Who were the three original founders of Starbucks?

The three original founders of Starbucks were Gordon Bowker, Jerry Baldwin, and Zev Siegl.

The trio opened the first Starbucks store in Seattle in 1971. Baldwin and Siegl had studied at the University of San Francisco, while Bowker was a writer and entrepreneur. Their early business focused on selling roasted coffee beans and related products.

Howard Schultz is often mistakenly included among the founders because he became the company’s most recognizable leader and bought Starbucks in 1987. He did not establish the original 1971 store.

The founders were influenced by Alfred Peet, whose coffee business helped inspire their interest in quality roasted beans. Starbucks later developed a much broader café model under Schultz’s leadership.