Starbucks officially announces VIA Ready Brew instant coffee

Starbucks VIA Ready Brew is made by adding hot (or cold) water to a cup, which brews the coffee in an instant, says the news release. The product is pre-portioned into single-serve packets and will be packaged in books of three or boxes of 12. The suggested retail price for the U.S. will be $2.95 for three and $9.95 for 12. The national rollout of Starbucks VIA Ready Brew is planned to begin in late Fall 2009, with first availability on March 3 in the Seattle area and in Illinois Starbucks stores. || Read "A Breakthrough in Instant Coffee" || Read Reuters' story

Comments

[Redacted]

These MSRPs will perpetuate the image that Starbucks is expensive coffee only for the coffee snob.

And what about the outcry from the greens because the packaging probably cannot be recycled?

[truth]

Seems like someone else is calling the shots on moves like this one.

XYZ Fast Food company representative: "We'd be interested in buying you if you lay off 50% of your workforce, close your 1000 least-profitable stores, add breakfast food, add more low-cost products, and streamline your coffee offerings."

Howard: "Okay, sounds good. How much time do we have?"

XYZ: "A year. Otherwise, we'll just go hostile and leave you out on the street."

Howard: "Okay, I'll be back then. No need to go hostile, been there, done that."

[Ed Church]

I am looking forward to this instant coffee as an alternative to brewing a full or half full pot.

[Mary]

Just if you're interested in trying it, you can get a free sample of VIA from Starbucks: http://www.starbucksstore.com/products/via/freesample.asp. You have to give an email address.

[Jenny]

In Europe and some parts of Latin America, there are better quality instant coffees, I hadn't been aware of that fact until this subject was discussed on seriouseats.com, a foodie site. Europeans, American ex-pats and those who had lived overseas as students, etc.. all commented on the fact, including how a few when going to study or teach in Asia, they had sought out ways to order the foreign made instants to take with them so as not to do without coffee. I'm going to be open minded about this product and check it out.

[StarbucksBarista]

Wait, so we're not actually going to be using these in stores right?

[Rocker]

this is a sad day when my fav coffee house starts to sell instant :(

[SBUX Alum Bill]

I guess we'll see if this is truly a "tranformational" product. It certainly has the potential to bring in vast amounts of new revenue without compromising the "Starbucks experience" at the stores (none of the service slowdown issues that come with Vivanno & other labor-intensive innovations, none of the ubiquitous odor issues that come with sandwiches, etc. - just another product on the shelf that customers can ignore if they want to).

What I don't understand is (1) why SBUX has to make this big announcement six months before the full product rollout and (2) why SBUX laid off so many workers at the roasting plants if they truly believe that this new line will create an explosion in the amount of coffee that we produce? Could it be that the timing was designed to divert attention from the severity of the layoffs or the seriousnous of the company's problems? Could it be that management itself doesn't believe its own hype about the prospects for this "transformational" product?

[Common sense]

Rocker -- You're aware that you don't have to buy it, correct?

[Jan Bouziden]

In the past I never considered home brewing when Starbucks had their coffee of the day available all day. If they went back to serving what made them famous , their rich roasted assortment of coffee, they would'nt need to resort to instant coffee. Their friendly employees and quality coffee of the day is what brought me in, not price. I spent over 300.00 a month at starbucks before they started serving Pike Place all day. Now I go to Starbucks maybe twicw a week.

[SBSiren1]

I know it's semi-uncool here to say something positive, but it seems to me that going after a more diverse market is smart - why would it be bad for store partners for Starbucks to be strong at the store, and in the grocery aisle and in the instant business. If they've found a way to make instant taste great, then why would that be a bad thing?

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew Learning Card
What is Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew?
Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is…
• A New way to make a great cup of coffee.
• A convenient, easy way for our customers to access Starbucks® coffee anywhere, anytime.
• Single-serving packets of 100% natural, instant and microground Starbucks® coffee. Just add 8 oz of hot water to immediately brew in your cup.
• The flavor, body, and acidity, and moutheel that you ould expect from Starbucls.

What is “microground” coffee?
• Starbucks has been working for more than 20 years to develop an instant Starbucks® coffee, and “microground” coffee was the key breakthrough.
• Microground coffee is super-fine grounds made from the same beans used to brew the coffee that goes into Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew.
• Microground coffee captures the characteristics and aromatic compounds of the coffee. They add fresh-brewed qualities and give you some authentic “grounds” in the bottom of your cup.
• Microground coffee is added to the fina; instant/soluble concentrate, and will brew almost instanteously when you add hot water.

Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew Coffee
Location: Colombia
Growing region:Latin America
Processing method: Washed
Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is available in: Colombia (medium) and Italian Roast (Extra Bold)

Colombia (Medium)
Key term: Nutty
Classification: Medium
Description: A medium-bodied coffee, smooth and well balanced, with a signature nutty flavor found only in coffees from Colombia.
Similar coffees: Guatemala Antigua and House Blend.
Complementary flavors: Walnuts, pecans and caramel

Italian Roast (Extra Bold)
Key term: Intense
Classification: Extra Bold
Description: A medium-bodied blend roasted a bit darker than our Espresso Raost; it offers a sturdy, sweet, slightly smoky flavor.
Similar coffees: Espresso Roast and Caffè Verona®
Complementary flavors: Chocolate, caramelized sugar and spices

The Process behind Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew
The quality of Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew comes from a 100% natural, proprietary process. Our breakthrough production of instant coffee delivers all the great flavor and experience of brewed coffee.

The Process
1. It starts with high-quality green coffees from Colombia that is C.A.F.E. Practices-verified.
2. The beans are roasted according to the specific Starbucks Roast profile.
3. The roasted coffee is ground and brewed with pure water, using an all-natural process.
4. The coffee is concentrated and dried using gentle, chemical-free process such as Centrifugation (spinning liquid out) to create the instant (soluble) base.
5. The Starbucks innovation of “microground” coffee is added to the dried before it is packed to give Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew its fresh-brewed qualities. The microground coffee is made from the same roasted beans that were used to brew the coffee to create the soluble base.

1. High-quality green coffee
2. Starbucks Roast profile
3. Brewed to the Four Fundamentals
4. Concentration and drying (all natural)
5. Microgrounds added to soluble

All of the coffee in Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is C.A.F.E. Practices-verified as part of our Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ commitment. That means that 100% of the coffee in Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew s ethically sourced and responsibly grown.

Why Are We Offering Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew
Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is designed to ensure that every coffee drinker will “never be without great coffee,” wherever they are.

Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is more than just a higher-quality choice for someone who already drinks instant, soluble coffee. Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is designed for all those when our customers crave the great taste of Starbucks but don’t have a café nearby, don’t have the ability to brew a cup of great-tasting coffee, or don’t want to brew a whole pot. Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew can convert those coffee occasions into Starbucks occasions, and even create new occasions by converting other caffeinated beverages (such as soda or tea) into coffee moments.

By increasing the presence of Starbucks® coffee in the everyday lives of our customers, we can build our brand and serve our loyal customers even better.

How Do We Talk about Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew?

The Customer Talking Points below are just ideas to get you started. Personalize what you have learned about Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew and create your own talking points, in your own words.

• Starbucks VIA™ Read Brew is convenient and easy to prepare. Now you can enjoy Starbucks® quality coffee anytime, anywhere. Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew provides convenient, single servings of the finest Starbucks® coffee to immediately brew quality in your cup- without requiring brewing equipment or access to a Starbucks coffeehouse.
• Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew uses the same high-quality beans as all of our coffee. Starbucks VIA™ Ready has the flavor, body and mouthfeel that you expect from Starbucks® coffee. With Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew coffee, you can enjoy the deep, aromatic flavor you love any place, any time. Without compromise
• The technology used to create Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is unique and proprietary. This new format uses the same high quality Arabica beans, as well as a proprietary “microground” coffee to easily brew as a smooth cup of real coffee. All you need to do is add 8 oz. of clean, hot (or cold) water.
• Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew reinterprets the coffee tradition in a way that only Starbucks. Twenty years in the making, we have perfected a unique processing method to bring a number of our blends- such as Colombia and Italian Roast- to customers who seek ready access to the flavor of our exceptional coffees.

Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew Questions & Answers
Q: How does Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew compare to coffee brewed in a coffee press?
A: Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is similar to the Starbucks that our customers brew at home in a “drip-style” coffee maker. Therefore, Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew should not be compared to coffee from a coffee press. However, if you want a bolder cup of Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew, use less than 8 oz of water. Remember, the Four Fundamentals are “locked in” during processing and packaging, so using more or less water will not cause the coffee to be over-or or under-extracted.

