My Passion for a Great Company
I love coffee … this is not news to anyone. I especially
love coffee shops. I love the environment, the smell, the opportunity to escape
my familiar world and get alone with my books, reading, homework, or God. I
love the chance to meet with friends in a casual environment that promotes
conversation (you can’t do anything else but look at each other, talk and drink your coffee … no
waiters interrupting every 10 minutes, etc). These are things that I love in
life!
I especially love Starbucks. I think it stems from about 7 years ago when I
read the story of the making of Starbucks, Pour Your Heart Into It: How
Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time. (Click the link to read the first chapter). It’s a fascinating book if you love coffee, but it’s really a story of a man’s passion. Howard Schultz, founder and CEO of Starbucks has literally changed the face of America with his dream. You think I’m going overboard? Think about he changed the dating world … a great first date is now, "let’s meet for coffee." It’s casual, it can be a realtively short time, and there is not a huge out of pocket investment in case the date is a shamble! Seriously … when I entered the dating world (22 years ago … my parents were a little lenient by letting me date a 15 … I don’t advise it!) no guy ever asked me to join him for coffee. Pizza … that was the first date. If it went well, follow it up with a movie.
Schultz has also changed ministry. I spend about 4 hours each day in a Starbucks, meeting with students over a cup of coffee or a frap. If you are part of Santa Barbara Community Church you know our pastors, elders and other leaders can often be found at Peet’s Coffee in Santa Barbara. Where did our pastors meet prior to the coffee revolution? Probably Denny’s! [I don’t know for sure, but it would be funny to ask them!] By the way, as a side note, many coffee purists would say Peet’s Coffee is better than Starbucks, and they may be right, but here’s a little piece of trivia for you: Did you know Peet’s Coffee was the original Starbucks corporation? That’s right … Howard Schultz first entered the coffee world as a Peet’s employee. At that time, Peet’s sold only beans and tea leaves … no drinks. You just bought the beans to make in your machine at home. After a trip to Europe where he experienced the wonderful culture of the European cafes, Schultz wanted to introduce drinks to the Peet’s store. The Peet’s founder said Americans would never stop in the middle of their busy days for a cup of coffee, so Schultz broke away and followed his own dream! Today there are over 10,800 Starbucks world wide … Peet’s Coffee has 118 stores, mostly in California. I’ll say it again … Schultz’s dream changed America!
So, while experiencing a piece of this dream may cost you $4.00 a visit (or my favorite drink for $1.85 if they don’t charge me the extra $.30 for the carmel flavoring!) it will be worth your time! I’m a regular … in fact, because I hold a First Edition Starbucks Duetto Card, the company regularly sends me gifts of appreciation (I’m really not kidding … about every month I get something in the mail from them … sometimes they add $15 to my Starbucks card, sometimes they send me a mug, a bag of coffee, or even a board game.) How can I not love this company! This week I received a bag of coffee with a thank you note for the 3rd anniversary as a Duetto Card holder (by the way, if you use the credit card, you get money back, just like a frequent flyer program!)
By the way, it’s noon … I’ve visited two different Starbucks with two special people today … it’s a good day! The day is young, it’s G’s birthday, so there is potential for an egg nog chai with her later this evening in celebration! So you don’t worry too much about me, I’ve never been to more than 4 different Starbucks in one day … that would be signs of a problem.