Today we are talking about coffee. You heard me. That brown liquid you drink when you only got 3 hours of sleep cramming for an exam. For a student in college I know coffee is a part of your daily routine but what does your cup of coffee really mean to you. How does it impact your behavior, cultural tendencies, and your wallet? Today we are diving into everything that little brown bean has done to America.
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To start let’s talk about the journey coffee has gone on in America. During the Civil War, soldiers were given coffee as a stable portion of their diet. Once the war was over they brought the tradition home to their families. This “cup of joe” form of coffee is very different from the lattes and espressos that are sold today. Meeting for coffee with friends was not a common cultural pastime until the 1980’s when Starbucks and other coffee shops began forming in big cities. This means that it has only been 37 years that the coffee shop culture has been around, but most Americans can not imagine life without it (Tillotson). Starbucks Coffee Tea and Spice was one of the first major coffee shops that spread across the nation changing the way Americans viewed coffee. In the 1960s-1970s supermarkets began to mass produce cheaper and lower quality coffee into stores in order to be more cost productive. This alternative mode of production caused a decline of coffee sales in America. During this mainstream decline small specialty coffee bean shops began to gain popularity. “These sellers of gourmet coffee were catering to a growing number of Americans desiring more from their food and beverage purchasers than the supermarket mega brands were offering”(Tillotson). Howard Schultz, who became the head of the Starbucks marketing team in 1982, was one of the main contributors to the beginning of the cafe culture in America. It all started when he visited Italy and discovered the role Italian coffee shops served in society.“Schultz realized that Americans might be potentially ready for this same Italian cafe experience, if given the opportunity” (Tillotson). After much convincing, Gerald Baldwin and Gordon Bowker, the original entrepreneurs of Starbucks, agreed to test run Howard Shultz’s idea. In 1985 Starbucks created their first Caffe Latte, which was a huge success (Starbucks). Over the course of the next decade Starbucks popularity skyrocketed. By 1996, Starbucks would have over 1,000 cafes in 32 major North American markets and begin to expand internationally with two new cafes in Japan. Within the next decade Starbucks owned 11,000 American cafes and was present in 40 other countries. Today, Starbucks is the third largest restaurant chain in the United States behind McDonalds and Subway(WeVio). Howard Schultz made America “buy” into the cafe culture in his version of the Italian espresso bar and “upscaled the coffee experience for millions of Americans”(Tillotson).
Today 400 million cups of coffee are consumed per day, meaning that over the course of one year Americans drinks 146 billion cups of coffee (Huffpost). Through the boom of the cafe culture, coffee shops are now viewed as a middle ground between home and the office. Currently the average cup of coffee with no milk or flavoring costs $2.70, although 85% of Americans continue to drink it regardless of the long term financial effects. Moreover as a country, our serving sizes continue to be larger than the average human needs, including servings of coffee. An American should consume no more than 400 mg of caffeine a day, which is equivalent to four six-ounce drinks (Mayo Clinic). The problem arises when a Starbucks Tall (smallest size) is already 12 fluid ounces. With all of these statistics it is not surprising that Americans are portrayed as being addicted to coffee. How is it that this mysterious brown bean has completely taken over a country? Coffee alone has impacted America’s behaviors, economy and health through the boom of the coffee shop culture as well as the growing popularity of coffee consumption.
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