As inspiration so comes and goes, I have recently been reignited by Howard Schultz’s book, Pour Your Heart Into It. It’s the story of Starbucks. It’s funny how the company has shifted through the years. Anyway, it got me thinking and brainstorming about coffee. One of the few things I really look forward to daily.
Yesterday, as I sat outside my local coffeehouse with a French Roast, I pondered the thought of how this cup of coffee came to be. I had an inkling this had to do with Starbucks, or at least in part by them, and henceforth launched a good ‘ol deep dive.
The origins of Starbucks actually owe their roots to Peet’s coffee. For, it was Alfred Peet (founder of Peet’s), who influenced the founders of Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spices to open their first storefront selling european-style dark roast beans (not cups of coffee) as Alfred Peet did in Berkley, CA. This was a time where people were starting to question where their food came from, opting for more artisan goods and a deeper tie to the foods they are putting in their bodies (sound familiar?). The Starbucks we know today, with espresso drinks at it’s core, was really created by Howard Schultz under the moniker of Il Giornale after he fell in love with the cafe culture of Italy. He purchased the title to Starbucks in a twist of fate when the original Starbucks founders decided to go all-in on Peet’s (I’m condensing this story massively, since its not the main point of this article).
The point is the obsession with the craft. Obsession with the inputs. Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spices was focused on providing the highest-quality beans to their customers in a time where cheap, ground coffee in a can was the standard of excellence. They took the time to educate customers, offering them a sample of coffee, only in a porcealin mug (since that was the right way to retain the flavor).
Coffee is coffee, right? I mean, at the end of the day, many view it as a tool. A tool to fuel the next great company of the world, fuel to cram in a semester’s worth of work into one last night, fuel for the parents of a newborn who refuses to sleep. Just like food, clothes, cars, bikes, or really anything, there are a group of functional users and a group of obsessives that see something deeper than function. The latter are the people we embrace. For some of the greatest companies we know today exist due to an obsession with an item that needed not be optimized in some people’s eyes: Apple, Ralph Lauren, Brunello Cuccinelli, Specialized Bicycles, Starbucks Coffee, Porsche, Ferrari, Rolex — the list can go on endlessly.
So here’s to the obsessive: keep going, keep pushing, and do what’s right in your heart. For finding beauty in all things is such a wonderful gift to have in life. Yes, it’s often more expensive, but the deep satisfaction and joy of knowing the story and quality of an item that occupies your space hits on such a deeper level than the latest TikTok or Amazon special will. If it doesnt exist, then build it. Share with the world what you are building - chances are that you are not alone.
It’s the little things that are the big things ✨