At which university did Starbucks' three founders first meet?
Answer
University of San Francisco
At which university did Starbucks' three founders first meet? They first met at the University of San Francisco.
Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker were students there before launching Starbucks together in Seattle. Their shared interest in coffee grew after they encountered the influence of Alfred Peet, whose Berkeley coffee business helped inspire their focus on quality beans and equipment.
The trio opened the first Starbucks store at Seattle's Pike Place Market in 1971. The original business primarily sold roasted coffee beans, tea, spices, and brewing equipment—not the espresso drinks for which the modern chain is best known.
A common mix-up is confusing the founders' university with the company's birthplace. Starbucks began in Seattle, but its three founders' university connection was San Francisco's University of San Francisco.