Starbucks to begin selling gluten-free pastry

Valencia Orange Cake will be made with seven ingredients that are all 100% gluten-free. The cake will be sold in individually wrapped packages for $2.25 each and will be available beginning May 5. Read "Starbucks to offer gluten-free pastry" || Jump to the second page of comments.

Comments

[javajohn]

Once again, Starbucks is trying to be everything to everyone and ultimately missing the target. Focus on core values, get back to basics: the coffee and stop trying to appease every subset of customer from kids to geriatrics.

[Mary Mocha]

Of all the flavors to offer these guys pick VALENCIA ORANGE???

[melissa]

Ah, the next lead balloon. You can't get coffee at Starbucks, but we do cater to the 1% of the population with celiac sprue.

[Mike]

Are they going to still sell coffee?

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

I think you're right. Trying to be everything to everyone is not the way to go.

[Celiac sufferer]

Um... How about kudos for reaching out to a part of our customer base that cannot enjoy ANYTHING currently on the pastry case? I mean valencia orange is a random flavor... But they're trying. I appreciate it? Lighten up people! Thanks starbucks!!

[b.]

that product is already in sale in UK
it s quite a nice cake where the flour is made is almond
we got also a gluten free chocolate individual cake which is also milk free and fairtrade if i m correct

[Alli]

Great! Now can we get Valencia syrup back?

[AmericanoMan]

So why is anyone surprised?

Starbucks sells coffee free coffee. Oh wait, that is only until noon (or before if the store decides it is too much trouble).

Bold coffee and full fat full sugar pastries rule.

[stacy]

Co-sign to javajohn

Options are great but there is such a thing as too many options and Starbucks definitely falls into the latter these days. Focus on what you know and what made you a Field of Dreams type, international, fortune 500, cultural icon-- coffee.

[Java Joe]

If it’s like the other promotional items it will be available May 5th and discontinued a few months later.

[Leana]

I see this being really popular. I work at a grocery store, and the number of people asking for gluten free products is increasing daily. Many people look for a nice dessert that they can eat or serve, I hope this pasty tastes as good as it sounds.

[twh]

do your research people. celiac is more frequent and serious then you believe... it deals with a wheat allergy... has nothing to do with fat/sugar content... this is not a topic with much room to debate.

[Corbo]

I hesitate to commend things like this that take away from the focus on coffee, but at my store there is a partner who is gluten-intolerant. I hope that this pastry is really good because her options are truly limited! I'm excited for her.

[twh]

...same here Corbo... i have several customers + my mom and 6 year old niece

[Pouty Barista]

Gluten free and profit free. Great job, Howie!

[Melody]

[quote]How about kudos for reaching out to a part of our customer base that cannot enjoy ANYTHING currently on the pastry case? [/quote]

I will be full of kudos when Starbucks is reaching out to a customer base that cannot enjoy a cup of coffee after noon because of the One-Size-Fits-All at a premium specialty coffee house brewed coffee business model.

[WaSbuxMan]

Next Promo!

Dry Soda!

Vanilla Bean and Cucumber flavors! Stores are already getting bottles for partners to sample!

[Coffee Soldier]

Maybe if for once we as partners attempted to embrace the products coming down the line and sampled them, then sold them to our customers, rather then knock them before you've even seen or tasted the item our company would be doing better. At least 5 times a day I have customers asking for gluten-free products. If this product gives us a competitive edge over Dunkin or whatever other shops the rest of the country is competing with then great..I'd sure as heck take the gluten free customers who enjoy coffee but can't get a snack item along with it at the next shop down the street as a new customer.

[TNT]

@Coffee Soldier – I have no idea how this item will sell. It does give an option to people who are gluten-free. It won’t be worth sampling though. My sister is gluten free and she has a hard time attempting to share any gluten-free products with friends. Being that this offering has no benefits to people that aren’t affected by gluten; they probably will have no desire to try it. So sampling won’t work. Besides, I don’t see this as a big push by the company (at least I hope not). It will likely be just something we offer to a segment of our customers that have no options presently.

As I stated, I have no idea if it will work or not, but it does concern me. If we start going down this route we might be steaming rice and/or almond milks and God knows what else. We can’t stock and create beverages and pasties for every special need. It just won’t work and be profitable.

@Melody – I have to agree with you. As a coffee company if we can’t even offer coffee to please our customers, why then are we attempting to do this? I mean really, isn’t this a slap in the face to anyone that wants bold, mild, or decaf brewed without having to wait. That’s if you can get them to brew it at all.

