Interesting Facts About Starbucks

In this article, we'll introduce some fascinating facts about Starbucks that you might be hearing for the first time, even if you're a regular customer.

1. Starbucks was founded in 1971.

Starbucks opened its first store in 1971, initiated by Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, and Zev Siegl at the famous Pike Place Market in Seattle

2. The name was inspired by a legendary novel.

According to Gordon Bowker, the name 'Starbucks' was derived from 'Starbuck', the first mate in Herman Melville's novel, "Moby Dick". They chose the name because it seemed better than any other options, despite its lack of direct relevance to coffee

3. The logo features a twin-tailed mermaid.

Contrary to some claims of satanic or pagan origins, the Starbucks logo actually depicts a siren from maritime mythology, known for luring sailors to their demise. Starbucks hoped the logo would similarly draw coffee lovers into their stores. The initial logo, featuring the siren's exposed upper body, even led some to boycott the chain, yet it attracted many customers

4. There are approximately 87,000 possible drink combinations.

Considering the variety of beverages and customization options (including different creamers, sweeteners, and syrups), there are roughly 87,000 possible drink combinations. This number continues to evolve as the menu changes.

5. Venti drinks contain the same amount of espresso as Grande.

If you're ordering a Venti size expecting more caffeine, you might be mistaken. Despite logical assumptions that a larger cup would contain more caffeine, both Grande and Venti espresso drinks contain two shots of espresso, at least according to a former Starbucks employee

6. Black aprons are exclusive to Coffee Masters.

If you see an employee wearing a black apron with 'Coffee Master' inscribed on it, you're looking at a store's coffee master. To don this black apron, one must first graduate from the Starbucks Coffee Academy, which covers everything from bean sourcing to roasting, blending, brewing, and all ethical practices involved

7. Starbucks spends more on employee health care than on coffee beans annually.

You might have heard that Starbucks offers generous benefits to employees working over 20 hours a week, including health care benefits. In fact, Howard Schultz, the company's CEO in 2008, revealed that Starbucks spends $300 million annually on health care, which is more than what it spends on coffee beans

8. Starbucks once owned a record label.

While selling CDs at Starbucks might have been a joke among customers, the company was seriously interested in music. It even started a record label called Hear Music in the 1990s, which was acquired by Starbucks in 2007 and began releasing new music. Famous artists like Kenny G, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon once collaborated with the label, but with the rise of streaming music, Starbucks sold the label to focus on a partnership with Spotify

Thank you for reading through these interesting facts about Starbucks 🙏