3/13/2011
Starbucks, the java joint that sold America on grande-sized drinks while imprinting a venti-sized stamp on our national psyche, turns 40 this month. The world's largest coffee chain — 17,000 locations in 55 countries — made almost $11 billion last year by coaxing some 60 million customers a week to feel momentarily indulgent over a warm brew and a crumbly nosh.
No one could have possibly predicted the gargantuan impact Starbucks would have on American culture when its first store opened in Seattle on March 30, 1971. Just try to find someone who doesn't know what a Starbucks is. And try to find someone who doesn't love it — or hate it. For a fleeting moment, in the depths of the recession, it almost looked like the Starbucks (SBUX) empire was sinking in its own $4-a-cup hedonism. No longer. The java juggernaut just posted its best-ever quarter.
Yet major changes are afoot. The words "Starbucks Coffee" were just removed from the Starbucks mermaid mascot with one purpose: so the brand can expand beyond the sexy siren's wildest dreams and all over the grocery store. It's one thing to buy a bag of Starbucks coffee at the supermarket, but it might not be long before folks can snag energy bars and other grab-and-go goodies with the Starbucks icon from the grocer. In an exclusive interview, USA TODAY marketing reporter Bruce Horovitz talks with Starbucks CEO and chief cheerleader Howard Schultz, 57, about his company's 40 years past — and 40 years forward. The interview is edited for length and clarity:
Sources: USA Today, The Daily Nebraskan
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