[4] Founder Jim Stewart purchased green coffee beans from local roasters to be roasted and sold at the Wet Whisker.

By the end of the following year, the Vashon Island Wet Whisker was sold, and Jim Stewart, along with his brother Dave, opened another ice cream and coffee store on Pier 70 on Seattle's Waterfront.

Shortly after, business began to expand, and new shops opened in Bellevue, Washington, and at Seattle's historic Pike Place Market a year later.

AFC Enterprises sold SBC to Starbucks in July 2003, retaining franchise rights in eleven countries, Hawaii and U.S. military bases.

SBC had previously stored beans at the Port of Seattle and transported them to Vashon for roasting, which was deemed insufficient for the company's needs.

The presence of the Seattle's Best outlets on Royal Caribbean is also tied in with all other free-of-charge coffee items on the ship also being exclusively supplied by SBC.

The Oasis class ships also have Starbucks outlet with the regular land price list, SBC is for-free (included in cruise cost) On February 16, 2010, Burger King announced that they would add Seattle's Best Coffee to their menu in over 7,000 restaurants.

[12] Since February 2015; however, Delta adjusted its coffee offerings in favor of Seattle's Best's then-parent company Starbucks on all flights.