Starbucks Coffee

I cringed when I saw Dan Neil's column on Starbucks ("Starbucks Nation," 800 Words, April 1). Oh no, not another Starbucks bashing! But Neil once again surprised me. His comments were right-on about what Starbucks is and what it provides. With 13,000 outlets in 39 countries, clearly a lot of people are buying Starbucks coffee. Why don't we all just admit that it makes a good cup of coffee and that one can rely on its consistency? When traveling domestically or abroad, the local Starbucks often provides a welcome break or a breakfast meal when we're unsure of other alternatives.

Starbucks is knocking down the suggested retail price for its packaged grounds. The discounts, set to begin May 10, will cover the Seattle coffee giant's packaged coffee in U.S. grocery stores and other retailers, but not at its ever-present coffee shops, said company spokesman Zack Hutson. The price drop also covers the company's Seattle's Best brand. Prices will drop an average of 10%, he said. For example, the price for a 12-ounce bag of Starbucks coffee -- ground or whole-bean -- will drop to $8.99 from $9.99, while a 12-ounce bag of Seattle's Best will also drop a dollar, to $6.99.

Major expansion plans brewing at Starbucks Coffee Co. will stretch the Seattle java giant by adding about 2,400 outlets in two years to give it more than 20,000 stores on six continents. The company also plans to renovate thousands of locations in the region, executives said at the company's biennial investor conference Wednesday. And Starbucks said it is on track to double its system of delivering packaged goods to grocery stores and other vendors to create a revenue stream that eventually would rival the size and profitability of its café locations.

WASHINGTON -- When Obama administration officials and congressional lawmakers take a break from their wrangling over the "fiscal cliff" to grab some Starbucks coffee, they'll get a message right on their cup imploring them to strike a deal. Employees in Starbucks Corp.'s Washington stores will write "Come Together" on customers' cups in hopes of pushing policymakers to avoid the tax increases and federal spending cuts coming on Tuesday. "Rather than be bystanders, we have an opportunity -- and I believe a responsibility -- to use our company's scale for good by sending a respectful and optimistic message to our elected officials to come together and reach common ground on this important issue," Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz said on the company's blog Wednesday.

Rather than dump its coffee grounds and unsold baked goods into landfills or incinerators, Starbucks is trying to be more productive with its food waste - by transforming it into plastic and laundry detergent. At a biorefinery set up by the City University of Hong Kong, scientists are testing some of the 4,500 tons of stale pastries and coffee bean bits produced annually by Starbucks Hong Kong, according to the American Chemical Society . The organic matter is blended with a mixture of fungi, where enzymes break down carbohydrates in the food into simple sugars.

Starbucks Coffee Co. has opened its newest outlet at 520 Las Posas Road, in Camarillo's Las Posas Plaza shopping center. A fund-raiser benefiting Casa Pacifica followed Friday's grand opening. Officials of the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce took part in the opening.

Starbucks Coffee Co. is shifting its advertising account to BBDO West in Los Angeles from Goodby Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. Billings are estimated at $10 million. Starbucks cited differences with Goodby on a "future path for advertising" as the cause of the split. Scott Bedbury, Starbucks' marketing chief, wouldn't comment on the disagreement.

The Starbucks Coffee Co. will open its second and third Pasadena stores on Saturday. Business at the Lake Avenue store in Pasadena has been brisk since opening a year ago, said Starbucks regional manager Wendy Collie. Gourmet coffee shops have been popping up regularly in and around Old Town Pasadena. One of the new Starbucks shops is in Old Town on West Colorado Boulevard. The other is on East Foothill Boulevard in the Hastings Ranch shopping Center.

WASHINGTON -- When Obama administration officials and congressional lawmakers take a break from their wrangling over the "fiscal cliff" to grab some Starbucks coffee, they'll get a message right on their cup imploring them to strike a deal. Employees in Starbucks Corp.'s Washington stores will write "Come Together" on customers' cups in hopes of pushing policymakers to avoid the tax increases and federal spending cuts coming on Tuesday. "Rather than be bystanders, we have an opportunity -- and I believe a responsibility -- to use our company's scale for good by sending a respectful and optimistic message to our elected officials to come together and reach common ground on this important issue," Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz said on the company's blog Wednesday.

Starbucks is knocking down the suggested retail price for its packaged grounds. The discounts, set to begin May 10, will cover the Seattle coffee giant's packaged coffee in U.S. grocery stores and other retailers, but not at its ever-present coffee shops, said company spokesman Zack Hutson. The price drop also covers the company's Seattle's Best brand. Prices will drop an average of 10%, he said. For example, the price for a 12-ounce bag of Starbucks coffee -- ground or whole-bean -- will drop to $8.99 from $9.99, while a 12-ounce bag of Seattle's Best will also drop a dollar, to $6.99.

