Starbucks Menu Prices in Canada

Have a taste for one of the biggest coffee companies on the planet? Explore everything you never knew about the history of Starbucks Canada as well as their menu with prices.

Here’s the latest Starbucks menu prices in Canada:

Did you know that the first Starbucks in Canada opened at the Seabus Skytrain Station in Vancouver on March 1, 1987?

It was also Starbucks’s first international location.

It wasn’t until nine years later that Starbucks opened five stores in Toronto, Ontario – all on the same day.

Now, there are stores throughout the country from Toronto to Victoria, British Columbia to Halifax, Nova Scotia – all the way to its most northerly location in Whitehorse, Yukon.

In fact, Starbucks Canada now operates over 1,400 stores and employs over 23,000 partners.

But how did it all begin?

The Inspiration of Alfred Peet

Alfred Peet was a Dutch immigrant who began importing fine arabica coffees into the United States during the 1950s, a time when almost no one had even heard of arabica beans.

He opened Peet’s Coffee and Tea, in Berkeley, California in 1966. It was a small store that specialized in importing first-rate coffees and teas.

More importantly, it was a successful store whose business model was based on selling high-quality coffee beans and equipment. And Peet had some revolutionary roasting techniques that allowed him to create unique blends and flavors.

Enter Baldwin, Bowker, and Siegel

Inspired by Peet’s operation in Berkeley, three academic-minded men with a passion for coffee and tea decided to open their own store in Seattle in 1971.

The first Starbucks was founded by Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, and Zev Siegel, and was located across the street from the historic Pike Place Market. They named it “Starbucks” after the first mate in Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick.

They took on some of Peet’s roasting techniques to begin creating their own blends and by the early 1980s, they had opened four stores in Seattle.

Despite their success, it was during this time that Siegel decided to pursue other interests and left the company. Baldwin assumed the role of company president.

Howard Schultz Joins the Team

Shortly after Siegel’s departure, Howard Schultz joined Starbucks in 1981.

Schultz had been a sales representative for a Swedish company that manufactured kitchen equipment and housewares. It was this very company from which Starbucks bought the drip-coffee makers they sold.

Noticing how large Starbucks orders were each month, he decided to visit. He was so impressed, he decided to pursue a career with the company. He was hired as head of marketing in 1982.

In the spring of 1983, Starbucks sent Schultz to Milan to attend an international housewares show. He was impressed by the coffeehouse culture in Italy and felt that they could do something similar at Starbucks.

Baldwin and Bowker, however, were not sold on the idea. They were happy with the success of the traditional model of business and didn’t want to change things.

In other words, they saw no value in turning Starbucks into a café type place that would serve up coffee and other drinks.

Schultz was excited though. So rather than try to convince them, he decided to embark on his own business venture in Italy opening coffee shops. He left Starbucks in 1985.

His operations in Italy were successful. But his departure from Starbucks would be short-lived.

Schultz Changes the Starbucks Concept

In March of 1987, Baldwin and Bowker decided to sell Starbucks.

When Schultz heard the company was for sale, he was quick to put in an offer and Baldwin and Bowker accepted.

Fully committed to the café concept, Schultz wasted no time combining all his operations under the Starbucks brand. So along with the sale of coffee beans and equipment, he offered brewed coffee drinks for sale and consumption.

And the company took off. As we mentioned above, the first Starbucks outside the United States opened in Canada in 1987. But the growth didn’t stop there.

The new Starbucks experienced a meteoric period of expansion that continued long after the company went public in 1992. It soon became the largest coffeehouse chain in the world and the inspiration for other ones.

In 1996, the first Starbucks outside North America opened in Japan. By the early 21st century, Starbucks could be found in dozens of countries around the globe and operated over 20,000 stores.

Starbucks is now the largest coffee retailer in the world and the brand is so recognizable, there’s no need to put the Starbucks name on the cups.

Here are some more fun facts about Starbucks.

The Iconic Mermaid Once Showed Nipple

The famous Starbucks mermaid logo represents the seductive power and siren call of coffee. But you’ve probably noticed how the mermaid’s hair covers any hint of immodesty.

