Coffee is one of the most consumed drinks in the world. It is well known that drinking coffee has health benefits. Coffee is a universal mood booster. The divine elixir that helps people all across the world get over the Monday blues. Starbucks coffee became well-known around the world due to its unique flavor and stimulating characteristics. And Starbucks has best capitalized on people’s love of coffee.
It is reasonable to assume that everyone in the world has heard of Starbucks. Everybody knows it. In fact, when consumers think of coffee, Starbucks is frequently the first brand that comes to mind.
Starbucks is often recognized for bringing in the second wave of coffee culture by providing a wider variety of coffee experiences. Starbucks offers a variety of hot and cold drinks, pastries, snacks, full and loose-leaf teas, juices, frappuccino drinks, whole-bean coffee, caffe latte, and espresso. Some products are limited-edition or seasonal to a particular store. Depending on the country, most public sites provide free Wi-Fi Internet access.
Company Profile
Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gorden Bowker, three college students, established Starbucks in Seattle, Washington, on March 30, 1971. They got together and started selling bags of roasted coffee beans to consumers, not realizing it would grow into the largest coffee chain in the world. In 2018, Starbucks had over 27,000 outlets throughout the globe and was averaging daily sales of 4 million cups of coffee.
During a business trip to Milan, Italy, Howard Schultz bought the company in the early 1980s. He turned the coffee bean store into an espresso bar. From 1986 through 2000, Schultz actively expanded the firm in Seattle and across the West Coast. Orin Smith served as CEO for five years following Schultz. Starbucks’ revenues rose to $5 billion under Orin Smith’s leadership.
Jim Donald, CEO from 2005 to 2008, increased profits. After the 2007–2008 financial crisis, Schultz returned as CEO and spent the following decade boosting market share, expanding products, and rebranding around corporate social responsibility.
In 2017, Kevin Johnson took over as CEO from Howard Schultz. Starbucks said in March 2022 that Schultz would return as temporary CEO in April 2022. In April 2023, Schultz was replaced by Laxman Narasimhan. Schultz stayed on the Board of Directors until September of that year. In March 2023, Narasimhan took over the position earlier than expected.
Starbucks also sells a wide variety of merchandise with its logo, including mugs, tumblers, scoops, and coffee presses, in many of its locations. A few “Starbucks Evenings” outlets also serve beer, wine, and small plates. Supermarkets in the United States and other nations sell Starbucks branded coffee, ice cream, and bottled cold coffee beverages.
In 2010, Starbucks Reserve launched single-origin coffees and high-end coffee shops. It targeted 1,000 Reserve coffee outlets by 2017. Johnson has cut Reserve coffee outlets to six to ten since Schultz left. The few Reserve coffee shops that are open will determine future development.
As part of the plan, Starbucks has opened a total of 43 coffee shops and six coffee roasting facilities with tasting rooms. The world’s largest Starbucks location, the newest roastery facility debuted in November 2019 on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. Several controversies have arisen as a result of the company’s business practices. In contrast, its franchise has commanded significant brand loyalty, market share, and corporate value.
As of 2022, the firm is placed 120th on the Fortune 500 and 303rd on the Forbes Global 2000.
Brand Name History
Starbucks began in Seattle on March 30, 1971. For ten years in Seattle, Starbucks sold high-quality coffee beans and equipment. Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker, who met at UCSF, formed it: Alfred Peet, a coffee roaster, encouraged the three to offer high-quality beans and equipment. Bowker says that his business partner, Terry Heckler, believed “st” words were strong, so the founders created a list of “st” terms to discover a brand name. The gang picked “Starbo,” a Cascade Range mining town, and then remembered “Starbuck,” the chief mate in Moby-Dick. Moby-Dick had no direct connection to Starbucks, according to Bowker; the fact that the sound made sense was only coincidental.
