Howard Schultz visited Italy to look for coffee beans suppliers and was hit by the romance of coffee and community there. He thought that Starbucks should not just sell coffee beans, but coffee drinks as well. He was able to relate to how coffee in Italy has fostered a sense of community within everybody.
After a week in Italy, he went back to Seattle and was so energized with the idea that he convinced everybody that they have to open a coffee bar, Milan-style: standing up and having light food. Coffee-to-go became a hit in Seattle and everything started to fall into place. However, they had lots of challenges along the way…