Evan Hefer's 'Black Coffee For A Cause'

I set out to find a place to begin my observations, not knowing what to fully expect, what I may find. So I decided to look around at what is close to my home that isn’t a place I frequent or have even visited at all. Then it came to me, the Starbucks that is only about a mile away is a perfect place for me to observe subjects that I would consider different from myself, seeing as how I consider such obscene prices for coffee ridiculous. Starbucks is a very popular chain of coffee vendors that describe their product as more about quality than what Americans are used to in typical coffee joints.

Coffee brews under a drip of scalding water, beans grind in the gears of a metal mechanism set atop the bar, and the chatter of patrons syncs with the sound of steaming milk in each Starbucks cafe chain. Like most cafes, the aroma of Arabica overwhelms all others, natural light shines in through the windows to touch the wooden tables, and the murmurs of conversations can be heard throughout the edifice. However, whereas the plebeian palate that feigns good taste finds pleasure in drinking coffee in its most basic form so that the true flavors of the drink might be relished, the rising youth of our post-modern society realize that coffee is best prepared when the taste of the bean is overwhelmed by various artificial flavors and sugars—undoubtedly cancerous but utterly unimportant. These developing connoisseurs of high society, with all their charm and intelligence, make it clear that Starbucks is the only cafe from which anyone who is anyone must buy one’s coffee. Starbucks, truly a place for the cultural and coffee elite, consistently attracts three intriguingly eccentric and completely loyal customers of both sharp wit and fine intellect: the female Women’s Studies major, the flagrant homosexual male, and the out-of-place conservative.

There are a number of significant competitive barriers within the coffee bean and coffee grind industry. While virtually any firm can purchase the raw materials or even the finished product in the form of ground coffee, the packaging and distribution of the product is a much more sophisticated endeavor. The most significant

For most working-class Americans, the first thought in the morning after waking up is typically: “I need coffee!” “The most widely used stimulant in the general population is caffeine, which is available in many food sources, including coffee, tea, and chocolate” (Lieberman, 49). Yes of course, these days a lot of people have coffee makers so easily they can score their first cup of “Joe” at home. But for those that don’t have the luxury of brewing a double shot espresso in the comfort of their humble abode tend to look for fast and convenient establishments that can serve them a latte` on the run. Starbucks is a well-known coffee house that is famous for their coffee and branded retail merchandise. Big time competitor Panera Bread is another well-known bakery that has a slimmer coffee selection but includes a larger bakery as well as dining room for guests to spread out and feel more comfortable. Although Starbucks and Panera Bread have

20 million Americans drank gourmet coffee daily in 2003. As a result of this amount of coffee lovers that can’t start their day without coffee, Keurig. Inc had the idea that they should be able to brew their own perfect cup of coffee any time they need. People started paying $1.50 or more for a cup of gourmet coffee at coffee shops like Starbucks. This gave Keurig. Inc the idea of offering coffees in a single-cup proportion size to offices. After the placement of Keurig brewers, gourmet coffee sales increased by 40% in the U.S at-home coffee market. According to that big percent Keurig management wanted to develop an at-home single cup coffee brewer for coffee lovers. Keurig Inc. targets customers

Carole Roy, the co-owner of the Café had spent eight years in California before her whole family moving back to Sudbury. She was missing the taste of California coffee but could not find the right beans in any shop. She decided to contact the coffee farmers by herself, roast and make her own coffee at home. “It was all started in my basement,” she said. There is no genius in the world, when people just stared to do something that they barely know before. Carole was self-trained on roasting and barista. “You have no idea how much beans I have burn while I am learning

As for other coffee consumption facts, brewing coffee at home declined from 2006-2011 with 75% of total coffee sales made “away from home” (High Beam Business, 2012). Furthermore, an interesting study revealed the growth in this target market: “another new and large growing target market within the coffee industry is college-age students and post graduate individuals residing in urban areas. These two segments account for the largest portion of coffee drinkers” (Scribd, 2012, Marketing

In general the coffeehouse industry in the United States was experiencing an increase in coffee consumption per capita due to the “Starbucks effect”. At this time Starbucks was operating approximately 20,000 stores in the United States and was living a fast expansion strategy worldwide.

