Howard Schultz is NOT the Sole Founder of Starbucks!
Howard Schultz is such an iconic retail industry leader and so synonymous with the Starbucks brand that most people just assume that he is the founder of Starbucks. In fact, though, it was Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker who opened the first coffee store named Starbucks in Seattle, Washington in 1971. That first Starbucks just sold coffee beans and coffee machines, not prepared beverages or food like the Starbucks stores today.
Howard Schultz was hired to be the Director of Retail Operations in 1982, and he convinced the founders to open a store that served beverages in 1984.
Schultz ended up buying the Starbucks company from the founders in 1987 and he is credited with being the founder of the Starbucks coffeehouse concept and building the value of the Starbucks brand, not with starting the Starbucks company.
Much of what is associated today with the Starbucks brand, products, services, and customer experience were created by Howard Schultz.
Since he is still the current CEO, he can be given credit for fashioning the Starbucks mission, vision and values - or at least approving them.