Starbucks just made a huge announcement that will completely change the way they do business. Either you'll love it or you'll hate it

Starbucks may have just sold out.

This week, the coffee giant unveiled a new "reinvention plan" to more than 150 of its investors. The plan includes aggressive growth targets, with the stated intention of opening thousands of new stores in the United States and China over the next eight years.

But the most exciting part of Starbucks' plan is focused on the near future: a $450 million investment in North American stores, which includes exclusive new equipment the company has developed to help baristas to place the increasingly complex and personalized orders they receive.

This equipment includes:

A new brewing method that uses vacuum press technology to brew freshly ground, brewed coffee in 30 seconds A redesigned cold drink station that allows baristas to more than halve the time it takes to prepare frozen drinks A new way to produce Cold Brew coffee, which Starbucks says cuts the process from over twenty steps to four, and cuts production time from over twenty hours to just seconds

Together, these new technologies have the potential to transform Starbucks. At first glance, this may seem like a good thing, with the aim of improving processes for employees. But there is a problem: this transformation will take the company even further away from its roots. That's why today's fans of the world's greatest cafe will love it or hate it.

Let's break it all down, plus lessons from Starbucks history for owners of each business.

Four decades ago, Howard Schultz returned from Italy, smitten by the romance and charm offered by Italian coffee culture. Schultz loved the purity of the Italian coffee experience and wanted it to serve as inspiration for Starbucks.

As CEO, Schultz ultimately built the Starbucks brand by providing customers with a "third place": somewhere between work and home, it was a place where people could connect, learn and drink good coffee. However, admitted that the company, over time, "got lost".

Fast forward to today, and most Starbucks stores bear no resemblance to the Italian coffee culture that Schultz fell in love with. In fact, it's cold, icy drinks like the company's famous "Frappuccino," along with their seemingly endless customization options, that are said to account for 70% of revenue, accounting for over $1 billion in sales. p>

Add to that the fact that more and more customers are viewing Starbucks as a quick stop, either ordering online and dropping in for a pickup, or just driving through the drive-thru, and you'll see why the idea of ​​the famous cafe as a third place is practically dead.

Of course, Starbucks has been a public company for 30 years, and most of these benefits are very positive for shareholders. But I can't help but compare what the company has become, compared to Schultz's original vision.

Unlike the trajectory of Starbucks, that of another company that is currently in the news: Patagonia.

Patagonia founder and billionaire Yvon Chouinard made headlines yesterday when he announced that he and his family were transferring ownership of the company to a trust and not-for-profit organization. In an open letter, Chouinard explained that instead of seeking extreme growth, his goal was to "do the right thing while earning enough to pay the bills."

And although Patagonia did eventually expand, Chouinard resisted the urge to go public because, in his own words, it would have been "a disaster." Instead, Chouinard was able to stay true to his vision of what Patagonia should be.

So what lesson can business owners learn...