Understanding the market conditions and competitive environment that a company operates is an imperative for its success. Notably, the market conditions and competitive dynamics in an industry have a direct impact on the operations and strategies of a company and consequently its ability to achieve its business and corporate objectives. Keurig Green Mountain is a speciality coffee company in the United States Food and Beverage Appliance manufacturing industry; it was founded in the year 1981. Keurig a market leader in coffee blends and portions market in the United States is also ranked among the 50 best manufacturers in the country by the IndustryWeek. Keurig product line comprises of diverse beverages including coffees, teas, hot cocoa, other beverages and, products such as appliances, portion packs, ground coffee and coffee beans. The company’s has grown tremendously since its inception into the industry and this is attributable to its highly diversified product line; it has more than 400 types of coffee blends and technological innovations. This research paper presents an analysis of the market conditions of Keurig coffees.

The demand for coffee shops is born from the increased number of individuals seeking coffee brewed outside of the home. This creates a larger market for coffee shops. An increased amount of people are starting their mornings off by purchasing breakfast and a cup of coffee away from home (Tuttle 2014), more people are enjoying gourmet coffee (NCA National Coffee Drinking Trends 2015 Infographic), and younger generations are demanding more coffee and coffee drinks from coffee shops (Tuttle 2014, S&D Coffee and Tea inc. 2014, Statista 2015). Coffee shops must compete with at home coffee, work place coffee, and teas for the caffeinated beverage markets (LN 2015). Demand for coffee within different markets varies, and provides competition for coffee shops. Single cup coffee makers, increasingly qualitative instant coffees, and gourmet beans are all sources of competition that could satisfy the demand for coffee. However, coffee shops are becoming more ingrained in social

Mission Statement – Our mission has always been to save the world from mediocre coffee.

In the early 1980’s Howard Schultz, became captivated and saw possibilities in the fledgling specialty coffee market as he studied and observed that only a few Independent specialty coffee roasters existed and most of these businesses were small operations without large advertising budgets. Schultz recognized that many companies such as Peet’s and Starbucks had an enthusiastic base of regular customers who were

Starbucks first opened its doors in Seattle’s Pike Place Market with the name being coined from that of Moby Dick’s first mate (Schultz & Yang 1999). It has spread its shops across North America, all over Europe, the Middle East, Latin America as well as the Pacific Rim with an estimated 35 million customer weekly (Michelli, 2008). With tremendous growth from a small time coffee shop, the company has matured to an international icon that today it is one of the world’s leading retailer, roaster and brand specialty coffee (Story, 1971). The company offers whole bean coffees, espresso beverages, and confectionery and bakery items.

“The coffee plant, was discovered in Ethiopia in the 11th Century, has a white blossom that smells like jasmine and a red, cherry-like fruit” (Turkishcoffeeworld.com 1). Because it is such an easy beverage to consume and is around every street corner it is worth a lot of money. The founder and CEO of Starbuck Corp, Howard Schultz believes that his cooperation will bring in a grand total of $100 billion dollars, doubling what they have made in the past. Because it is something legal for us to consume we consume it is many ways, pills, beans, drinks, coffee in candy bars, and flavored energy drinks that taste just like coffee. Coffee shops swarm the streets, not only the original shops such as Starbucks and the now known Dutch Brothers, but if you are not into baristas wearing clothes, than you can always go to a shop where half naked girls serve you coffee, or guys with

The cause of this case study is to evaluate and recognize Starbucks growth in the past decades. Starbucks was established in 1971. The industry for coffee at the time was in decline for almost a decade. The consumption of coffee back then was mostly at home or “Away from home” either with a meal at dinner or restaurant. In larger cities like New York or San Francisco they have specialty coffee roasters for example Peet’s. The main goal of Schultz was aiming with that mentality to roast and vend great coffee (CRAIG, BUSSE, BROWN, “Aplia” Kellogg 1). By 1982 they had five retail outlets that served coffee beans and supplies for home but at the time they weren’t served prepared. As the growth of Starbucks is