Did you know…
Nowadays you can find four on every corner, but back in 1971, Starbucks was just another coffee place bringing caffeine to the sleepy masses. Frappuccinos were still 24 years away, the stock market wasn’t even a consideration, and no one knew what the hell a Pumpkin Spice Latte was. Obviously a lot happened in the ensuing four decades, so we thought we’d bring you up to speed on the highlights from Starbucks’ nautical-themed history. Somehow, there are still no Orange Mocha Frappuccinos on the books, but we trust Howard Schultz is just saving those for the 50th anniversary.
It was founded by two teachers and a writer
Though the man most associated with Starbucks is chairman and CEO Howard Schultz — who’s been with the company on and off since the ’80s — it was started by three dudes without an MBA between them. That’d be Gordon Bowker (a writer), Zev Siegl (a history teacher), and Jerry Baldwin (an English teacher). Wanting to bring the best coffee to Seattle, they opened the first Starbucks in 1971 in Pike Place Market. It only sold beans at first, but that would change once Schultz stepped in.
The name was inspired by Moby-Dick
“Starbucks” refers to the first mate in that Herman Melville book you never quite finished in high school. Looking back, it might seem like an unusual namesake, but the original idea was much stranger. Bowker first suggested they name the place after the Moby-Dick whaling ship, the Pequod. Thankfully, clearer (or more caffeinated?) minds prevailed.
The original mermaid was way racier
Seeing as the Starbucks logo is a siren, she’s supposed to lure you into buying coffee/dying at sea. But the first version wasn’t exactly a subtle seductress. They at least covered up her chest with flowing hair in 1987, but she didn’t morph into the PG version we’re familiar with until 1992.
The meaning behind our logo
The siren is like a super mermaid. A mermaid with one tail is just a plain ol’ mermaid. (Sorry, Ariel.) But a siren is often depicted with two tails. She might seem like an unusual choice for the face of a coffee company. But there’s a pretty interesting backstory as to how and why the siren came to be.
It was 1971 and the founders had landed on the name Starbucks, inspired by Moby Dick. Next up: creating a logo. While scouring some old marine books, something stood out. A siren in an ancient Norse woodcut.* The mysterious, nautical figure called to them, as sirens do.
“They really loved the look of it and it kind of tied into what they felt Starbucks stood for,” Steve said. “So we took inspiration from that and created the logo from there. And she became the siren.”
In case you’re wondering, there are two big connections between Starbucks and the seafaring world. 1) Our hometown of Seattle is a port city. We’re right on Puget Sound and we feel this very strong connection to the water. 2) Coffee often travels long distances across the water to get to us. Even today, it arrives at the port in big container ships.
Source: www.thrillist.com & Starbucks