[me]

I do agree we need to work on our core item, coffee.

But I also very much appreciate the attempt to get something gluten free into the pastry case. It's not like they are building another pastry case next to the existing one just for gluten free, sugar free, fat free, nut free etc. (you get the idea) specialty products.
And giving customers options isn't a bad thing to do, as long as you don't overdo it.

I like the idea and I will try it and promote it if it tastes half way decent.

[NYCSHIFT]

I just don't want to hear my DM yelling at me, "why aren't you hitting your gluten-free cake USD goal!?!?"

"Umm...cause only like 1 out of a hundred people have an intolerance to gluten, so once the novelty wears off...it'll be impossible to sell, sir."

[TNT]

@NYCSHIFT – I definitely hear you. I’m so sick of the unrealistic goals this company expects. Most DM’s must be really worried about being the next group to be cut (not that we’d miss them…I still don’t know what they do but send and forward countless e-mails). I hope the company is smarter than that, but they’ve done dumber things.

[g]

Melody,
Right on!!!

------------------------------------------------
"…I still don’t know what they do but send and forward countless e-mails"

What exactly do DM's do for 8 hrs a day and 40 hrs a week? Are they really doing company related work in that time frame or are they working from home and going back and forth between business and leisure?

Are there any DM's out there who can educate us on this?

[NYCSHIFT]

I wasn't bashing my DM. I actually like him. He helps out with a lot of things around the store, and never complains.

I've had other DM's that would see a dirty lobby, do a slide for you, then spend the next hour patting themselves on the back for it, not to mention asking me why my lobby was so dirty and I had no one sliding.

But I am frustrated at all the goals DMs in general throw at us. It seems at times that we have four or five going at one time. No wonder our partners seem unfocused if we as managers don't know where to focus as well. One week it's coffee travelers, then it's tea lattes, then breakfast pairings, but don't forget about gold cards...ugh.

[Thought of the Day]

Will this be going the way of the Berry Stella? Right in and right out.

[wow gold]

I've read that this gluten-free cake will be available on May 5, is it on all Starbucks stores? I'm actually sensitive to wheat and this is a good news for me. :)

[brown dot]

Well this could be a good thing...but what about the people with diabetes? Aren't there more of them? Shouldn't we have sugar free pastries too? We can't just focus on one group. I personally have never had anyone ask for gluten free in my 6 years with starbucks but I have had plenty ask for sugar free.

[former partner]

Gluten-free pastry for $2.25? No thanks. Too expensive.

[Runningchick]

Novelty - you stupid managers think Celiac disease is a novelty?!?!?! Try living with it....those with "nut allergies" are catered to daily but there is nothing for those of us with this DISEASE to eat in you store....and by the way it's more than 1% of the population!!!!! Get your facts straight and support a company that is recognizing a SERIOUS DISEASE that is affecting more and more of the population as they realize what they have. If all of the managers at Starbucks are like this it's no wonder your sales are slipping and stores are closing! I know plenty of businesses who are GROWING market share as they cater to these special dietary needs.

[gerry]

Melody, I love you to pieces, but please, not every thread needs to be turned around to your coffee battle. I support you and would love some dark coffee but you're starting to sound like a broken record. Maybe it's best kept in threads about coffee, or weekend posts.

[I can't believe I said something (almost) positiv ;-)]

I have at least once a week a customer asking for gluten free. And I know people with celiac disease. I'm sure if we offer it prominently we will see how many people are really effected. They are just not all very vocal about it.
Good for starbucks recognizing this.
Now move on to one sugar free pastry and then focus on coffee please.

I have a great idea for boosting whole bean sales. How about a weekly rotating coffee on brew for mild AND bold AND decaf. This way people get to know the different coffees and might even start buying them again.

[The Truth Hurts]

I can't beleive I said something (almost) positiv ;-),

We tried the rotating coffee thing but we had to stop. It worked too well and management apparently couldn’t handle the success. I mean how can you run the company into the ground with all those profits?

[Melody]

gerry - thanks for the gentle reminder. Sounds crazy, but I need that now and then.

And despite that this new Valencia orange pastry is a specialty item for people who need gluten-free foods, I'll be sure to try it right away. The pastry case doesn't excite me very much these days, and I hope to find a pastry that makes my toes curl.

Of course, nothing, I mean nothing, beats those amazing vanilla cups cakes every year. I have to wait SO long for them to come back again! Ugh!

