George Howell

George Howell (born 1945) is an American entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of the specialty-coffee movement in the early 1970s.

Coffee Connection In 1975, Howell founded Coffee Connection, a coffee shop and retailer in Cambridge, Massachusetts which was a pioneer in third wave coffee. It expanded to 23 locations in the Northeast. and formed the nexus of their expansion into the Boston area. With the acquisition, Starbucks acquired the rights to use the name Frappuccino for a popular blended iced coffee drink, Its first location was in Newtonville, Massachusetts, and it is a mini-chain with five locations in the Boston area.

Professional activities In 1997, Howell was invited to become a quality consultant to Brazil as part of the Gourmet Project, a 2-year initiative set up by the United Nations’ International Trade Council (ITC) and the International Coffee Organization (ICO), which influenced the creation of the Cup of Excellence competition.

In 1996, Howell received the Specialty Coffee Association of America's Lifetime Achievement Award.