ctrl.altered.mind

It is quite difficult to believe today that Starbucks, the largest coffeehouse company in the world (with over 15,000 stores in 44 countries), did not start selling coffee even after they had opened their fifth store. It took several years post establishment for the company to start selling beverages - their business was selling coffee beans until then. After that symbolic change, however, it was not business as usual anymore.

The Seattle-based chain has witnessed viral growth over the past few years, and is currently expanding at a phenomenal rate. Here is my attempt at collecting some magazine-styled numbers about the chain.

1971 The original Starbucks opened in Seattle, WA

300 Million pounds of coffee purchased by Starbucks in 2006.

6 The percentage of purchased coffee certified as fair trade.

7 The average number of new stores opening each day, worldwide.

7 Rank by Fortune magazine in a list of best companies to work for, in the United States, in 2008.

29 Its rank in the same list for 2006.

Incidentally, Starbucks does have a little secret item that’s not on the menu - a ’short cappuccino’ (the smallest size on their menu is called the ‘tall’), which is considered better and stronger, and available only by request.

(most figures drawn from Wikipedia)

Sir Richard Branson’s very successful Virgin brand has stepped into the Indian comic books scene - a market that has been left untapped and neglected for a long time, since the glorious era of Indrajal Comics. Virgin Comics now takes a place along with DC and Marvel - but has the edge of catering to a larger audience with Indian superhero characters. Virgin Comics has a strong vision, tapping into the very influential Indian culture and westernizing it just enough in comic book form, to establish a unique genre in US and other western markets - and hopefully gain the same level of popularity as Japanese anime and manga. Virgin Comics has amazing talent on board, with the likes of Oscar-winning director Shekhar Kapur and lifestyle guru Deepak Chopra.

The (free) promotional copy of Virgin Comics #0 is available on IGN. Click here to read.