The specialty coffee industry is dominated by Starbucks and Green Mountain Coffee. Starbucks pioneered the premium coffee shop model before expanding globally, while Green Mountain Coffee focused on ethical sourcing and partnering with small farmers. Both companies grew significantly but face challenges maintaining their authenticity at scale. Green Mountain Coffee appears to have a stronger foundation for sustainable growth through its emphasis on social responsibility.
6. Coffee facts (2)
Fair Trade Coffee = $1.26 /LBS
One pound of ground coffee can
yield from 32 to 45 eight ounce of
cups of coffee
X 32 cups of coffee = $1.5 X 32 = $48
X 45 cups of coffee = $1.5 X 45 = $67.5
Starbucks Verona
Ground Coffee,
1 lb. Bag = $18.99 /lbs Source: Ask.com
7. Coffee facts (3)
Commodity - Grower 2 cents per cup
Goods - Manufacturer 5-25 cents per cup
Service Corner Diner 50 cents -$1 per cup
Experience Premium $1 - $4 per cup
Coffee Shop
Ultimate Caf辿 Florian
Venice, Italy $5 - $15 per cup
Source: Experience economy,1999
8. Nature of business (1)
Coffee production: $90-billion-a-year industry
$ 10.8 billion : Combined revenue of the two
companies in specialty coffee industry
- Starbucks : $ 10.3 billion
- Green Mountain Coffee : $ 0.5 billion
25 million coffee farmers in the world and an
estimated 100 million people working in the
coffee industries in total
9. Nature of business (2)
76% of coffee is drunk at home, and 72% of
that is bought from a supermarket (National
Coffee Association of America)
The growth in the specialty coffee market is
attributable to its spread to fast-food
restaurants and convenience stores as well as
to the increased demand for specialty coffee
in the workplace.
Consumers are insisting ethical sourcing and
aware of environmental effect of coffee. More
companies are conscious of those factors
Coffee facts
10. Integrity- (1)Starbucks
Starbucks seems to be conscious of ethics and
social responsibilities to its stakeholders
Starbucks was the largest corporate contributor in
North America to C.A.R.E., humanitarian aid
programs for the Third World countries it
purchased its coffee supplies
But, the company seems to comply minimum of
its duty as a socially responsible entity, judging
from some conflicts with Fair Trade Coffee by
using very tiny portion and advertising overly
11. Integrity- (2)Green Mountain Coffee
Green Mountain Coffee has been focusing on the
duty of integrity and honesty to stakeholders and
suppliers when few people were conscious of the
practice of ethical management and sourcing
From the beginning the company has been trying
to go beyond the regulated minimum of ethical
and environmental responsibility
Green Mountain Coffee has been among the top
10 companies on Business Ethics list for four
years running.(Business Ethics Magazine Lists
100 Best Corporate Citizens, 2006)
12. Governance role - Starbucks
Governance issue in Starbucks seem not to be so
complicated as we have seen at example of GM.
Howard Schultz focused more on dealing with
externalities, like resistance of local competitors
and debt control for management continuity than
the board
The boards seems to have executed an auditing
role rather than a supervising role
Even when Howard Schultz stepped down from
CEO for 8 years, he just supported CEO and did
not take the rein of the company before return
13. Governance role - Green Mountain
Green Mountain Coffee also seems not to have
serious governance issue as Starbucks
Bob Stiller has been President, CEO and Chairman
from 1981 till 2007. The board seems to be
playing the auditing role after Bob Stillers
stepping down
Bob Stiller also dominantly focused on
externalities regarding environmental and social
responsibilities by establishing environmental
committee and partnering with a lot of farmers in
the coffee producing countries.
15. Leadership style - Starbucks
Howard Schultz, being hooked at the first
experience of Starbucks coffee, established his
vision and has been trying to execute it in reality
sine 1981
Initiated extending health care benefits to part
time employees working at least 20 hours a
week, even though there were resistance from
board members who feared rising cost
He encouraged employees and mainly generated
urgency issue from top, but shared information in
horizontal ways.
