On Monday, Starbucks chief executive officer Laxman Narasimhan unveiled Starbucks new mission and brand promises. Read on for the story behind it.&nbsp;

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For the first two decades of Starbucks history, the company only had a handful of stores, all within driving distance of one another, and the ethos of the company mostly was shared by word-of-mouth. But by 1990, the company had grown from the Pacific Northwest to Chicago and Vancouver, Canada, with plans to open new stores in California and the East Coast.

Starbucks leaders at that time gathered at an offsite retreat to draft the company’s first mission statement. More than a roadmap, they wanted to articulate not only where they wanted to go, but also how they were going to get there. The result was an ambitious vision that seemed almost fantastical for a little company of only 75 espresso bars: “To establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we grow.”

That bold, inaugural aspiration to build a different kind of company was supported by guiding principles that <a href="#1990">put people first and profits last</a>. Their words became touchstones as the company opened thousands of stores in neighborhoods across the country and eventually around the world. The mission and principles became part of a shared language, an expression of the company’s foundational values and a commitment to one other.

Over the years, Starbucks has continually recast its mission and principles to adapt to the changing needs of partners, the business, and the world outside. In 2008, during a transformative gathering of 10,000 store managers for the Leadership Conference in New Orleans, Starbucks unveiled what has become known as <a href="#2008">Our Starbucks Mission</a>: “To nurture and inspire the human spirit – one person, one cup, one neighborhood at a time.” <a href="#2014">In 2014</a>, Starbucks mission’s guiding principles were updated with a set of values underscored by a commitment to be “performance-driven through the lens of humanity.”

A new moment. A new mission.

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In March 2023, Laxman Narasimhan took over the reins as Starbucks ceo following a unique six-month immersion unlike any other in Starbucks history. As he charts a new course for the company during an unprecedented time, he is unveiling a new mission that serves as an homage to Starbucks past, while evolving toward a new future. The mission is simple: “With every cup, with every conversation, with every community – we nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection.”

This new mission recognizes that connection is a fundamental human need. Study after study indicates high rates of loneliness as a public health concern, and there’s a desperate need for togetherness. Now, human connection is expressly part of the company’s mission. It also expands its sphere from “neighborhoods” to “communities,” inviting people in both stores and digital spaces to be part of the conversation.

“We live in a world that is highly disconnected, there's just a desperate need for togetherness. Loneliness, division and polarization have become far too common,” Narasimhan said. “The everyday ritual of coffee is a powerful way to connect – with yourself and with others. With our global community of trusted green-apron partners, amplified by our beloved brand and digital experiences, we are uniquely positioned for this moment.”

Underpinning the mission are a set of six promises for key Starbucks stakeholders, including partners, customers, farmers, communities, the environment and shareholders. Each of the six new promises is interrelated and interchangeable, ensuring mutual success for all. Starbucks plans to collaborate with partners in the coming months to create a set of values to accompany the new mission and promises.

“Starbucks has always strived to be a different kind of company,” Narasimhan said. “The new mission links directly with this idea.”

Evolution of Starbucks Mission

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Starbucks first mission statement, in 1990, guided the company for nearly two decades as it grew from fewer than 100 stores to more than 16,000.

Starbucks Mission Statement and Guiding Principles Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we grow.

The following guiding principles will help us measure the appropriateness of our decisions:

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Starbucks mission evolves to reflect a bold ambition during a time of transformation centered on the idea of coffee and connection. Six supporting principles declare its dedication to coffee, partners, customers, stores, neighborhoods and shareholders.

Our Starbucks Mission (2008-2023) To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

Here are the principles of how we live that every day:

Our Coffee: It has always been and will always be about quality. We’re passionate about ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting them with great care.

Our Partners: We’re called partners, because it’s not just a job, it’s our passion. Together, we embrace diversity to create a place where each of us can be ourselves. We always treat each other with respect and dignity. And we hold each other to that standard.

Our Customers: When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers – even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of a perfectly made beverage, but our work goes far beyond that. It’s really about human connection.

Our Stores: When our customers feel this sense of belonging, our stores become a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet with friends. It’s about enjoyment at the speed of life – sometimes slow and savored, sometimes faster. Always full of humanity.

Our Neighborhood: Every store is part of a community, and we take our responsibility to be good neighbors seriously. We want to be invited in wherever we do business. We can be a force for positive action – bringing together our partners, customers, and the community to contribute every day. Now we see that our responsibility – and our potential for good – is even larger. The world is looking to Starbucks to set the new standard, yet again. We will lead.

Our Shareholders: We know that as we deliver in each of these areas, we enjoy the kind of success that rewards our shareholders. We are fully accountable to get each of these elements right so that Starbucks – and everyone it touches – can endure and thrive.

