art and merchandise, to store designs and experiences that set it apart. Starbucks has opened several one-of-a-kind locations over the past 50 years, including:

If you’re looking to hit the road this summer, here are a few more <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/hit-the-road-with-these-unique-starbucks-stores/">must-see stores</a> from around the U.S.

9. The world’s largest Starbucks

Did you know that Starbucks largest store is the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Chicago? Here all the coffee served in the store is freshly roasted on-site (the coffee roaster is the first thing visitors see when they enter the Chicago Roastery). The Chicago Roastery boasts five floors and 35,000 square foot store celebrates the company’s heritage in coffee roasting and the craft of coffee.

Since 1971, Starbucks has been obsessed with the fine art of roasting and proud to showcase this expertise in six <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/starbucks-reserve-roasteries-around-the-world/">Roasteries around the world</a>. Starbucks Master Roasters tailor a unique roast for each coffee lot to unlock maximum flavor and nuance. The Chicago location also boasts an on-site Italian bakery, cocktail bar, curved elevator and a 56-foot steel cask (the company’s tallest), a sculptural blend of form and function, where coffee beans go to rest and de-gas after being roasted. Learn more about the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Chicago <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2019/top-10-things-to-know-about-starbucks-chicago-roastery/">here</a>.

10. Before there were Sharpie pens

In the days before writing drink customizations on cups in Sharpie pens, the position of a cup on the bar would tell the barista how to make the beverage. It could be with the logo facing forward for whole milk, and away for nonfat. Maybe upside down for decaf. It varied from store to store. But no matter where you were, a strong breeze could blow them all over.By the mid-90s, using a Sharpie made the beverage customizations experience easier for Starbucks baristas and customers, and eventually lead to baristas personalizing the experience even further with the addition of customers’ names on cups. 

Black-and-white Starbucks Pike Place original store exterior

In honor of the coffee company’s 50th anniversary, here are ten things you might not know about Starbucks.

10 things you didn’t know about Starbucks

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Today, Starbucks hosted its annual meeting of shareholders where senior leadership and partners (employees) from around the world gathered virtually to reflect on the company’s 50-year history... and look boldly toward the future.

Since its beginning in 1971, Starbucks has been a different kind of company- with people at the center- balancing profitability with social conscience. The 50-year journey has been grounded in a mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. Staying true to its heritage, Starbucks is looking toward future, reimaging the possibilities ahead.

Here are the Top Things to Know About Starbucks as it Kicks Off its 50th Anniversary Celebrations:

Starbucks is Reimagining the Future, Set to Play a Critical Role in The Great Human Reconnection

From one store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1971, to nearly 33,000 stores serving customers globally, Starbucks has always believed that coffee can help build community and power human connections. This third place, where all are welcome, is more important than ever as the world will start to emerge from COVID-19. “Over the past 50 years, we have built a company that’s about more than coffee,” said Kevin Johnson, Starbucks ceo. “It’s about the human experience, connection and community, and we need that now more than ever.”

Mellody Hobson Begins Her Role as Starbucks Board Chair

Following the announcement of Mellody Hobson’s appointment at <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/top-things-to-know-about-starbucks-investor-day/">Starbucks Investor Day Conference</a> in December, today marks Hobson’s first day in the role. Hobson, who first joined the board as an independent director in 2005, was appointed to board vice chair in 2018. She assumes the post following the retirement of outgoing board chair Myron (Mike) E. Ullman, III.

Starbucks Creates Moments of Connection and Inclusion, Offering a More Accessible Experience

The company announced several updates that will enhance inclusion and the accessibility of the Starbucks Experience for partners (employees) and customers. On Monday, Starbucks became the first food and beverage retailer to offer a free Aira service for customers at all U.S. Starbucks stores and Siren Retail locations, in partnership with San Diego-based <a href="https://aira.io/">Aira</a> Tech Corp. Through a third-party smartphone service app, Aira connects blind and low-vision people to highly trained, remotely-located agents to provide instant access to visual information. Offering Aira service is part of the company’s ongoing work to improve and enhance the accessibility of physical and digital experiences for Starbucks partners (employees) and customers through inclusive design. Starbucks will also offer new large print and Braille menus in all U.S. and Canada stores this summer, developed in partnership with National Braille Press.

Starbucks Customers to Experience More Innovation with Cold Pressed Espresso

Starbucks is relentlessly focused on providing customers with new and relevant beverages and food. Over the past three years, Starbucks cold beverage business has driven more than $1 billion in sales growth and the company continues to innovate for customers in this space most recently with the launch of <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2021/starbucks-launches-new-non-dairy-iced-shaken-espresso-beverages-and-oatly-oatmilk/">Iced Shaken Espresso beverages</a> in the U.S.

Leveraging customer insights, the company is focused on delighting customers through new beverage recipes and plans to test Cold Pressed Espresso in a limited number of stores by the end of the year. Originally introduced at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle- the company’s pipeline for innovation - this patent-pending technology allows the company to further elevate the customer experience through premium beverage design and unlocks future opportunity in the cold craft coffee category.

“We’ve made great advances in cold coffee innovation in response to the ever-growing customer demand and interest, from Cold Brew, to Nitro Cold Brew to the newest Iced Shaken Espresso beverages,” said Luigi Bonini, senior vice president, global product and Research &amp; Development at Starbucks. “The method of cold pressing espresso to order, which tastes exceptionally smooth, full-bodied and sweet, has opened up so many exciting possibilities for the future of cold craft coffee recipes.”

