starbucks coffee was named after a character in which famous novel?

Starbucks Coffee and Moby-Dick: A Great Naming Story You Will Adore!

We all can agree that Starbucks is one of the most successful coffee brands in the world, with over 30,000 locations in more than 80 countries. But did you know that the name and logo of Starbucks have a literary origin? In this article, we are going to find out how Starbucks coffee was named after a character in the famous novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, and how this choice influenced the culture and values of the company.

How Starbucks Coffee Was Named After a Character in Moby-Dick

You will be surprised by the story behind how Starbucks coffee got its name goes back to 1971!

Three friends, Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker, decided to open a coffee shop in Seattle. They wanted to sell high-quality coffee beans and equipment to coffee lovers. As for any similar project, they needed a name that would reflect their passion and vision for their coffee business. You may guess that it wasn’t the first shot to give them such name, they considered various options, such as Cargo House and Pequod, but none of them felt right.

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Then, Bowker remembered that he had once read an old mining map that had a town named Starbo on it. He liked the sound of it, and suggested Starbuck, after the first mate of Captain Ahab on the whaling ship Pequod in Moby-Dick. He thought -as others felt then- that Starbuck was a strong and memorable name that evoked the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders. The other two agreed, and Starbucks was born.

So, what is Moby-Dick novel? Who is Starbuck?

For you to know, this novel is a classic American novel, which was written by Herman Melville, and published in 1851.

In this novel we can read about the story of Captain Ahab’s obsessive quest to hunt down and kill a giant white whale named Moby-Dick, who has maimed and scarred him. Starbuck is one of the most important characters in the novel. He is a rational and religious man who tries to dissuade Ahab from his dangerous mission. He represents the voice of reason and conscience in contrast to Ahab’s fanaticism and monomania.

But here is the surprise! The founders of Starbucks were not avid fans of Moby-Dick or Melville. In fact, Bowker later admitted that he had never read the novel himself. He said that they chose the name because it was “the only name we could all agree on.” Interesting! isn’t it!

However, they soon realized that their choice had a deeper significance and resonance than they had anticipated. They then discovered that Moby-Dick novel was not only a great work of literature, but also a source of inspiration and insight for their business.