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While the mission statement itself remained unchanged with the update in 2014, the supporting guiding principles were replaced by a set of values centered on partners, coffee and customers – and underscored by a commitment to being “performance-driven through the lens of humanity.”

Our Mission (2008-2023) To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.

Our Values With our partners, our coffee and our customers at our core, we live these values:

Starbucks evolves its mission to focus on the limitless possibilities of human connection.

Our Mission With every cup, with every conversation, with every community – we nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection.

Our Promise The mutual success we collectively commit to:

Our partner promise: Bridge to a better future

Our customer promise: Uplift the everyday

Our farmer promise: Ensure the future of coffee for all

Our community promise: Contribute positively

Our environmental promise: Give more than we take

Our shareholder promise: Generate long-term returns

Starbucks is evolving its mission statement centered on the idea of nurturing the limitless possibilities of human connection.

A new mission for Starbucks

Starbucks Canada

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2023/a-new-mission-for-starbucks/

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Photos by Taylor Kelliher, Joshua Trujillo, Connor Surdi

Laxman Narasimhan took the helm of Starbucks as the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2023/laxman-narasimhan-assumes-role-of-starbucks-chief-executive-officer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new chief executive officer</a> on Monday, but before that, he spent almost six months being mentored by Howard Schultz, meeting with hundreds of partners (employees) around the world, earning his barista certification, and diving into the world of coffee. As Starbucks welcomes Narasimhan to his new role as ceo at today’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders, we take a look back at the people he has met across the company and around the world.&nbsp;

“It’s been a remarkable experience for me – from our origins, where we buy coffee from over a half a million farmers, through our roasting plans, our distribution centers, and into our stores,” Narasimhan said. “This immersion has been an incredible journey and a gift.”&nbsp;

Narasimhan was welcomed as incoming chief executive officer of Starbucks with a coffee tasting in the place where it all began – at <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2015/store-tour-inside-1912-pike-place-seattle-usa/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Seattle’s Pike Place market store</a>. Soon after, he met&nbsp; Starbucks partners <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/incoming-starbucks-ceo-meets-partners-at-open-forum-shares-personal-journey/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">at his first open forum</a> on Sept. 8, 2022, three weeks before he officially joined the company Oct. 1. When Schultz, then interim chief executive officer, introduced Narasimhan to partners, he said that “the leader of Starbucks, the future of the company, must be steeped in humility and must have an innate understanding of humanity.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Schultz said as he got to know Narasimhan, he said he was stuck by his experience and leadership qualities. “I know we're going to be in great hands and I can promise you he is going to make us a better company.”&nbsp;

Listening and learning&nbsp;

Narasimhan worked with Schultz to create a unique immersion to learn about the Starbucks culture and the business.&nbsp;

“This time with Howard in stores, in the roasting plants, with partners, with investors, with customers – it's an incredible opportunity for me to be learning from one of the best entrepreneurs in the world,” Narasimhan said.&nbsp;

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Narasimhan began immersion as incoming ceo by earning his barista certification with four weeks of in-store training and visits to more than 30 stores around the world – working the drive-thru window, learning the point-of-sale system and perfecting the topping of a Pumpkin Spice Latte.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I thought it was very important for me to put myself in the shoes of the partners and really understand what they do and how they do it,” Narasimhan said. “There were things I learned through experience in all of this. It taught me a lot.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Alli Mendoza, a barista in Houston, was one of the partners who trained Narasimhan on the espresso bar. “People ask me what it’s like to train the ceo, like ‘Really, how was it?’” Mendoza said. “He loved interacting with people, he loves laughing and making people laugh. He just wants to learn and be a ceo who’s there for us.”&nbsp;

Coffee &amp; connection&nbsp;

In his visits to Starbucks stores, Narasimhan sat down with store managers, district managers and regional directors for their input and guidance. He said, “One piece of advice I hope to really live by was actually a question I was asked by a terrific store manager: ‘Did you earn your green apron today?’ It really got me reflective and thinking about how I could end each day in the future with that question, and hope that most days, the answer would be ‘yes.’”&nbsp;

The world of coffee&nbsp;

Narasimhan experienced the journey of Starbucks coffee from the first 10 feet to the last, starting from the fields where coffee is grown (such as Hacienda Alsacia above), to roasting plants in the United States and Europe, and Starbucks stores in London, Amsterdam, Japan, and the United States. Along the way, Narasimhan sipped countless cups of coffee. His favorite? Coffee from Guatemala.&nbsp;

Embracing innovation&nbsp;

