Starbuck's Buys Competitors; Coffee Market Reminiscent of John Steinbeck's The Pearl
I have friends in Seattle who insist on boycotting Starbuck's because it's so establishment. Their choice: Seattle's Best Coffee, of course! A few years ago I noticed that SBC, itself well on its way to becoming pedestrian having agreed to hawk its beans in Target stores, quietly launched a new boutique brand, Torrefazione Italia. For those that find Starbuck's to be the Gap of coffee (clean, cozy and inviting, if somewhat standardized in their ambience), Torrefazione boutiques feel much more chic. Where I've been in them (Portland and San Francisco), the look is much more sophisticated, with rich colours, tall backed chairs beckon and tea served in lively ceramic tea pots. It's a nice change from the Starbuck's feel, which is so pervasive these days it has crept into my local airport (in multiple places), my local grocery store and there are two of them on the same block just down from my office. But, alas, it would appear that whether the powers that be decide to keep the brands alive or consolidate them into ever more Starbucks locations, the fact remains: you can have any kind of coffee you like -- so long as it's Starbucks.