Products
The following are the Starbucks products to date:
Coffee Cup Sizes
Name | Measurement | Sizes |
Short | 8 US fl oz (240 mL) | Smaller of the two original sizes |
Tall | 12 US fl oz (350 mL) | Larger of the two original sizes |
Grande | 16 US fl oz (470 mL) | Italian for “large” |
Venti | 20 US fl oz (590 mL) – Hot
26 US fl oz (770 mL) – Iced |
Italian for “twenty” |
Trenta | 30 US fl oz (890 mL) | Italian for “thirty” |
- Low-calorie and sugar-free products
- Non-dairy milk offerings
- Ethos water
- Instant coffee and coffee capsules
- Coffee makers and single-use capsules
- Alcoholic drinks
- Fruit juices, fruit beverages, and sodas
- Energy drinks
- Seasonal cups
- Oleato coffee
- Starbucks card and loyalty program
- Electricity and Wi-Fi
The Meaning Behind the Logo
Since its introduction in 1971, the Starbucks logo, which features a green and white siren, has undergone several changes. A graphic designer, Terry Heckler, developed the initial design, a brown woodcut of a mermaid with two tails inspired by a 16th-century Norse woodcut of a twin-tailed mermaid, or siren, as she is also known.
The logo was redesigned in 1987 to be more sleek and contemporary. The siren was expanded, and the words “Starbucks” were put around the circle’s edge. This version of the logo was utilized for more than two decades until 2011, when the siren was reduced further, eliminating some of the subtle details in her hair and scales.
The seafaring motif has maintained the core notion of Starbucks’ logo design throughout the modifications. To make it simpler to understand, below are all of the pieces that comprise the distinctive Starbucks logo:
Shape
Starbucks’ logo has always been round, a popular graphic design form. The circle’s infinity may symbolize Starbucks’ history in the coffee business.
The 1987 version added two stars to the wordmark and wrote the brand name inside the circle. The latest version removes the wording and stars.
Color
Starbucks’ logo is deep green and white. The backdrop is green, while the siren sign is white. Green symbolizes nature, healing, and protection in design. It often symbolizes riches and money.
Starbucks chose these colors to reflect its brand image. The designers chose green to symbolize the brand’s goodwill toward consumers and partners.
Starbucks has been responsibly sourcing coffee and treating farmers well for years. Starbucks wants to be known as a company with excellent corporate social responsibility.
Font
Starbucks’ logo has always used a basic yet bold font, except for its most current edition. The brand name is written in block letters and sans-serif font type.
The new Starbucks logo no longer needs words since consumers worldwide recognize it. Customers will recognize this Starbucks emblem without its name.
Icon
Starbucks’ famous twin-tailed siren emblem is a reference to Seattle and the ocean. The siren is depicted with hair that resembles ocean waves to convey Seattle’s proximity to the sea.
The designers intended to maintain the siren’s mystical and enigmatic allure. However, there are several conspiracy theories about its real meaning floating around on the internet. However, the siren is most frequently associated with obsession, addiction, and entrapment.
In Greek myths, sirens were seen as less desirable creatures than mermaids. Because sirens are thought to be dangerous, it’s possible that artists chose to make the icon more feminine and soft because of this.
Lippincott wants to humanize the siren in his most recent design. Because symmetry was thought to be a defining rule of human beauty, the designer decided to go against it by incorporating asymmetry instead. This was accomplished by lowering the siren’s nose on the right side of her face.
Many fans were pleased with this simple shadow tweak to the siren’s face. Designers concluded that, in the end, people are not drawn to human perfection; thus, they opted to keep the asymmetry.
Starbucks’ logo is a prime example of effective branding. The siren is instantly identifiable and has come to represent the company’s core principles of quality, history, and excellence. Green is also used to symbolize growth, rejuvenation, and nature, which links with Starbucks’ dedication to sustainability and ethical sourcing.
The style of the logo has also changed to reflect the company’s development and expansion. The initial woodcut design was ideal for a tiny, independent coffee shop. However, when Starbucks grew into a global brand, the logo needed to be simplified and updated to appeal to a larger audience.
Conclusion
The success of the Starbucks brand demonstrates the impact of strong branding. The image of a siren and the use of the color green have become inseparable from the company’s values and have contributed to developing a global customer base. Its emblem is instantly recognized and evocative, and the layout of its retail locations is intended to foster a sense of community among the company’s clientele. Even though it began as a single small coffeehouse in Seattle, Starbucks has grown into a global cultural phenomenon known and loved by millions of people worldwide.