Many of us have crazy ambitions - but this is surely up there with the weirdest.
A man called Winter has what he calls a collector’s mentality. The freelance computer programmer has collected coins, stamps, comic books - even Peanuts trading cards. It’s the same impulse that motivates the quest that has consumed his adult life: visiting and documenting every single Starbucks in the world.
“I like challenges and puzzles,” says Winter, who legally changed his name to a mononym in 2006. “I’ve always been like that since I was a child.”
“Starbucking,” as Winter refers to his never-ending journey, has been his main focus for nearly 30 years. Career, friendships, and relationships have all taken a back seat to this singular, quixotic quest. In the process, Starbucking has taken Winter to 70 countries, bankrupted him, and turned him into a minor celebrity.
In the pursuit of his impossible goal, he will visit as many as 20 Starbucks locations in one day, and sleeps in his car so he can roam more freely. He orders the same thing every time: a small sample cup of drip coffee. Every visit is diligently documented on his website, StarbucksEverywhere.net, and he has even written a memoir about his journey. The book, fully written and seeking a publisher, will - according to a query letter published on his website - cover his “extremely unusual hobby” and “will be framed within the context of my highly unusual life and the philosophies that guide me and my quest.”
As of today, Winter has visited nearly 20,000 Starbucks locations around the world, spending $180,000 to do so. That makes him about half way towards achieving his crazy odyssey.
His freelancing career allows him to work either on short contracts or remotely, and lets him travel around the U.S. as he moves between jobs. And although he spends most of his time stateside, he is not confined to one continent - his quest has taken him to at least 70 countries, from China to Oman to Austria.
According to Winter’s website, Starbucks has nearly 40,000 stores currently open, although with stores always opening and closing, he estimates that the company has opened at least 50,000 locations over its history (he only visits corporate-owned locations, so those licensed stores in airports or Target don’t count). Winter says he spends a lot of his time confirming whether a store he wants to visit is open or not. Whatever, how crazy is this endeavour?