The Starbucks story began in 1971 in downtown Seattle, when three academics opened their first Starbucks coffee shop. During the next decade, Starbucks expanded to four locations in close proximity of Seattle. At the time of founding, the original focus was to sell whole bean and ground coffee, coffee-making equipment, and coffee-related accessories and supplies. At first, they did not sell coffee by the cup, but instead provided small samples for customers to taste. The founders had a passion for creating unique blends and distinguished dark roasting techniques utilizing their expertise in selecting the best coffees.
