When I first discovered in the early 1980s the Italian espresso bars in my trip to Italy, the vision was to re-create that for America - a third place that had not existed before. Starbucks re-created that in America in our own image; a place to go other than home or work. We also created an industry that did not exist: specialty coffee.

In this quote, Howard Schultz reflects on his early inspiration for Starbucks and the company's vision to introduce a unique concept to America. Schultz recounts his discovery of Italian espresso bars during his trip to Italy in the early 1980s, where he experienced the café culture as a “third place”—a space outside of home and work for people to gather, relax, and enjoy a sense of community. Inspired by this, Schultz sought to bring that same experience to the United States, aiming to recreate an environment that had never existed before in American culture.

Schultz emphasizes that Starbucks didn’t just replicate Italian espresso bars but re-imagined them to fit the American way of life. By adapting the concept, Starbucks became a “third place” where people could go to enjoy a coffee, socialize, or find a quiet space for work. This innovation played a pivotal role in changing the way Americans viewed coffee culture and the purpose of coffee shops.

The quote also highlights how Starbucks revolutionized the coffee industry by creating an entirely new category: specialty coffee. Prior to Starbucks, coffee in America was often seen as a commodity, but Starbucks transformed it into a high-quality, personalized experience. This move not only made Starbucks a cultural icon but also helped establish a broader specialty coffee market that didn’t exist before.

Ultimately, Schultz's words emphasize the visionary nature of Starbucks' success, where they didn’t just create a coffee shop—they introduced a new kind of social space and built an industry from scratch. By blending European café culture with American needs, Starbucks reshaped how people interact with coffee and where they gather, leaving a lasting impact on the global coffee culture.