Whether it’s hand-delivering a new cold foam blender to baristas in Seattle or testing out the virtual reality training for the new Clover Vertica™ in Minneapolis, Narasimhan has taken a hands-on approach to <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/recipe-for-reinvention-starbucks-unveils-innovations-for-better-customer-barista-experiences/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new technologies to help create a better store experience</a> for partners and customers.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Celebrating with partners is one of the best part parts of the ceo job at Starbucks. In November, he attended his first <a href="https://historias.starbucks.com/en-es/press/2022/starbucks-green-apron-partners-showcase-their-coffee-craft-and-skill-at-the-latin-america-and-caribbean-barista-championship/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Barista Championship</a> at Hacienda Alsacia recognizing Starbucks coffee craft and expertise. In December, Narasimhan traveled to Arizona State University to honor the 850 Starbucks partners in the Fall 2022 graduating class who earned bachelor’s degrees through Arizona State University with the <a href="https://www.starbucks.com/careers/working-at-starbucks/education/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Starbucks College Achievement Plan</a>. In February, he spent time with partners in the Milan Roastery for the debut of <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/starbucks-oleato-olive-oil-meets-coffee" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Starbucks Oleato</a> beverages.&nbsp;

“On a very personal level, I’m going to be very connected to our partners and to our customers in the experience that we deliver – human connection,” Narasimhan said. 

Annual Meeting of Shareholders

Narasimhan led his first Starbucks Annual Meeting of Shareholders, in Seattle, on March 23, joined by board chair Mellody Hobson (right) and the Starbucks senior leadership team, including Zabrina Jenkins (left) and AJ Jones II (second from left). &nbsp;

“These past six months have enabled me to listen, to learn, and to think about what the future of Starbucks looks like and what we need to do to get there,” Narasimhan said. “As the new ceo&nbsp;of Starbucks, I am confident that I know our business and our people well, but I will continue to learn and I'm excited to continue earning my green apron every day.”&nbsp;

As Starbucks welcomes Narasimhan to his new role as ceo at the Starbucks Annual Meeting of Shareholders, we take a look back at the people he has met across the company and around the world.

Laxman Narasimhan’s immersive training – from Starbucks barista to ceo

Photos: Laxman Narasimhan’s immersive training – from Starbucks barista to ceo

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2023/photos-laxman-narasimhans-immersive-training-from-starbucks-barista-to-ceo/

Today, Starbucks hosted its 30th annual meeting of shareholders virtually. Mellody Hobson, Starbucks Board of Directors chair, joined Kevin Johnson, president and chief executive officer, for opening remarks following today’s news that Johnson made the personal decision to retire from Starbucks after 13 years of service.

Following opening remarks, Johnson, joined by several members of the leadership team and green apron partners (employees) from around the world, went on to outline Starbucks continued investments and aspirations for people and the planet, and the company’s optimism for a future rooted in humanity, fueled by innovation, and architected by green apron partners.

Here are the important things to know about today’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders:

Starbucks announces leadership transition

Earlier today, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2022/starbucks-announces-leadership-transition/">Starbucks announced that Kevin Johnson intends to retire</a> after a 13-year tenure at the company, including the last five years as ceo. Johnson will transition from his current role effective April 4, 2022 and will continue to serve as a Starbucks partner and special consultant to the company and Board of Directors through September. To ensure seamless stewardship of the company until a permanent successor is named, the Board has appointed Howard Schultz as interim chief executive officer, effective April 4, 2022.

Building on the rich heritage of the company, Johnson established the People Positive, Planet Positive and Profit Positive framework that seeks to create a better world for Starbucks partners, farmers, customers and the communities it serves. He expanded the company’s reach through the Global Coffee Alliance with Nestlé, which now operates in nearly 80 markets, and established and executed the Growth at Scale agenda that significantly increased shareholder value.

Helping customers and partners divert waste from the landfill

Starbucks has spent the last few years testing, learning, and preparing to scale initiatives that help protect the planet as the company looks to a resource positive future. With a focus on waste reduction, Starbucks announced customers will be able to use their own personal reusable cup for every Starbucks visit in the U.S. and Canada – including in-store, in the drive-thru and via mobile order and pay – by the end of 2023. This is a big deal because currently, personal reusable cups are only accepted in-store. By 2025, Starbucks wants to create a cultural movement towards reusables by giving customers easy access to either a personal or a Starbucks-provided reusable cup for every visit.

