Starbucks buys its own bakery
San Francisco-based La Boulange will be rolled into the giant's offerings
Even though we think of Starbucks as a coffee company, about a third of its sales are food. Starbucks has had some high-profile failures in the food realm, though (including Panini and breakfast sandwiches), so you can't blame the company for being cautious. It's understandable that Starbucks will want to standardize its offerings around the country, but a little bit sad, too.
Currently, Starbucks stores try to source their products locally. Or at least somewhat locally. It can be hard, especially for stores in smaller towns and exurbs, to find a company nearby that can satisfy the production demands of a string of Starbucks stores, day in and day out.
However there have been a lot of successes and this produces a lot of regional variation in the offerings which is welcome and novel. It also helps sustain smaller businesses, spreading the wealth around. And finally, it provides fresher baked goods to stores within range. For example, a lot of stores in the Seattle area carry baked goods from the Alki Bakery, which is both delicious and a local family-owned business. Not to mention the Top Pot doughnuts you can find at many Seattle-area Starbuckses. And I'm sure people all over the country have their own local favorites to be found in the Starbucks pastry case, as well.