As well known as Starbucks is, it owes its beginnings to Peet’s. The founders of Starbucks actually bought their coffee beans from Peet’s at first. Nowadays Peet’s operates nearly 200 locations across the U.S., and specializes in dark roasted coffees as well as a wide variety of teas. Peet’s expanded into the university arena in 2003 when the company opened shop at Stanford University. You can also find Peet’s coffee at your local supermarket.

Despite its expansion, Peet’s is known largely as a California company, and is most popular there. Peet’s loyal customers are often called “Peetniks.” Many refuse to drink any other brand, prizing Peet’s deep, rich roast and unique history.

If you’re a lover of coffee, and who isn’t, then you can be happy to know that Seattle’s Best brand coffee is actually a subsidiary of the company Starbucks. While this may not mean that the coffee is the same, but it means that the company uses many of the same scrupulous practices for selecting the best beans. A now common practice with specialty coffees that Seattle’s Best did from the beginning.

The company itself began in the 1970′s, and originally began as a coffee and ice cream shop called Wet Whisker. The original founder, Jim Stewart who bought his first coffee roaster from a peanut vendor. His second year in business and he had already sold close to 500 lbs in coffee. This roaster, though no longer owned or used by Seattle’s Best Coffee, is still operated today. In 1983, Stewart decided to change the company name to Stewart Brothers Coffee, and with his brother Dave, opened more shops all over Seattle.

It wouldn’t be until 1991, after winning a local competition, that Stewart renamed the company to Seattle’s Best Coffee. In the same year, the company was sold to investors who also owned Torrefazione Italia, which is now known for their coffee beans sold under the Starbucks name, though the Seattle’s Best Brand would remain a separate entity. In 1998, the company would introduce Organic coffees to their already much popular lines, and would begin franchising under the name Seattle Coffee Company, after being sold to the franchising company AFC. This would bring the company out of Seattle, spreading chains not only nationwide, but within 11 different countries too.

Seattle’s Best Coffee is the second largest coffee bean roaster in the U.S., it’s also the second largest retailer. It also boasts the second largest wholesaler of specialty coffees in the U.S. too. With its main distribution, found in retail coffee locations and select food industries, like Burger King, J.C. Penny’s, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Blenz Coffee in Canada. Also as of 2011, you can also now find Seattle’s Best Coffee on all Delta Connection flights.

In 2010, Starbucks attempted to rebrand Seattle’s Best Coffee, and change its logo to appear more generic. However, the public highly revoked this change, and this Starbucks was forced to cancel the label redesign. Not much has changed since the beginning days of the company, though it changed hands a few times, and technically owned by Starbucks twice in its history. The way the coffee was made, hand selected and hand roasted, has never changed.

If you travel outside the United States, you can find stores in several countries. Since 2001, The Coffee Beanery has opened twenty-five overseas franchises in countries as diverse as Puerto Rico and China, including stores in Qatar and Cyprus.

The Coffee Beanery offers a variety of different coffee blends, including organic and fair trade coffees. If you want to try out a rare coffee, they offer Jamaican Blue Mountain and Hawaiian Kona coffees. Or if you’re more in the mood for tea, they have a wide selection of different brews. With breakfast and light lunch items on the menu, the Coffee Beanery is a good place to start off your day or take a break from your busy schedule.

The Coffee Beanery also offers donations of coffee to U.S. troops. Customers’ donations of coffee will be matched by the company and sent to troops overseas.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf serve 100 million beverages annually, including 20,000 ice blended drinks each day.
All products at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf are certified Kosher and are allowed permissible use according to Islamic law.

The Bean has been very successful in Israel, not so much because the products are Kosher, but the Bean Caf’s permit smoking, according to inside coffee trade sources.

Today The Bean, as the establishment is known to its friends and fans, offers more than 20 varieties of coffee and tea.

The Bean is one of the largest family owned and operated tea and coffee companies in the world.
For those who keep track of calories, The Bean offers a caramel ice blended coffee, 24 ounces with regular powder that contains 770 calories, 16 grams of fat, 141 grams of carbohydrates and 17 grams of protein.

A prerequisite for working at The Bean is to have a friendly face.

In addition to serving great coffee and food, Tim Horton’s takes pride in giving back to the community. The Tim Horton Children’s Foundation allows low-income or underprivileged children to attend summer camp. Tim Horton passed away in 1974 but he would surely be proud to see how far his company has come.

Caribou coffee has over 6,000 employees with nearly 600 company stores in 16 states. The company is not all about profits it also not only talks about values it practices them. Caribou Coffee supports social programs in coffee producing nations. The sustainable production of coffee is important to Caribou Coffee Company. Caribou Coffee helps to develop communities that grow and harvest coffee.

The coffee company’s core values extend to their customers, employees and to their community. They provide quality to their customers and are responsible members of their communities. Caribou coffee is helping to create a healthier environment. In 2010, the company changed logos and started using the coffee bean caribou logo. The company hopes that by the end of 2011 they can offer only 100 percent Rain Forest Alliance beans.