Q: Why would a customer want to buy Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew?
A: Our research shows that even our most loyal customers buy a significant percentage of their coffee from other brands, in addition to Starbucks. We know that our customers love the taste of Starbucks® premium coffee, so why do they not buy more Starbucks® coffee? We found that the umber one reason why our customers don’t buy more Starbucks® coffee is “convenience.” Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is a convenient, easy choice that will meet the needs of our loyal customers.

Q: What differentiates Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew from other instant coffees?
A: With Starbucks proprietary process- including microground coffee that brews right in your cup- Starbucks has transformed instant coffee. Most instant coffees start with low-grade, poor0quality beans. These beans are put through a harsh process that sometimes uses chemicals, coffee by-products, and other processing aids, leaving a sour or artificial taste. In contrast, Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is 100% Starbucks coffee, processed in a gentle, natural way that preserves the flavors oils and qualities of freshly brewed starbucks® coffee. Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew has raised the bar, bringing a whole new level of quality to the instant coffee marketplace.

Q: Why are we selling Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew in our cafes?
A: Starbucks is so proud of this transformational product that took over 20 years to develop, that we thought it only proper that we share this coffee with our customers through our baristas. By launching Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew in the heart of what we do, we show that Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew is part of our heritage of coffee authority, and it gives you the opportunity to tell the story of Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew to your customers.

Q: What should I do if I am contacted by the media or asked for an interview?
A: It is Starbucks policy that you not give interviews or quotes to the media. If someone from the media asks you questions about Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew, you can direct them to your store manager and to the website (http://www.starbucksvia.com).

BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL
PRIMUS INTER PARES
STARBUCKS REBEL ALLIANCE
AIM: BOSTONSTARREBEL

[Me]

So it is a combination of the Turkish brewing method and Nescafe? Cool, can't wait for it.
I was really missing these grinds in the bottom of my cup of instant coffee.

(Just to be on the safe side, this was sarcasm)

[toffeenut]

Is it just me or is this instant coffee really expensive? I mean, $1 a cup for instant coffee? If I need coffee in a hurry, I think I'll just stick to my coffee pod machine which is at least a bit more affordable. Maybe I have the numbers wrong--I hope!

[Coffee]

Instant coffee is very useful for bachelors.Because it is very easy to prepare...

[NJ_Barista]

I'm not sure if this has been asked but, if it is sold in stores do you think we can get it as our markout? I'd use it for ice coffee in the summer.

[FLA SM]

"Instant coffee is very useful for bachelors.Because it is very easy to prepare..."

Dear Lord, please let this be some sort of ironic or sarcastic comment.

[Bemused]

$1/glass for instant. Not in this lifetime...

[SRTN]

I actually had the opportunity to try Via yesterday. I tried it iced and it was actually very good. I would buy it to turn a bottle of water into an iced coffee in an instant.

[Suki Shanti]

Anybody know what the special offer on Via being emailed on March 4 (per the starbucks website) will be?

[Saturn]

I was excited to hear about this, as I sometimes use Folgers Singles when I need a quick cup of coffee on my way out the door, and imagine that Via will taste better. But Folgers isngles are about 30 cents a cup. I doubt that Via is 3 times as good.

[Jordyn]

So does this VIA have the same quality taste as regular Starbucks coffee?.. for any one that has tried it and appreciates it.

.. and won't this idea of instant coffee take away from the experience of the company? I think this form of branching out during hards times is taking it too far.

[Stephanie]

my mom bought some online and as a former partner i made fun of her. she gave me one of the itl roast. i mixed it and it took me a couple of minutes to muster the courage to try. but i did, and you know what? i liked it! wasn't the greatest coffee ever but for an overnight at a hotel or at someones house who doesn't have a coffee maker it'll be awesome!

[Jordyn]

stephanie:
as a former partner did you think it compares?.. I haven't actually tried it so I'm curious.

And do you think it could help Starbucks' situation?

[coach sale]

summer beauty is night most. No doubt beautiful , jet-black bright dark moonlit night night, also has uncounted firefly sons dance trippingly. Be also having one two fireflies son in night, be flashing with the dim gleam in flying , this scene even if being a fine drizzle's be charming.