And because Starbucks knows that putting items in the correct bin has a huge impact on diverting waste from the landfill, the company has also launched a waste and recycling app, developed by partners to navigate the ins-and-outs of recycling guidelines for their local store. Across Starbucks stores in the United States and Canada, there are over 440 unique ways to recycle, and previous to the app’s launch, over 8,000 of our stores were already doing some form of recycling. Learn more <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2022/starbucks-innovates-tests-and-learns-from-store-partners-to-achieve-waste-goals/">here</a>.

Recharge yourself and your car at Starbucks

Currently, Starbucks company-operated stores in the U.S. are powered with 100% renewable energy, and now we get to help power our customers cars with renewable energy. Beginning this summer, Volvo electric vehicle chargers, powered by ChargePoint, will be available at up to 15 Starbucks stores along a 1,350-mile route from the Colorado Rockies to the Starbucks Support Center (headquarters) in Seattle. We know infrastructure is the primary reason customers hesitate or decide not to purchase an electric vehicle. By providing charging infrastructure customers can count on, we are hoping to remove that barrier with the added benefit of being able to order your favorite Starbucks beverage while you wait.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Supporting communities around the world and being a People Positive company

Starbucks is committed to being People Positive – a bold aspiration to enhance the well-being of one billion people who connect with Starbucks by 2030 – rooted in opportunity, inclusion, and community. Starbucks, in partnership with The Starbucks Foundation, has committed to a series of announcements to support the People Positive aspiration and strengthen communities around the world, including:

&nbsp;1,000 Starbucks Community Stores by 2030

As part of the company’s goal to enhance the well-being of all who connect with Starbucks the company plans to open or dedicate 1,000 Starbucks Community Stores by 2030, building on the 150 already open around the globe. These stores seek to uplift communities by offering locally relevant programs and experiences that directly impact the neighborhoods they serve. Starbucks community stores deliver economic opportunity through local hiring and artist collaborations, working with diverse contractors, and creating spaces for people to come together or support local veterans and military families.

A more inclusive and accessible Starbucks Experience

Announced <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2022/starbucks-paves-way-for-more-inclusive-and-accessible-experiences-in-stores-around-the-world/">earlier this week,</a> Starbucks has committed to implementing physical and digital experiences that meet an elevated standards of accessibility by 2030. These new standards will offer customers more ways to communicate (visually, audibly and tactically) and provide more tools to navigate physical store environments. To advance these standards, Starbucks is testing technology solutions in select store locations including speech-to-text technology that provides a visual display for partners and customers placing or picking up an order, as well as new in-store order boards that update customers when their order is ready.

These efforts build on other accessibility offerings, including free <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-offers-aira-creating-accessible-experience-for-blind-and-low-vision-customers/">Aira</a> service for blind or low-vision customers, large-print and Braille menus at all stores in the U.S. and Canada, and the 11 Signing Stores that Starbucks operates globally, where baristas can connect to customers who are deaf or hard of hearing through sign language.

Listening and learning to elevate the partner experience

Starbucks reaffirmed its commitment to listening, learning, and working with partners to deliver measurable value for partners, customers, and shareholders. Starbucks reiterated its incremental $1 billion investment in wage, training, and benefits to include:

Introducing: Starbucks Clover Vertica Brewer

Starbucks has spent more than 50 years on a journey to perfect coffee and Starbucks is continuing its mission to innovate around coffee equipment and brewing. Starbucks will continue raising the bar on coffee by introducing our new proprietary single cup, on-demand brewer, Clover Vertica™, which reimagines the brewed coffee experience for partners (baristas) and customers by delivering a single cup of freshly brewed coffee with exquisite, beautifully pronounced flavors - in less than 30 seconds. The Clover Vertica™ brewer started rolling out this calendar year.

Woman barista in Navaho patterned mask hands beverage to customer

Here are the important things to know about today's Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Top things to know about Starbucks 2022 shareholders meeting

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2022/top-things-to-know-about-starbucks-2022-shareholders-meeting/

At Starbucks, we’ve always been about so much more than coffee.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Over the course of our 50 years, with the help of our partners, we have always looked for ways to help protect our planet. Starbucks is committed to being a resource positive company, testing and learning from pilot programs and quickly sharing solutions to reach more people and create more impact.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

We invest ahead of the growth curve and innovate by testing new technologies that help us learn how to create the best possible experiences for our partners and customers. This work is being done in our Tryer Center, at <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/take-a-virtual-trip-to-starbucks-coffee-farm-in-costa-rica/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hacienda Alsacia in Costa Rica</a>, in the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-announces-new-planet-and-people-positive-research-facility-in-partnership-with-arizona-state-university/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ASU-Starbucks Center for the Future of People and the Planet</a>, and through collaborative partnerships like our support of the <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-journey-to-sustainable-dairy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dairy Net Zero Initiative</a>, <a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/update-on-starbucks-journey-to-find-a-more-sustainable-cup/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Closed Loop Partners</a> and TONZ and the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance. &nbsp;

