Starbucks to sell three kinds of flavored coffees in grocery stores

Starbucks ground coffee in vanilla, caramel and cinnamon flavors will show up in stores starting in June. "You can imagine that for a lot of coffee snobs, the thought of flavored coffee was a little challenging," says Tom Jones, Starbucks' director of beverage research and development. || Read "Starbucks to launch flavored coffee at grocers" || Read the press release || Jump to the second page of comments.

Comments

[Mrs. Tillinghamshackles]

Sick.

[Melody]

@MrsTillinghamshackles -

It's pre-ground and flavored coffee.

Double sick.

[Coffee Soldier]

I think this is a great idea...as long as we don't start brewing in the stores...why not put it on the shelves of the gorcery stores and take advantage of gaining more customers to the Starbucks brand? This is just another market not tapped by Starbucks yet...just like Via!

[Mrs. Tillinghamshackles]

Tapping some markets lessens the brand. A lot.

[Barista Ben]

God dammit Starbucks.

[barista #4]

I don't think I want to work for this company anymore. I have to find somewhere that cares about the product. Via and now this?

[Coffee Soldier]

Maybe it will fail...I haven't recently seen any copies of Joe Magazine around or Penza bars!...but staying ahead of the game with new anf different products are important to the shareholders and a large percentage of shareholders are parters as well.

[Sheik]

Yayy!!!!!!!!!!! I think this is a great thing! I can't believe Starbucks hasn't tapped into this great idea that other coffee shops have been doing for years. I wish they'd do Cinnamon Toast instead of Cinnamon. Ooooh and if they did Chocolate Cappuccino that'd be double cool!

[Helena Handbasket]

Sheik, you MUST be kidding. They have cheapened the product and turned Sbux into the McDonalds of coffee. It is not in any way the company I signed up with years ago; now I feel like I work at just another fast food restaurant. That "third place" is gone. When do the deep fryers get installed?

[CD]

Go back and re-read Howard's transformation agenda and you will see that this was coming...

The growth they need must come from outside of the stores. The "brand" (not the experience) will drive the growth.

Let's just hope this doesn't further dilute the in-store experience (it's already looking like Taco Bell with all of the window clings).

[Faded Coffee Master]

SBC was supposed to have the flavored coffees while Starbucks stayed pure. Another foolish move that cheapens what was Starbucks' uniqueness - now it's anything to make a buck in fast food.

[Melody]

@Helena Handbasket - Hmm. I did think Shiek was writing with his tongue in his cheek.

*****

This such a big announcement that I just now threw together a blog post on it on my site too. ;)

[(former) FLA SM]

Remember how it wasn't long ago that every store in the country shut down for several hours to hold "espresso excellence" meetings in order to "get back to basics?"
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Darth Discontined.]

How goes Michaels Helena Handbasket?

[Darth Discontined.]

err hobby lobby.

[PdxDan]

It seemed not to ling ago when SBUKS purchased SBC that there was countless e-mails about ensuring the "integrity of the brand" and how SBUX would NEVER offer "flavored coffee"...so much for promises.

[Barista]

Hmmmmmmmmm, I sure hope this new flavored coffee is better than the Seattle's Best vanilla coffee I bought at Border's (sorry, I had a gift certificate and needed to use it all up and I already had 2 books) That stuff was terrible- I think I threw out most of it. The coffee was just too weak.

[Doppio con karma]

Thought I read a tasting kit for this slop was going to stores. Why do that we're not selling it? So I can direct customers to a grocery store for coffee, taking cash out of my store? Don't get me wrong, I think it's a good concept, but why not use SBC or have a new thing "inspired" by sbux?

[Melody]

I don't think the phrase "the size of the prize" is enough of an answer to explain this coffee. Just because Starbucks can sell something, doesn't mean it should.

[DT]

Flavored coffee?? Really??

Is this even related to the same company I used to work at??

I'm disgusted.

[Corvex Corvidae]

Figures.

[Cafe Nervosa]

Why create a company filled with coffee experts, and then tell us not to kill ourselves laughing when we hear about this?

[formermanager]

Yeah, but people will drink this, swill or not. I like flavored coffees, not everyone sits around cupping and pairing. If that was the case, the crap coffee companies like Folgers would no longer be. Even Starbucks customers came in and asked for bold or mild, they have no idea of the nuances of the growing regions or roasts. It will work, to our chagrin.

[The only thing constant in business is change]

I'm fine with this in grocery stores. I think it is a smart move to introduce more people to the starbucks brand through different products. And besides, a lot of people like flavored coffee. People often ask for vanilla syrup at my location.

The Starbucks cafe will continue to provide core quality coffee to compete with other cafes (Peet's, etc...), while Starbucks grocery will provide products to compete with other grocery coffee competitors (Dunkin', etc...)

[Melody]

@formermanager - It may sell. You're right about that. You're right that people don't sit around cupping, tasting, and pairing coffees.

