Starbucks

Starbucks is an American coffee chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Three partners opened the first store at Pike Place Market in 1971. Howard Schultz joined in 1982 and later bought the company and shaped it into a cafe chain.

The company serves espresso drinks, brewed coffee, tea, cold drinks, pastries and light food. It also sells packaged coffee and ready-to-drink bottles through grocery stores. A rewards app handles a large share of its orders.

Starbucks runs company-owned stores and licensed locations in dozens of countries. It buys green coffee from farms worldwide under its own sourcing program. The firm is listed on Nasdaq. Brian Niccol became chief executive in 2024, after a period of slower sales. The company also owns the Teavana brand and sells through a licensing agreement with Nestle for retail coffee. It has stores in dozens of countries.