Starbucks Coffee is arguably the most recognizable coffee chain in the world. There are Starbucks shops in England, Ireland, China, and many other countries.

There are approximately 16,120 stores in 94 countries spread through the world, and that number continues to grow every day, as more and more stores spring up all over. Starbucks started in Seattle, Washington, probably what helps Seattle be considered the ‘coffee capitol’ of the US. Starbucks coffee shops sell coffee, coffee products, breakfast items, and other related products.

Starbucks has also created its own entertainment division, called Hear Music, which sells CD’s and DVD’s in stores as well. Paul McCartney’s latest solo album, Memory Almost Full, was released on the Hear Music label, and sold only at Starbucks chains at first. The original Starbucks store was located on 2000 Western Avenue in Seattle, opening in 1971 at Pike Place Market.

The first Starbucks chain to open outside of the US was Tokyo in 1996. Since its inception, Starbucks has become more than just a ‘coffee shop’, into a globalized marketing phenomenon….tourists all over Europe can walk into a Starbucks in a lot of different countries, and feel the familiarity that they feel at home in the US.

Starbucks is a lot like McDonald’s in that regard, as the familiarity is palpable all across the globe.
Starbucks is the leading coffee chain in the world in terms of popularity, and that will undoubtedly increase as time goes on.

Fun trivia: the creators of Starbucks were inspired by Alfred Peet, the forefather of Peet’s Coffee & Tea, now a rival of Starbucks in the coffee business.