Founded in Seattle in 1971, Starbucks is a well recognized brand in the world. Best known for the distinguished taste and quality of its coffee and its customer experience, the Company is now worth more than $ 113 billion. Let’s take a look at some unknown facts about this popular coffee retailer.
Unknown facts about Starbucks
1) Although Howard Schultz is synonymous with Starbucks, the multinational coffee chain was first started by two teachers and a writer, Zev Siegl, Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker respectively. The three owners sold the Company to Schultz in 1987.
2) Starbucks was almost named Pequod, which was the name of the whaling ship in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. The Company changed Pequod to Starbucks, which was another character in Melville’s novel.
3) The Company has incredible business ethics and takes good care of its employees. Starbucks spends more money on its employees’ health insurance than on coffee beans.
4) Starbucks is very strict about anything interrupting the aroma of its freshly ground coffee as the aroma is a crucial part of the Starbucks experience. Starbucks banned smoking cigarettes inside its stores and does not allow its employees to wear any kind of perfume or cologne.
5) Starbucks established many secret stores around Seattle. These Starbucks stores are disguised as normal indie coffee shops. Among these secretive stores, Roy Street Coffee and Tea is the place where the Company tests its new recipes and products.
6) There is a Starbucks store inside the Langley, Virginia Complex of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA,) which is called “Stealthy Starbucks” or “Store No. 1.” The baristas in this store undergo critical examinations before getting hired.
7) The Company, following its eco friendly policy, has opened several stores inside retired shipping containers since 2011. These stores are generally used as drive throughs only.
8) A Starbucks grande coffee contains 320 milligrams of caffeine, which is four times the amount of caffeine you would find in a can of Red Bull.
With an annual revenue of $ 24.71 billion in 2018 and nearly 30,000 stores worldwide, Starbucks has established itself as the world’s best coffee retailer.
Which of these facts about Starbucks did you find interesting? Comment below and let us know.
Meta is developing its first true AR glasses, set to launch in 2027. Before the public release, employees will test the device starting in 2024. The company is also releasing new generations of Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2023 and 2025 with enhanced features like a “viewfinder” display.
Specifications and Features
The AR glasses are expected to feature OLED displays and Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, offering sophisticated AR and AI capabilities. They will enable users to interact with virtual objects and project high-quality holograms of avatars onto the real world.
Design and Competition
Meta aims for a sleek design, potentially building on its Ray-Ban partnerships. The AR glasses market is competitive, with Apple and Google also investing heavily. Meta seeks to make its AR glasses a game-changer by offering a unique user experience.
Future Plans
In addition to AR glasses, Meta is expanding its VR offerings with new headsets like the Quest 3 and exploring other wearable technologies. The company is focused on reducing costs to make the AR glasses more consumer-friendly by launch.
MobiKwik is venturing into the stock broking sector with the launch of its subsidiary, MobiKwik Securities Broking Private Limited (MSBPL), following approval from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on March 3, 2025. This move aims to diversify MobiKwik’s offerings beyond its core digital payments services and compete with established players like Zerodha and Groww.
MSBPL will provide a range of brokerage services, including trading in shares, securities, commodities, and derivatives. The subsidiary has an initial capital of Rs 1 lakh, with plans for an additional Rs 2 crore investment to support its operations.
As MobiKwik enters this competitive market, it brings a substantial user base of 172 million and a merchant network of 5 million. Despite recent financial challenges, including a reported loss of Rs 55.2 crore in Q3 FY25, the company aims to leverage its existing infrastructure and user engagement to capture a share of the growing investment technology market, projected to reach $74 billion by 2030.
This strategic expansion aligns with MobiKwik’s broader goals of enhancing its financial service
Nazara Technologies has sold its entire 71.54% stake in Sports Unity Private Limited, the company behind the multiplayer quiz game ‘Qunami’, for INR 7.15 lakh. This divestment, effective March 25, 2025, signifies a strategic shift for Nazara, which had previously acquired a controlling interest in Sports Unity in 2019 for INR 7.5 crore.
The decision to offload the stake comes as Sports Unity has faced financial difficulties, reporting no active business operations and a negative net worth of INR 0.45 crore at the end of FY24. This move aligns with Nazara’s broader strategy to streamline its operations and concentrate on more profitable ventures within the gaming sector.
This sale follows Nazara’s recent divestment of a 94.85% stake in another subsidiary, Open Play, to Moonshine Technologies for INR 104.33 crore. Despite reporting record quarterly revenue of INR 544.7 crore in Q3 FY25, Nazara experienced a 53.5% decline in net profit year-over-year.
Nazara continues to focus on enhancing its portfolio through strategic acquisitions and investments in high-potential gaming platforms while navigating the competitive landscape of the gaming industry.