Weird History Food is giving you a pick-me-up with the History of Starbucks Coffee. Founders Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, and Zev Siegl sought to open up a coffee store. They knew they wanted it to reflect both the culture of the Northwest and the seafaring coffee traders who first brought coffee to the United States. What they didn't expect was how big Starbucks would become. Bring some creamer to this video.