Starbucks Was Dangerously Close To Being Called ‘The Cargo House’

Starbucks is one of the most powerful names in the restaurant industry, but while the name has grown to be a worldwide staple, it was close to having a completely different name.

Can you possible imagine yourself ordering Caramel Macchiatos and Unicorn Frappuccinos from something called The Cargo House?

Yes, before the company went with Starbucks, pick number two was The Cargo House, according to a 2008 Seattle Times interview with co-founder Gordon Bowker.

Bowker even admitted that name would have been a huge mistake, especially with the thought process behind the Starbucks name. Putting their advertising background to work, the owners eventually decided they wanted their store name to start with an “St” sound, as those letters have a reputation of being powerful. So they started thinking of words that started with “st.”

Starbo was an early option, named after an old mining town in Mount Rainier, but that word triggered Bowker to remember Moby Dick. Not in the book, but in the 1956 movie, the character named Starbuck had a strong affinity for coffee, and that was enough for Bowker to link it to their coffee shop name.

They ran with it, and it seems to have worked, as everyone knows the name, with the coffee house having over 25,000 locations around the world.