Starbucks Corporation announced a new line-up of cold beverages that will become the foundation for a new “cold bar” of coffee and espresso products. This new menu focused exclusively on the portfolio of cold coffee affirms the company’s ongoing investment in the category of iced beverages coming off of the highly successful, nationwide launch of cold brew last year in all company owned U.S. stores. In addition to bringing handcrafted vanilla flavor to cold brew coffee, Starbucks will also debut a handcrafted Starbucks Doubleshot on Ice espresso beverage and introduce Nitro Cold Brew in select cities.
“For over 40 years we have perfected the craft of roasting and brewing the finest hot coffee, and while we have always offered our customers new options in cold coffee, nothing will compare to the pace of flavor, craft, and brewing innovation we will see in the next few years," says Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman and CEO. “The opportunity to create an entirely new cold coffee experience is limitless and our customers are already telling us that they want to meet us on this journey as cold coffee is now becoming a go-to drink.”
In Q4 FY15, Starbucks reported a 20 percent increase in the overall iced portfolio after the introduction of cold brew in its retail stores and Nitro cold brew is the second highest selling beverage at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle. U.S. iced coffee consumption has grown by 75 percent in the past decade, and cold brew sales grew 338.9 percent between 2010 and 2015, according to industry experts.
Just in time for summer, this expanded core cold bar menu available in participating stores in U.S. and Canada will now include:
· Cold Brew is handcrafted to be cold from thoughtfully selected beans and slow steeped for 20 hours, creating a balanced and smooth Cold Brew coffee with hints of citrus and chocolate.
· Cold Brew with Vanilla Sweet Cream is Starbucks slow steeped Cold Brew topped with a float of house-made vanilla sweet cream.
· Nitro Cold Brew infuses the existing Cold Brew recipe with nitrogen to deliver a smooth and creamy sweetness customers can both see and taste. It will be available in major cities across the U.S. later this summer, starting with Seattle, Portland, New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
· Starbucks Doubleshot on Ice is made with the rich, full-bodied espresso customers love that's been chilled and mellowed with a touch of milk and lightly sweetened.
· Caramel Iced Macchiato combines the rich, full-bodied espresso with vanilla-flavored syrup, milk, and ice, and is then topped off with caramel drizzle for a sweet finish.
· Traditional Iced Coffee is freshly brewed Starbucks Iced Coffee Blend served chilled and lightly sweetened over ice.
Recipes for cold coffee beverages are developed by Starbucks coffee and research teams, who taste hundreds of cups of coffee to ensure the right blend, roast, and brewing method in order to create the perfect flavor profile. This process mirrors how Starbucks teams create new and limited offering hot coffee and espresso beverages, including the introduction of the Flat White in 2015, which drove sales growth of the Starbucks espresso category that was higher than it had been in the three years prior to introduction.
Starbucks ethically sources 99 percent of its coffee from more than 30 countries around the world, ranging from beloved favorites like Pike Place Roast to limited availability, small-lot coffees sold exclusively as part of its high-premium Starbucks Reserve brand.
