4 The book distinguishes four levels of competition. Identify potential compet- itors of Starbucks for each of these levels It happens millions of times a week - a customer receives a drink from a Starbucks barista - yet it's unique every time. It's a snapshot: a hand reaching over the counter to pass a cup of coffee to another outstretched hand, a name on a Starbucks cup, a brief break with a latte. But every contact with a customer also creates a connection. Starbucks is committed to honoring that connection in everything they do - from striving for the best-quality coffee to working with partners and suppliers to conduct business responsibly - and has been since the beginning of the company. The beginning - and why conquering the heart of coffee culture took so long In 1971, when the first Starbucks coffee shop opened in Seattle's old Pike Place Market, it was just a one-shop business. Starbucks sold a selection of the world's best freshly roasted coffee beans from this small shop. The name, inspired by the story of Moby Dick, evoked the romance of the early days of coffee in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the years that followed, Starbucks increasingly focused on the romance of the coffee experience. The Italian coffee house tradition was copied: a place for conversation and a sense of togetherness. A sense of home. Starbucks grew in the 1980s and 1990s and successfully internationalized as well. Starbucks set foot in several European countries. However, the expansion to Italy was long delayed. For good reason - food touches the heart of Italian culture, and Italians don't take it easy on American corporations trying to change their culture.