Starbucks opended its first store in Seattle in 1971 and was known for brewing some of the best fresh-roasted whole bean coffees.

Starbucks opended its first store in Seattle in 1971 and was known for brewing some of the best fresh-roasted whole bean coffees. When Howard Schultz became CEO in 1987, Starbucks had 17 stores in the U.S. and Canada. As of 2015 Starbucks has over 21,000 stores in 66 countries. This includes approximately 12,000 in the U.S. One country that Starbucks does not a store in is the country that gave Schultz his inspiration - Italy. The Italian coffeehouse market is highly competitive and Italy is very protective of its own coffeehouses.