Coffee Leadership Continues at Starbucks

As part of the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2020/starbucks-solidifies-pathway-to-a-planet-positive-future/">company’s commitment</a> to be a resource positive company, Starbucks announced a new goal to achieve Carbon Neutral Green Coffee and conserve water usage in green coffee processing by 50% by 2030. This commitment builds on Starbucks work to <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/cafe-practices-starbucks-approach-to-ethically-sourcing-coffee/">source coffee responsibly</a>,&nbsp;for the betterment of people and planet, while we also work to empower farmers, improve their livelihoods, and positively impact their communities, all with the aspiration of ensuring a <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2019/building-a-sustainable-future-for-coffee-together/">sustainable future of coffee</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Starbucks Continues to Address the Pay Gap

Starbucks shared that last year it once again achieved and maintained 100% pay equity by race and gender for similar roles in the U.S., and 100% gender equity in pay in China, Canada, and other company operated global markets including Austria, Great Britain, Italy and Switzerland. Learn more about reasons for the gender pay gap and the best practices and tools Starbucks uses to close the gap <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/how-starbucks-is-addressing-the-pay-gap/#:~:text=Starbucks%20is%20committed%20to%20100,equity%20for%20Starbucks%20partners%20globally.">here</a>.

The Starbucks Foundation Announces First Nonprofit Recipients of Grants to Support BIPOC Youth

Building on a longstanding commitment to advancing opportunity for all, The Starbucks Foundation committed to invest $5 million in nonprofits that serve Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) youth. As a next step in this initiative, today The Foundation announced the first group of grant recipients: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Boys &amp; Girls Clubs of America, City Year, Junior Achievement USA and The National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR). Across these organizations, The Starbucks Foundation will support initiatives and programs that focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practices, youth mentorship and leadership development, and life skill building that include addressing financial health and mental health. 

“At Starbucks, we believe it is our responsibility to build bridges and advance social and racial equity on behalf of our partners and communities,” said Virginia Tenpenny, chief social impact officer at Starbucks and executive director of The Starbucks Foundation. “We are honored to partner with nonprofits that aspire for thriving and equitable communities, and which have decades of experience empowering people. The Starbucks Foundation will continue supporting programs that address systemic barriers to equitable outcomes and can contribute to closing the racial opportunity gap.”

The news follows the rollout of&nbsp;$1.5&nbsp;million&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/the-starbucks-foundation-awards-neighborhood-grants-to-advance-racial-equity/">Neighborhood Grants</a>&nbsp;from The Starbucks Foundation in October, focused on supporting organizations that are Black-led and/or serve Black and Indigenous communities and are dedicated to promoting economic mobility and opportunity, health and social services and youth.

Starbucks China Set to Open Coffee Innovation Park in 2022 to Further Sustainability Commitments

Next year, Starbucks will open its <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2020/starbucks-unveils-bold-vision-for-china-coffee-innovation-park/">Coffee Innovation Park</a> in China, one of the first sustainable roasting plants in Starbucks global network, marking another step towards the company’s bold aspiration to become resource positive and give more than it takes from the planet. This next-generation facility will showcase innovation in smart supply chain operations, state of the art technologies and an immersive Experience Center that will highlight Starbucks sustainability practices at every chapter of the bean-to-cup coffee journey.

In case you missed it, you can watch Starbucks 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders here.

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Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the applicable securities laws and regulations. Generally, these statements can be identified by the use of words such as “continue,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These statements include statements relating to: the anticipated timing, scope and effects of our initiatives and our continued investment plans. These forward-looking statements do not represent historical data, are based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information and are subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties. Actual future results and trends may differ materially depending on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to the risks detailed in the company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the “Risk Factors” sections of Starbucks Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 27, 2020. The company assumes no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements.

Barista in black cap and facial covering waves as he opens the door to Starbucks cafe

Here are the top things to know about Starbucks as it kicks off its 50th anniversary celebrations.

Starbucks celebrates its 50th anniversary and looks toward a future of endless possibility

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From one store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1971, to nearly 33,000 stores serving customers globally, Starbucks has always believed that coffee can help build community and power human connections. This third place, where all are welcome, is more important than ever.

By Kevin Johnson, president and ceo:

Starbucks Annual Meeting of Shareholders typically presents a moment of reflection. And this year, perhaps more than any other, that reflection has led me to one place: 1912 Pike.

It was there – 50 years ago – where the vision for a different kind of company began.&nbsp; With just one store.&nbsp;

For Starbucks, I have always believed it is my responsibility to have the wisdom to know what to honor and preserve from past, while at the same time having the courage to boldly re-imagine our future.&nbsp; I believe we must stay true to the foundation of this great company — to our mission, grounded in humanity — and to our culture of warmth and belonging. At the same time, we must look boldly to the future, always evolving the third place for our changing world.&nbsp;

I also believe as all of humanity emerges from this pandemic and as we advance on the journey for social justice and equity, we are on the precipice of another seismic shift as people once again seek human connection. Starbucks was built for connection. We were built for this moment. And for the moments to come.&nbsp;

With more than 400,000 green apron partners around the world, we are grounded in the belief that for-profit companies need to serve a purpose beyond the pursuit of profit. We have shown that a for-profit company can serve and create value for all stakeholders. We are a company that aspires to give back more than we take when it comes to people and the planet while creating prosperity for all who connect with Starbucks.

We are a company that will never underestimate the power of One. One idea. One store. One Mission. With one goal. To be a different kind of company. 

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From one store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market to nearly 33,000 stores globally, Starbucks has always believed that coffee can help build community and power human connections.

50th anniversary