But none of that will change that it will come with a cost to the reputation of what Starbucks stands for; a cost to what it means when we say we will "never" do something; and a cost in that it will provide greater fuel and ammunition to coffeehouses like Intelligentsia, or Stumptown or any much smaller roaster who likes to call Starbucks the 'McDonalds of coffee'.

And it may even taste great! But it has a huge price.

[dottie]

Truly truly disappointed Starbucks. I guess if its in the name of business Starbucks can sacrifice the integrity of the brand.

[Old Joe]

WOW, I know Howard said "no sacred cows" but this crosses a completely different boundary. After 10 plus years with the company I'm glad I'm not there anymore. What's next...justifying robusta?? Don't laugh after this move literally anything is possible.

[itsasadday]

oh, but robusta is the same-so says this "knowledgeable" ha http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/ideaView?id=08750000000GtocAAC

[ash_sk8s]

First of all, it will sell. Lots of people who buy Folgers or whatever crap coffee will probably want to buy the Starbucks coffee for the name. Then they might even, GASP, go into the stores. At the very least, Starbucks is reaching out to another market of people.

Second of all, I honestly have a hard time believe that soooo many people are going to be like, "oMG, I can't believe Starbucks is selling flavored coffee in grocery stores, guess they're not a REAL coffee shop and don't care about their CORE products." Seriously? I have a hard time imagining how much this is really going to "lessen" the brand..

[Helena Handbasket]

Well, yeah, I did think Sheik was kidding.
You take those same words of Sheik's and put them coming out of one of my customer's mouths, and you have my average day. My new customers want ice cream in stores so they can put it in their Vivannos (with whip, natch), buy cupcakes just to have them blended in their Frappuccinos, and find any of our Coffee Masters (me included) trying to hold tastings irritating.
So, flavored coffee? Why the hell not. Howard also promised never to put coffee beans on sale or to give them away for any reason...that went out the window as well. The place used to smell of coffee; now it smells of desperation.

[Argentius]

bwa-haHahahahahahaHAHAHAH!

hA232!!@!

This is awesome, and, hillarious.

SBUX is back to profits!

I'm glad they figured out that "basics," like "good coffee" had nothing to do with what the mass market wanted.

Thankfully, for those who live in urban areas, at least, specialty companies have filled that niche.

I'll still be happy to see the siren when I'm on a road trip and I don't know where I can get a solid cup of coffee that isn't a luke-warm cup of junk that's been on the warmer for 6 hours, so, glad to see they're got all of their bases covered

Still:

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!@!@ BWahahEROFLCOPTR!

I'm going to go look at some quotes from "pour your heart into it" now and laugh some more...

[miguel]

The truth is that the majority of our customers aren't as passionate about pure coffee as we are and this is just starbucks giving them what they want.

[javagirl666]

As previously stated..thats why we bought Seattle's Best. We seem to be doing alot of things that we were "never going to do"!

[blackhat]

As a shareholder I think it is a good way to boost profits.
As a partner I am glad it is only being sold in grocery stores.

[Herman M.]

"You can imagine that for a lot of coffee snobs..."
I'm sorry, the coffee snobs have been laughing at Starbucks for years and years. None of them would set foot inside a store much less buy it in a grocery.

Coffee snobs indeed. That's a funny one!

[black apron boy]

Holy cow.... you guys are ridiculous! When I first started with the company, all I knew to drink were stcf's and dccf's. It took a long while to even start drinking coffee. With slow transitions, I can now drink coffee black and enjoy those subtle nuances. Things, like flavored coffee, allow many different groups to slowly transition to better alternatives than frappuccinos and the like. I would rather have an unknowledgeable, non-snob customer buying flavored coffee to expand their horizons, than rude, demeaning partners looking down on what they do and who does it. What ever happened to embracing diversity and connect discover respond! Flavored coffee isn't what's watering the brand; it's jerk baristas that look down on their customers and have some expectation of their clientele. I only go to two stores now, because I either get shotty drinks or rude partners.

[baristamclane]

Didn't Howard once say that we would never flavor our coffees? I'm almost certain I read that in "Pour Your Heart Into It". Just saying...

[I.Heart.Spirit]

@miguel

No reason for someone to be bitter because they can run a successful coffee blog without turning it into perezhilton.com.

I think this is a semi good idea. Though it goes against Starbucks of old, I think it is a great transition into the future of the company. This will get the people who do like flavoured coffee to come into the stores and branch out their own coffee knowledge.

I am also very excited to try it. It's a lot easier to accept things with an open mind than belittle it before you have even experienced it.

[adoubleshotofclarity]

An important distinction to make is this one (from the article): "Unlike flavored coffee where scents are traditionally sprayed onto beans, Starbucks' roasters ground botanicals in with the arabica beans to create by subtle flavors..."