Major expansion plans brewing at Starbucks Coffee Co. will stretch the Seattle java giant by adding about 2,400 outlets in two years to give it more than 20,000 stores on six continents. The company also plans to renovate thousands of locations in the region, executives said at the company's biennial investor conference Wednesday. And Starbucks said it is on track to double its system of delivering packaged goods to grocery stores and other vendors to create a revenue stream that eventually would rival the size and profitability of its café locations.

Some coffee aficionados have a difficult decision to make: Spend $7 on a full lunch or on a single cup of Starbucks coffee? The brew in question: the Seattle giant's new Costa Rica Finca Palmilera, its most expensive offering ever and also one of its rarest. The coffee is part of the company's Reserve line and costs $7 for a grande - a 16-ounce cup. An 8-ounce package of beans costs $40. The uber-premium beans and brew are available only in 46 Starbucks stores in Portland and Seattle, a licensed store in Idaho and Starbucks' Roy Street Coffee & Tea offshoot in Washington.

Starbucks Coffee Co. will buy Teavana Holdings Inc. for $620 million in cash as the coffee giant powers deeper into the tea market. The $15.50-a-share price is lower than the $17 a share at which Teavana was priced for its public debut last July. The stock opened at $28.95 a share but has since slumped heavily to close at $10.13 a share Tuesday. But after Starbucks' afternoon announcement Wednesday, Teavana shares surged as much as 59% to $16.06 a share. Starbucks said it plans to expand Teavana's existing 300 mall-based stores while adding a “high-profile neighborhood store concept.” The tea company was attractive, Starbucks executives said, because of its industry expertise and global sourcing network.

Rather than dump its coffee grounds and unsold baked goods into landfills or incinerators, Starbucks is trying to be more productive with its food waste - by transforming it into plastic and laundry detergent. At a biorefinery set up by the City University of Hong Kong, scientists are testing some of the 4,500 tons of stale pastries and coffee bean bits produced annually by Starbucks Hong Kong, according to the American Chemical Society . The organic matter is blended with a mixture of fungi, where enzymes break down carbohydrates in the food into simple sugars.

Starbucks Coffee Co. will continue expanding beyond its coffee-serving cafes with its first stand-alone tea shop. The store, which will operate under the company's Tazo brand, is scheduled to open in the fall in a Seattle shopping center across town from Starbucks' headquarters. It will feature a staff-run blending bar where customers can mix their own tea from more than 80 loose-leaf choices. They also will be able to choose among iced teas, tea lattes and full-leaf tea sachets.

In hopes of upgrading its pastry offerings, Starbucks Coffee Co. plans to spend $100 million to acquire the San Francisco artisan bakery Bay Bread and its La Boulange brand. The company's pastries are made using fresh and locally sourced ingredients favored by its French founder, Pascal Rigo. His operation runs 19 La Boulange stores in the Bay Area that sell croissants, pastries, cookies, breads and more. Starbucks said Monday that it was acquiescing to customer demand for "more wholesome and delicious food options" by rolling out products created by Rigo at U.S. Starbucks stores, starting in the San Francisco area in early 2013.

Starbucks Coffee Co. is planning to add artisan breads and pastries to its menu, spending $100 million in cash to buy Bay Area bakery brand La Boulange. Acquiescing to customer demand for “more wholesome and delicious food options,” the Seattle cafe giant said Monday that it will buy San Francisco-based Bay Bread and hire French baker Pascal Rigo from investment group Next World Group. Rigo's “secret and storied recipes,” which involve fresh ingredients and locally-sourced produce, will be integrated in Starbucks-owned stores across the U.S., starting in the San Francisco area.

Starbucks Coffee Co.'s foray into juice is bearing fruit (and vegetables), with its first Evolution Fresh store now open and selling “wholesome products” in Bellevue, Wash. The Seattle coffee giant, hoping for an entryway into the burgeoning healthful lifestyle industry, bought San Bernardino-based Evolution Fresh Inc. in November for $30 million . The juice company, created by Naked Juice founder Jimmy Rosenberg, uses fresh fruits and vegetables and employs a process called high-pressure processing that produces the juice without heat to retain more nutrients and flavors.

Starbucks Coffee Co. is planning to add artisan breads and pastries to its menu, spending $100 million in cash to buy Bay Area bakery brand La Boulange. Acquiescing to customer demand for “more wholesome and delicious food options,” the Seattle cafe giant said Monday that it will buy San Francisco-based Bay Bread and hire French baker Pascal Rigo from investment group Next World Group. Rigo's “secret and storied recipes,” which involve fresh ingredients and locally-sourced produce, will be integrated in Starbucks-owned stores across the U.S., starting in the San Francisco area.