This is where it all started. Starbucks was the coffee-drinking first mate from Herman Melville's classic American novel, Moby Dick. The seafaring name is right for a store that started by importing the world's finest coffees to the cold, thirsty people of Seattle.

Enter Howard Schultz. Howard's contribution was to realise the potential of the coffee culture. Inspired by a trip to Italy, he recognised a huge opportunity. And after trying lattes and cappuccinos, it appears Howard was spot on, as Seattle goes crazy for coffee. Howard set about creating a company that put caring for its people and its community at its heart. As a result all employees own a part of Starbucks - making them partners who benefit from its success.

Things take off. And fast. The demand for great coffee allows Starbucks to expand beyond Seattle, first to the rest of the United States and then further afield. After becoming one of the first companies to offer stock options to its part-time employees, Starbucks becomes a publicly traded company. Our journey in the UK began in 1998, when we acquired 65 Seattle Coffee Company stores.

We're something of a phenomenon. We've got more than 16,000 stores around the world and as well as our great coffees and espresso drinks, our range now includes Tazo® and Frappuccino® ice blended beverages too

We're not just creating communities on the street - we're also doing it online, making us a leading global digital brand. We've got over 350,000 Facebook fans in the UK (and over 11 million globally). And nearly 1 million Twitter followers too. So as well as sharing updates with our customers, we also get immediate global feedback too. And let's not forget our iPhone app - where you can find out more about your local store, or your favourite Starbucks food and drinks in an instant.