From
Wikipedia:
Seattle's Best Coffee, a subsidiary of Starbucks, is a specialty coffee retailer and wholesaler based in Seattle, Washington, USA.
Seattle's Best Coffee has retail stores and grocery sub-stores in 20 states and provinces and the District of Columbia.
History
Seattle's Best Coffee began in Coupeville, Washington as an ice cream parlor/coffeehouse called the "Wet Whisker" and founded by Jim Stewart in 1968. It was known as "Stewart Brothers Coffee" from 1969 to 1991, when it took on its present name. Seattle's Best Coffee was joined with Torrefazione Italia Coffee to form Seattle Coffee Holdings (SCH). SCH built a roasterie for both brands in 1995 on Vashon Island, and began consolidating the workforce in order to maximize profits. The vast majority of SCH coffee beans have come from Peru and Argentina, where the workers can be paid very little to pick the beans. In recent years, this has caused an uproar with American consumers and Border's Book Stores has threatened to stop partnering with the company if the unfair treatment persists.
In 1998 AFC Enterprises purchased Seattle Coffee Holdings and changed its name to Seattle Coffee Company (SCC). During AFC Enterprise's ownership SCC's Vashon Island roasterie was upgraded and the company's organic coffee line was established. Brought on by failures from the Arthur Anderson Accounting firm AFC Enterprises was forced to sell SCC to Starbucks in July 2003, retaining franchise rights in eleven countries, Hawaii and U.S. military bases. In November 2004, AFC sold those franchise rights (along with Cinnabon) to a newly-established affiliate of Roark Capital Group, FOCUS Brands, Inc.
Starbucks closed the Vashon Island facility October 23, 2003 and moved production to their Kent, Washington roasterie.
The Borders bookstore chain signed a contract with Seattle's Best Coffee in 2004 to convert Borders' in-store cafes to Seattle's Best cafes. As of 2006, approximately two-thirds of Borders' domestic superstores have completed the Seattle's Best conversion. Seattle's Best parent company Starbucks Corporation has contracted with Borders' competitor Barnes & Noble to operate cafes in B&N superstores under the Starbucks brand. Starbucks also owns and operates locations within Chapters and Indigo Books and Music Bookstores in Canada.
On September 29, 2006, Blenz Coffee acquired four former Seattle's Best Coffee locations in downtown Vancouver, and reopened them as Blenz locations on October 2, 2006.
Steak 'n Shake replaced their in-house line of coffee with Seattle's Best Coffee in February 2008. This came as the store upgraded its breakfast menu.
In Canada Seattle's Best brewed coffee is sold at Mac's Convenience Stores.
Coming in January 2009 - Subway will be selling Seattle's Best coffee.
This particular coffee shop is in a shopping mecca in a shopping plaza with other stores and near the Avenues Mall. They seem to do a good business here. The Marine ordered an iced latte today and really enjoyed it, particularly in light of the nearly 100 degrees temperature outside.