“We set a bold aspiration to become a resource positive company – to store more carbon than we emit, to eliminate waste and to conserve and replenish more freshwater than we use. This aspiration included setting ambitious 2030 targets to cut our carbon, water, and waste footprints in half,” said Michael Kobori, Starbucks chief sustainability officer. “Innovation is how we will build our next chapter, advance our planet positive impact, and boldly reimagine our future together.”&nbsp;

In support of the company’s goal to reduce waste sent to landfill from stores and direct operations, Starbucks is shifting away from single-use plastics, promoting reusability and championing the use of recycled content, driven by a broader shift towards a circular economy. &nbsp;

Promoting Reusables&nbsp;

Our Planet Positive commitment comes to life when we invite our customers to join our efforts and find ways to be more sustainable during their Starbucks experience, like choosing a reusable cup. The challenge is how to make choosing reusables as convenient as you expect from Starbucks. &nbsp;

Our goal by 2025 is to create a cultural movement towards reusables by giving customers easy access to a personal or Starbucks provided reusable cup for every visit making it convenient to reuse wherever customers are enjoying their Starbucks Experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

And by the end of next year, customers will be able to use their own personal reusable cup for every Starbucks visit in the US and Canada – including in café, drive-thru and mobile order and pay.&nbsp;

To help make reusables convenient for customers, we are testing multiple reusable programs and operating models:&nbsp;

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Store manager Kim Davis led one of the first stores to test Borrow a Cup in the U.S.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Customers were just so excited to try something new and my partners had a lot of pride in testing it and giving that feedback to make the program even better,” said Kim Davis, store manager. “I do think that everyone really does want to contribute to a better world, and if we can help them do that one cup at a time, that is our mission right there.”&nbsp;

Customer Incentives&nbsp;

In addition to unique operating models like “Borrow A Cup” and 100% Reusable Stores, Starbucks is exploring what incentivizes customer behavior change through a few ways:&nbsp;

Sustainable Packaging Solutions&nbsp;

While a shift to reusables cups is our primary strategy toward achieving our Planet Positive goals, finding better ways to manage waste with more sustainable packaging solutions is also a priority. &nbsp;

Upping the recycled content of our hot cups is a long-time commitment and an area where we can continue to lead. We are working on doubling the hot cup recycled content, and reducing the material used to make the cup and liner. The virgin paper used in our hot cup will be sustainably sourced and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. &nbsp;

This new cup should be rolling out in Fall 2022 and in all US markets by the end of 2024. &nbsp;

In further single use packaging optimization, we continue to replace traditional plastic straws with new compostable options around the globe. By the end of this year, will have eliminated PFAS from all packaging in the US and will eliminate PFAS globally in 2023. &nbsp;

Recycling Infrastructure

While our goals are focused on diversion from landfill, we also need a viable and more robust recycling industry. &nbsp;

The company is also launching a new Starbucks Partner Waste and Recycling App, developed by partners as part of the Greener Stores Innovation Challenge, designed to help partners navigate complex and unique store recycling guidelines. The app puts everything partners need to know to reduce waste and recycle in one place; it features store specific information and notifications, a sorting guide and the option to create store specific signage for partners and customers. &nbsp;

We will continue ongoing work with industry stakeholders like the NexGen Consortium to facilitate advancements in US recycling infrastructure. &nbsp;

We’ve committed an additional $5M to continue our work with NextGen to innovate to a more sustainable hot cup but also to work with the recycling industry to advance the recovery of foodservice packaging. &nbsp;

Starbucks has also signed on the WWF led Manifesto, coordinating a call to action from countries and businesses for the UN to establish a Global Plastics Treaty to prevent plastic waste and encourage a circular plastic economy &nbsp;

With new cup recycling markets coming online regularly, this March we will launch a mobile app for partners to help them understand what is recyclable and compostable in their markets.&nbsp;

Together, these experiments and innovations will help us reach our planet positive goals.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Starbucks is committed to being a resource positive company, testing and learning from pilot programs and quickly sharing solutions to reach more people and create more impact.

Starbucks Innovates, Tests and Learns from Store Partners to Achieve Waste Goals

https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2022/starbucks-innovates-tests-and-learns-from-store-partners-to-achieve-waste-goals-2/

News

A new mission for Starbucks

Photos: Laxman Narasimhan’s immersive training – from Starbucks barista to ceo

Top things to know about Starbucks 2022 shareholders meeting

Starbucks Innovates, Tests and Learns from Store Partners to Achieve Waste Goals