16. Leadership style Green Mountain
Coffee
From 1981,when Bob Stiller met Green Mountain
Coffee at ski resort and bought it, he spent about
30 years growing the coffeehouse into an
international coffee supplier
He managed company with a role of chairman
because the business has been more recession-
proof with low urgency than Starbucks
He is more conscious of social responsibility and
environmental agenda than Howard Schultz does
17. Leadership style
Employee closed
Top-down
Chairman Commander
Low Urgency High urgency
Deliberate Fast
Coach Catalyst
Employee open
Bottom-up
18. Organization mode - Starbucks
Divisional power through empowerment
1. US - 14,225 Stores
Company-operated stores(5,393), licensed
stores(8,832), food service accounts
2. International
Retail store licensing operation in more than 40
countries, food service account in Canada, UK
and Japan
3. Global Consumer Product Group(CPG)
Packaged coffee and tea, branded products in
3300 grocery & warehouse, 5500 international
accounts
19. Organization mode - Green Mountain
Coffee
Divisional power through empowerment
1. Green Mountain Coffee division
Whole bean and ground coffee, hot cocoa,
teas and coffees in K-cups, Keurig brewers
and other accessories, Newmans Own
Organic products mainly in domestic
wholesales and retail market.
2. Keurig division
Premium single-cup brewing systems for
customers at home or away-from-home
20. Organizational Modes
Low Complexity
Controlled
Centralized roles Divisional power
Resource Scarcity Availability
Collaborative Entrepreneurial
Interconnected teams Network of entrepreneurs
High Complexity
Flexible
21. Business model - Starbucks
In 2009 initiated a cost reduction program to
improve its operational efficiencies
In 2010 completed the closure of nearly 1000
company-operated stores
Enter the ready-to-drink coffee product in
Europe in January 2010
Introduction of VIA coffee essence in Japan,
which successfully launched in the US
Plan to sell wine and beer in retail stores
22. Business model - Green Mountain
Coffee
Completed acquisition of Keurig in 2006
In 2009, completed acquisition of Tullys
coffee which had over 5,000 distributors
Serial acquisitions expanded the Green
Mountain Coffees brand portfolio
Agreement with McDonalds USA to source,
roast and package Newmans Own Organic
Blend coffee
In 2009, Keurig entered into a licensing and
distribution agreement with Conair
23. Business Models
Keurig Wine & beer
Platform Efficiency
Multi brand Frappuccino
Process Efficiency Solutions Product Caramel
Innovation Macchiato
Differentiating Innovation
Volume Efficiency
Pioneering Innovation
Roasting Ready to
Capacity drink goods Organic Unique
coffee ambience
24. Conclusion (1)
The two companies have started small and
developed into public companies by inspired
founders from the beginning.
Starbucks seems to be more affected by changing
needs of customers and be exposed to market
volatility than Green Mountain Coffee which sells
coffee to wholesalers and offices.
Green Mountain Coffee seems to be more faithful
to the spirit of foundation, emphasizing on social
responsibility and environmental consideration,
which Bob Stiller had conceived at the beginning.
25. Conclusion (2)
There is a common dilemma to the company
experienced high growth rate. In general, every
company that begins small and authentic
eventually finds it hard to retain that image as it
expands. (Thompson, A. A. & Strickland, A. J.,
1999)
As of 2010, Green Mountain Coffee seems to
have a more solid ground for right trajectory and
sustainable growth than Starbucks that exposed
to pressure of shortterm profits for shareholders
and volatile economy than ever before.
26. Citation
1. Business Ethics Magazine Lists 100 Best Corporate Citizens For 2006. (2006, June). Business Credit,
108, 53
2. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (2010). International Directory of Company Histories, Retrieved
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3. Kaczanowska, A. (2010, November). Coffee production in the US 31192a. Retrieved from
http://www.ibisworld.com/industryus/default.aspx?indid=272
4. Neville, M. G. (2008, Winter). Positive deviance on the ethical continuum: Green Mountain Coffee as a
case study in conscientious capitalism. Business & Society Review, 44, 555-576. doi:10.1111/j.1467-
8594.2008.00332.x
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6. Pine, B. J. & Gilmore, J. H. (1999). The experience economy: Work is theatre and every business a stage.
Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
7. Seieeni, R. (2008). The gort cloud: the invisible force powering todays most visible green brands. White
River Junction, Vt: Chelsea Green Pub.
8. Starbucks Corporation. (2010). International Directory of Company Histories. Retrieved from
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BCRC
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