[The ruth Hurts]

Melody,

Keep up the fight, it’s worth it. Does anybody even know what Kenya tastes like anymore?

[The Truth Hurts]

Sorry! I forgot my "T".

[TORONTOWYLD]

I miss gluten-free mini cheesecakes! I don't need gluten-free but I got them anyway because they were exceptionally yummy! Thus having a gluten-free option isn't new at all.

[The Truth Hurts]

I’m all for a gluten-free option. It won’t add to my duties but it will add to the customers that can’t tolerate gluten. We do get at least one customer that asks for it every shift. Maybe more would want it that never asked.

[melissa]

I know all about celiac disease, I am a dietitian, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. The pastry, while gluten free, probably has about a zillion calories, and probably is not a good choice for anyone, let alone someone with a compromised GI tract. They ought to just tweak one of the top sellers, the Krispy Square, and make it gluten free. SB is missing the point, it's a great consideration to offer, but the demand for it may not be there.

[Melody]

It is possible to get so involved in the battle cry that you fail to stop to look at the shell-shocked and war wounds right before your eyes ... so gerry's post was a very good one. There has to be a little R & R from the battle now and then.

@TorontoWyld, I don't remember the gluten-free mini cheesecakes. Was that just in Canada?

I'm definitely looking forward to a new column from Juan tomorrow!

[Mmmm]

Actually according to our nutrition info (last time I checked anywho) crispy bars are gluten free.

[guest]

Nope, the crispy bars have malt in them which is derived from barley which is a non-no for those of us with Celiac. Would be easy to fix, however!

[Celiac sufferer]

There is malt in the crispy bars which affects those with celiac disease. Our regional vp suffers from celiacs. I wonder if he helped push it along? And as for others who are frustrated about another new product... Wait unti you see the first celiac disease sufferer's eyes light up because they can eat a pastry!! I understand others' battles over decaf or bold. It might cost more or take more time but you can always get a French press. Not true for those who must live gluten free. A Barista gives you attitude? Come visit means we'll split a french press and a gf cake!! P.s. 1 in 133 people suffer from celiacs and it is thought to be hugely underdiagnosed.

[ash_sk8s]

For those of you who read MSI, there were tons of requests for a gluten-free pastry. And although it is expensive, those who can't eat gluten won't be the ONLY people buying it. Others will buy it as well.

[triple_short]

since we're on the gluten free track... starbucks should some how make a deal with WOW baking company. they're gluten free cookies and brownies are amazingly delicious. it's a shame you can't find them everywhere though.

www.wowbaking.com

[SeattleShane]

I believe the crispy bars are supposed to be replaced with something (the name escapes me) in the future. Royal bar maybe?

I don't know if it is gluten free, but it might be something to look into. If I remember correctly it has visible chunks of marshmallows in it.

[Brian]

It's about time. There's only one place in my area that does this. Jackson, michigan, MI. I'm not sure I'll rush to Starbucks because of their pricing, but do check out the menu of jackson coffee co. www.jacksoncoffeeco.com. Big selection

[(former) FLA SM]

I can certainly understand the point of view of those who suffer from celiacs. You have my sympathies and it's nice you now have an option from the pastry case. I can also understand the point of view of those who are tired of hearing customers (and employees) begging for bold coffee. However.....

If the statistic is accurate, 1 in 133 people need gluten-free pastries, then Starbucks is completely mis-prioritizing their efforts. I guarantee you that more than 1 in 133 customers want hassle-free bold coffee from Starbucks COFFEE Company. I'm not against gluten-free pastries, but shouldn't the focus be on providing a product that more customers are asking for? This whole operation appears to be just a publicity stunt so that Starbucks can say "Hey look at us! We provide gluten-free products! We're so awesome!"

[green_cup]

@Brian:

You've mentioned this Jackson Coffee Co in two separate posts, all about the same time frame.

Do you work for them?

The way you work it in contextually makes it come off like you're trying to pull one over as if you're just casually mentioning it. Shady.

[UK10222343]

The Valencia Orange Cake is already offered in the UK, it's a pretty good seller. Comes in boxes of 12, and has a decent storage shelf life date so even if it wasn't selling many over the course of a day, (which it actually does normally) then just cut down the order and put out a few and re-stock as necessary.
Should be asking for the Fairtrade Belgian Chocolate Cake though, I'm addicted to them. Gluten free, dairy free, everrryyything free.
But, Summer 1 in the UK is pushing Starbucks Card Rewards and the Dark Berry Mocha Frappuccino.