For those not familiar with the traditional process of creating flavored coffee, the beans are sprayed with a chemical that infuses them with the flavor. This new product appears to be done by grinding in the flavors fresh with the coffee beans. Just like Starbucks claims to have cracked the code on making a best-in-class instant (and seems to have succeeded), I'm open to giving this a try.

I don't drink flavored and I'm not likely to start now, but I know plenty of people who do and if we can elevate the quality of what's available to them, what's the harm? Is this really any different from watching the customers who come into your stores order drip coffee, then go sprinkle cinnamon or vanilla into it at the condiment bar?

Just for fun, I went back and looked through the reaction here when SBUX announced VIA (linked in my name). We seem to have warmed to that... Why not give flavored a chance?

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP WEBMASTER]

Someone was claiming to be the STARBUCKS GOSSIP WEBMASTER and he/she has been banned. (That person also wrote offensive posts under several other names.)

[CD]

Thanks Jim.

[SBUX Alum Bill]

As one who is often critical of Starbucks, I have to admit that the moves to expand the retail presence of SBUX & use the "Seattle's Best" trademark to target a different type of customer make a lot of sense. I truly don't see any downside to either strategy, and the potential upside in both cases is huge.

[wibarista]

Saying these flavored coffees are going to "redefine the premium coffee category" is like saying that Boone's Farm is going to "redefine the premium wine category."

All ridiculousness aside, I'm not surprised this is happening. However, I am surprised that hazlenut is not one of the flavors offered. Does anyone else feel like that is one of the most popular flavors for brewed coffee?

Meh.

[Darth Discontinued.]

I posted this on Melodys blog yesterday waiting until i gave it a day to see if i still felt this way. Oh do I.

I worked two whole years for that black apron. I took great pride in it, going through the coffee master program multiple times because I enjoyed refreshing myself on coffee knowledge and going through the guided tastings. The name Darth Sidamo comes from a customer. She refers to the Black Apron as a Sith Apron in epic Star Wars fashon. Sidamo being my favorite coffee. As a joke Darth Sidamo was my coffee master/sith nickname.

Ive doubted our commitment to coffee many times, but it was my commitment that kept me going forward. VIA has made many partners stop loving their job. It once made me doubt the value of a coffee master. It all seemed like a joke was being played on us.

This was the straw that broke the camels back. My apron is forever retired. I will not french press, i will not sample, I will not describe coffee with the same passion that I do things I love most. Howard, you profit hungry sell out, have placed profit ahead of many core values and now youve killed the most important core value. Coffee. This is Joey Ramone selling out and doing an I-pod commercial. This is Eddie Vedder when he cut his hair and became political. Youve stooped to the level of Dunkin Donuts. You make me ashamed of my black apron.

[adoubleshotofclarity]

Darth... I could see that if we were sacrificing something from our core coffee lineup to allow for the flavored coffees. Fact is, people who drink this stuff will drink it anyway. Now we can get them a higher quality version of what they've been drinking (regardless of how that may compare to our straight coffee). We're able to do that because of the same strengths that make us great at "regular" coffee.

Not everyone has the same level of respect for top quality coffee that you, me, or any other black aprons out there has. Why not take advantage of our existing strengths to add a whole new line, independent of our existing way of doing things, and create a better experience for coffee drinkers of all levels of sophistication?

[loveofirony]

black apron...if you are going to be condescending (in a post about condescention no less, I love irony, it's delicious) maybe correct spelling would be good. ha! *shoddy. Not shotty. Unless of course you were talking about shots of espresso (or maybe a little something else?)

[camachiatto]

Right on Darth.

[Herman M.]

Mmmm. Boone's Farm. Great for when I want a step down from MD 20/20 Orange Jubilee.

Can we go with Cutty Sark as a premium scotch as well?

If we rip the rhetoric out of the press release, selling carp coffee at a premium price in grocery stores to people who are, quite frankly, never going to buy Starbucks coffee otherwise makes makes sense from several standpoints. Biggest issue I see is that if it is in grocery stores, customers will want it in Starbucks stores as well. Just a couple "why can't I..." comments to customer service, and bam, it's being sold in stores. A few more, and bam, it's being brewed next to Pike Place. And that would be a crying shame.

I've worked in a place that roasted and then flavored coffees. We had separate equipment for everything, but still someone would screw up, and one batch of flavored in the regular basket would tinge the coffee for several batches. One batch in the grinder took much longer to remove.

From a logistics standpoint, fight this, it's a nightmare. I will be in the cafe across the street drinking my local roast.

[Northwest]

Puh-Lease people! Are any of you shareholders? Do you you enjoy having stock? I know that I do. Does anybody care to guess what the price was last year at this time?

Here you go: $9.90

VIA+Better Ways+Lean thinking+Cutting dead weight=

Today: $26.83

Shut your pie holes and realize that flavored coffee exsisted before Starbucks was a glimmer in Gordon Bowkers eye! Jeez!

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

@Northwest,
And don't forget how many partners were fired?