Thanks to YOU and our passion for coffee, today Zagat Survey® ranked Starbucks #1 Best Coffee in the Fast Food and Quick Refreshment categories and as the #1 Most Popular Quick Refreshment Chain. Zagat Survey ® rates and reviews companies based on thousands of opinions and is recognized as a leading source for consumer information. Your opinion matters and we thank you for this recognition and the ideas you share with us at My Starbucks Idea. Please chime in and share your thoughts and ideas with us about this exciting news... Cheers! Michelle Gass executive vice president, Marketing and Category ® Registered trademark of Zagat Survey, LLC, used with permission. Within the Quick Refreshment … more »

We frequently host visitors at our Starbucks Support Center in Seattle – literally from around the world. They talk to our partners from our Farmer Support Centers in origin countries, they hear how our buyers walk the farms in 28 countries to find the best 3% of the world’s coffee beans, they watch our master roasters in action and hear about the “2nd pop” that gives our coffee it’s one-of-a-kind taste, they learn about our Shared Planet practices and what that means for our relationships with Fair Trade, Conservation International and Product (RED), as well as for coffee farming communities to the local neighborhoods we serve. …and the stories go on and … more »

Hi Everyone! Today, July 21, was “Free Pastry Day” at a participating Starbucks store near you. To show you how excited we are about our new food offerings, Starbucks offered customers a free pastry with purchase of a brewed or hand-crafted beverage. “Free Pastry Day” started when the stores opened and ran until 10:30 a.m. (or while supplies lasted). Starbucks offers a long list of new morning goodies, which are now free of artificial flavors, dyes, trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup. My favorite, which gets me moving in the morning, is the Banana Walnut Bread. Paired with my favorite morning drink, it’s a great start to the day. I encourage you to try something … more »

The Mini Starbucks Card is a convenient way to always have your Starbucks Experience at your finger tips – just clip it to whatever you like (keys, gym bag, etc.) and continue to enjoy your on-the-go lifestyle. I clipped mine to my racing bike, so I am never without a doppio espresso when I need it - I just cycle to a Starbucks store and swipe my Mini Starbucks Card – no wallet required! My friend Sally has hers clipped to her dog’s leash, making it a convenient stop for both of them on their daily walk. The Mini Starbucks Card works just like a Starbucks Card; register it to enjoy rewards, benefits and to protect your balance too! Yesterday we had a contest to see who could … more »

Hello, Chris here. I’m the lead product developer for the new Gluten-free Orange Valencia Cake. Today, I’d like to share a behind the scenes look into the development of a delicious and gluten-free cake. We start with just seven simple ingredients (eggs, Valencia orange pulp, almonds, sugar, orange peel, gluten-free baking powder, and orange oil) and carefully blend them together in small batches at our partner bakery. Because gluten can easily contaminate through pans, tools and even in the air, the bakery has a special gluten-free zone with dedicated equipment, pans and washing stations. After the cake batter is made, it’s transferred to the batter depositor that pushes batter … more »

One of the fun things about working on MyStarbucksIdea is that sometimes an idea comes in to the site and to the company at large that is so timely and perfectly expressed that everyone both in the community and the company immediately gets excited about it On 10/7 BillMac posted an idea called " Free Cup of Starbucks Coffee for Voters " and a similar theme was echoed by JavaOcha, Geraldo, rsj211, epiphanygalore, and a few others. Basically all of you thought it would be a great idea to encourage voting by offering free coffee to those who vote. BillMac’s idea rocketed to the top 10 of currently popular ideas. This idea coincided perfectly with the launch of Shared Planet last … more »

Many of you are probably aware of the (PRODUCT)RED relationship we started at the onset of our holiday promotion in late November. So far, with your help, we’ve been able to generate funds that could provide more than 1.4 million daily doses of medicine to help save lives in Africa. This may help to provide 3,800 people with the necessary medication to fight HIV/AIDS for one year. This is an amazing milestone and we are so proud of what we have collectively done so far! We have been talking a lot about how we can extend our partnership with (PRODUCT)RED throughout 2009. We have heard some feedback from you that the (STARBUCKS)RED EXCLUSIVE beverages are something you enjoy but are concerned … more »