The ENTIRE History of Starbucks in 17 Minutes

The history of Starbucks and the Howard Schultz story: how Starbucks went from one Seattle shop that sold coffee beans in 1971 to more than 18,000 coffeehouses in North America. In 1987, the Starbucks stores and name changed hands for $3.8 million. In the first quarter of fiscal 2026, Starbucks counted 35.5 million active rewards members, and in the third quarter of fiscal 2026 its net revenues were about $9.3 billion. This documentary follows the complete history of Starbucks: Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker; Alfred Peet and his roasting lessons; the first store at 2000 Western Avenue near Pike Place Market in 1971; a name taken from Moby-Dick; brewed coffee handed out as a free sample; Howard Schultz from Brooklyn; the espresso bars of Milan in 1983; Starbucks buying Peet's in 1984; Il Giornale in 1986; the $3.8 million purchase and Bill Gates Senior in 1987; the Nasdaq listing in 1992; The Coffee Connection and the Frappuccino in 1994; the first store in Ginza, Tokyo, in 1996; Orin Smith as chief executive in 2000; the Diedrich Coffee stores in 2006; more than 15,000 stores; the commoditization memo of 2007; Schultz's return in 2008; the evening the stores went dark; about 600 closures and a $5.4 million quarter; the Philadelphia arrests and the afternoon of anti-bias training in 2018; the union vote on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo in 2021; the Supreme Court ruling of 2024; Brian Niccol and Back to Starbucks; the Boyu Capital deal in China; and the Red Cup Rebellion strike. Then it arrives at right now: about 250 North American cafes closing, a Financial Times report about Chipotle that Starbucks says is not happening, labor cases still moving through the appeals courts, and baristas who still have no first contract, and what all of it means for the cup in your hand. How we work on this channel: every number, date and quote in this episode traces back to public records, including company filings and releases, court rulings and news reports, and the main ones are listed below. Where a fight is still open, we say who claims what, we give the company's response next to it, and we give the status with a date. Where a court or the company itself has settled the facts, we say so plainly. SOURCES Starbucks — Starbucks Reports Q3 Fiscal Year 2026 Results (2026) Nation's Restaurant News — Starbucks is closing another 250 coffee shops (2026) Daily Coffee News — Starbucks closing 250 stores, remodeling hundreds more (2026) Nation's Restaurant News — Starbucks is reportedly eyeing a Chipotle acquisition (2026) Fox Business — Starbucks says not buying Chipotle following deal speculation (2026) BNN Bloomberg — US labour relations board sees setback in Starbucks anti-unionization case (2026) Bloomberg Law — Starbucks, Union Working to Revive Long-Stalled Contract Talks (2026) ABC News (6abc) — Starbucks workers strike nationwide in Red Cup Rebellion, union says (2025) Starbucks — Starbucks names Brian Niccol as chairman and chief executive officer (2024) National Law Review — Supreme Court rules NLRB 10(j) injunctions must meet higher preliminary injunction standard (2024) NBC News — Starbucks workers in Buffalo vote to unionize first company-owned store in U.S. (2021) ESM Magazine — Starbucks closes 8,000 stores across US for anti-bias training (2018) Starbucks (SEC filing) — Starbucks Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2008 Results (2008) NPR — Starbucks baristas relearn art of coffee-making (2008) Nation's Restaurant News — Starbucks founder's leaked memo reflects fears about brand dilution (2007) GeekWire — Here's the story of how Bill Gates Sr. helped Howard Schultz buy Starbucks (2020) Horatio Alger Association — Howard Schultz, member biography (2026) CHAPTERS 0:00 The Cup in Your Hand 1:59 Three Friends and a Bag of Beans 3:19 The Salesman from Brooklyn 4:50 Il Giornale Buys Starbucks 5:51 Going Public and the Blended Drink 7:06 Fifteen Thousand Stores 9:08 The Evening the Stores Went Dark 10:32 Arrests, a Union and a Revolving Door 12:18 Back to Starbucks The illustrations in this video are AI-generated from text descriptions, including the stick-figure and illustrated portrait depictions of real people. They are not photographs or footage, and products and places are drawn as generic versions without real logos. The facts and figures come from the sources listed above. Every company history here is condensed and cannot include everything. Disputes and allegations are reported as allegations, with the company's response and the outcome or status as of publication. Not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any company, person or institution named. Nothing here is investment, financial or legal advice. Long Story Inc. — the entire history of one company at a time, from the first sale to this month's headlines. #Starbucks #StarbucksHistory #BusinessHistory #CompanyHistory #BusinessDocumentary #Documentary #HowardSchultz #Seattle #PikePlace #Frappuccino #BrianNiccol #LongStoryInc