Starbucks was founded in the early 70s by three friends who shared a common experience, their love for coffee. This love affair with coffee led them to think of ways that they could bring the best and highest quality coffee to the greatest number of people. They were inspired by a friend of theirs into selling the best coffee beans that could be found all over the world as well as the best coffee machines that were available at that time. They got the name for their store from a character in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, Starbuck. The store opened up in Seattle and soon it made a name for itself among the locals as the place to go to get the best coffee anywhere.
In the early 80s Howard Schultz joined the company as a director and he hit upon an idea. While on a trip in Europe he saw the coffee houses there selling coffee drinks as well as espresso. He felt that it was the right time for the company to expand in that direction, but the owners were reluctant to accept the idea fearing that it would take away the focus of the company. They were traditionalists who believed that coffee is a drink that should be made at home.
They did agree however to give out free samples of their coffee in their stores, to show their customers just how delicious their products can be. Schultz believed that he had hit upon a bright idea and set about to found his own coffee shop business. A few years afterwards the founders of Starbucks sold their business to Schultz who immediately set about to rebrand his own coffee shop business as Starbucks.
Today Starbucks is the largest coffee shop chain in the world with about 17,000 stores in over 50 countries. It has changed the way that we drink coffee. But the company is not all about selling drinks. They have some products that they sell at their stores and to loyal customers these products are the equivalent of collector’s items that have great value. Here are just some of the cool products that you can find in Starbucks today:
Starbucks Coffee Maker
There are several models of coffee makers from Starbucks but the Starbucks Estro Barista Zia is one of the most highly regarded of this line. It can make great drinks from pods or from ground coffee. The only issue that users have come to complain about with this machine is the time that it takes for frothing the milk and the actual making of the espresso. Not a big problem. Unfortunately this machine has been discontinued so you will have to try your luck with finding one that is used.
Stainless Steel Starbucks Tumbler
Many people are making a hobby out of collecting Starbucks tumblers. Not only are they very useful for drinking the best drinks, but they also look very pretty. The Starbucks Steel Tumbler is just one example why people go for collecting these items. It has a double wall to preserve the heat better and an ergonomic design that allows you to hold it with efficiency. You can buy this from the nearest Starbucks store for only $20 or so.
Espresso Roast Pods
Before Starbucks became the biggest coffee shop chain in the whole world, it was just a small store in Seattle that sold ground coffee to locals. They have stayed connected to those roots. They have some great products that you can get at their stores that allows you to get the Starbucks taste in the comfort of your own home. These coffee pods are made from the best quality coffee that they have. You can buy a box of 12 pods for about $5.