It wasn’t always that way.

When they were still just a regional chain in 1970s Seattle, the Starbucks logo was much less demure. The mermaid not only showed nipple, but also had fully-exposed breasts.

While some of their Seattle customers weren’t crazy about it, the company didn’t feel the need to address it until they began making deliveries. Envisioning how the larger logo would look on the side of a truck, they decided it was in the company’s best interest to revise the logo.

The Stores Have a Ban on Smells

There’s nothing like the smell of freshly brewed coffee to awaken the senses.

Schultz understood this and wanted to ensure that no competing scents would overpower the smell of coffee. So he laid down the law very early that nothing could interfere with that experience.

In the late 1980s, he banned smoking in all stores. And this was long before it was “acceptable” to do this. Furthermore, employees are asked to not wear any perfume, cologne or other strong scents.

Although Schultz retired in 2018, these rules are still in place today.

The Drink Choices Are Nearly Endless

Okay, maybe not quite endless.

But if you take all of Starbucks’s core beverages and multiply them by the modifiers and the customization options they offer, you get more than 87,000 combinations.

So it can feel pretty endless.

The Battle Over Nonfat Milk Offerings

Speaking of customizing drinks, the early Starbucks stores weren’t quite as accommodating.

Howard Behar, an executive who came to Starbucks in 1989, was troubled to learn that many customers were requesting the option of nonfat milk for their lattés or cappuccinos.

But Schultz and his team were dogged in their stance that nonfat milk detracted from the authenticity of their Italian heritage. Nobody drank a nonfat cappuccino in Italy!

Behar felt that they should honor these customers’ requests. But Schultz’s passion for the true experience was shared by store managers who protested to offering the nonfat option.

Nevertheless, when Schultz personally witnesses a customer leave over the lack of this option, he had a change of heart. And now, it’s estimated that half of the cappuccinos and lattés they sell are nonfat.

Some traditions need to die.

Coffee for Canadians, by Canadians

In 2013, Starbucks Canada named a coffee for Canadians, by Canadians.

Upon creating a unique blond roast, the company turned to Canadian citizens to create the perfect name.

After going through 22,000 entries in a nationwide contest, they settled on True North Blend/Melange Nordique as the perfect name.

The Dress Code Is Somewhat Exacting

If you visited one of Schultz’s espresso bars in 1985 Italy, you’d find the employees dressed in crisp white shirts adorned with bow ties.

This was the common dress code in Italy for those serving food.

Of course, current Starbucks employees are not required to don such specific garb. But there are certain rules by which they must abide.

Among some of the looks deemed unacceptable? Brightly-colored hair, face tattoos, ear gauges over 10mm, and untucked shirts that expose the midsection when bent over.

These all seem pretty reasonable though.

They Have Their Own Record Label

If you’ve spent any time in any Starbucks store, you’ve probably noticed the music playing in the background.

Starbucks puts a lot of time and effort into their music choices.

They’re so serious about music that in 2007, they even created their own music label in cooperation with the Concord Music Group. The record label is called Hear Music and includes many very-well known performers.

They’ve even made it possible to download an app where customers can find information on what’s currently playing in the store and even get points towards free song downloads.

Even the CIA Has a Starbucks

But it’s nothing like the Starbucks that might be in your office building.

The Starbucks located in the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia has to play by different rules.

For example, baristas must undergo stringent background checks. And they aren’t permitted to leave their posts without a CIA escort.

And you’ll never get the chance to take a shot of a funny misspelling on a coffee cup to put on Instagram. Customer names can’t be written on cups or even called out due to security concerns.

It’s all very top secret.

Information About Starbucks Canada’s Menu

Menu items at Starbucks Canada don’t differ vastly from those in the United States. They pride themselves on providing a consistent product across the globe. And that’s comforting, since most people want to be able to rely on their coffee.

But the prices can vary. So if you’re looking for information about Starbuck’s menu in Canada, or any other major chain, check out Cost Finder Canada.

You can also find price differences in Canada on other products, services and of course other restaurants such as McDonald’s or Tim Hortons. So take a look and compare!