Iced Coffee Pushes Starbucks Revenue Higher
Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) announced higher-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings last week, bolstered by increased sales of iced coffee and cold brews as well as increased revenue from sales in China. While the word on the street is the China factor was the significant data point to notice, the cold coffee sales are an important signal about what Starbucks is all about and why it's a coffee -- and stock market -- megastar.
From the time former CEO Howard Schultz joined the company in 1982, the focus at Starbucks has been on creating community along with generating profit. This forward-thinking attitude, especially during those early years, has brought Starbucks tremendous success. It sees coffee as more than a bean or a drink, and it's been able to leverage that je ne sais quoi into a thriving, 22,000-plus-store enterprise valued at roughly $98 billion.
Image source: Getty Images.
Source Fool.com
