Latest news with #StarbucksLeadershipExperience
Miami Herald
15-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
New Starbucks beverage goes after wellness market
"Remember to order a Starbucks drink after your workout," said no one ever. Starbucks has not always prioritized making its handcrafted beverages healthy. Some menu items have masked the taste of coffee to appeal to a larger audience, loading up on whipped cream and decadent syrups containing an entire day's worth of sugar. Health-conscious customers did, of course, have better-for-you options such as a caffe latte with skim milk, nitro cold brew, or espresso macchiato. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter But now consumer trends are truly evolving, with older and younger generations alike prioritizing low caloric content and clean ingredients like never before. And Starbucks' latest move shows it's taking notice. Image source: Getty Images During the Starbucks Leadership Experience event in Las Vegas, the company revealed that it is testing a new Banana Protein Cold Foam. This potential new menu addition tweaks the original cold foam by adding banana flavor and protein powder, which contains around 15 grams of protein per serving. This is not the first time Starbucks (SBUX) has introduced protein to its menu. In 2018, it launched the Protein Blended Cold Brew in Almond and Cocoa flavors, which blended cold brew, almond milk, plant-based protein, almond butter, banana date fruit blend, and ice to create the beverage. Related: Starbucks faces huge new rival The protein-packed drinks were only available for a limited time and were eventually discontinued months later, never to be seen again. At the Las vegas event, the coffee giant also introduced the Starting 5, a new program in which five stores will be chosen to test potential new menu items before rolling them out across all locations nationwide. This program is part of the "Back to Starbucks" strategy, in which the company aims to revamp its menu by "reimagining and modernizing its beverages and food to build a relevant, hype-worthy global menu that will resonate with customers," as stated in a press release. More Food News: Chick-fil-A quietly launches unexpected new menu itemsPopular Mexican restaurant adds new menu, new store conceptTaco Bell announces new menu items to battle McDonald's However, Starbucks isn't focusing solely on healthier menu items. The coffee chain has also been working overtime to test new food menu items currently under development. These include a new Butter Croissant, Raspberry Croissant, and Double Chocolate Cookie. Starbucks has not announced an official day for when the tested menu items will hit stores nationwide, but it has been making changes quickly, so if successful, these innovations could launch very soon. The chain's "Back to Starbucks" turnaround strategy aims to improve customers' overall experience by redesigning stores, optimizing efficiency, prioritizing coffee quality, simplifying its menu, and empowering its baristas. The coffee giant recently began simplifying its menu by reducing customization options and eliminating extra charges for milk alternatives. Related: Starbucks makes huge investment to solve a key problem In February, Starbucks discontinued nine beloved Frappuccinos from the coffee-based and crème categories, as well as other beverages and food items, nearly halving the available options. Although many might have thought the company's shrinking menu meant no more seasonal or permanent launches, this drastic move seems to have made room for more innovation. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
New York Post
12-06-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Starbucks set to debut a new drink — packed with protein: ‘This thing is going to be a rocket'
Even Starbucks is hopping on the protein trend. If you've been on the internet in recent months, you've probably seen an increase in interest in protein-heavy food and drinks. Now, Starbucks is testing a new way to instantly add a whopping 15 grams of protein to nearly any beverage. The coffee giant is testing a protein cold foam at five locations in the US through its Starting Five program. It's part of CEO Brian Niccol's hopes to expand into the wellness category, the company announced during the Starbucks Leadership Experience in Las Vegas. 3 Starbucks is testing a protein cold foam at five locations in the US through its Starting Five program. Starbucks 'This thing is going to be a rocket,' Niccol said on stage in Las Vegas. 'It's on trend. It's delicious.' Niccol explained to Axios that the new innovation is geared toward a number of consumer groups, such as 20-year-old males, 50-year-old females and people taking GLP-1s. 'I was watching people coming to our stores, they would get three shots of espresso over ice,' Niccol explained. 'And in some cases, they pull their own protein powder out of their bag, or in other cases, they have a protein drink, like a Fair Life, and they'd pour that into their drink.' 'I'm like, well, wait a second, we can make this experience better for them,' he added. There's currently a huge push for protein with Gen Z, with different recipes and trends such as the '100 grams of protein daily' challenge going viral on TikTok. And with the continuous rise of GLP-1 drugs, research has shown that a high-protein diet is vital to maintaining muscle with the appetite-suppressing injectable treatments. 3 Starbucks shared that their protein powder should be able to be added to any of its cold foam flavors. Starbucks 'The good news is now I think we're right on trend, and we can do it, I think, arguably better than anybody else,' Niccol said. According to Fast Company, the protein cold foam will be identical to the cold foam Starbucks customers know and love — but it will be packed with somewhere between 15 and 18 grams of protein. The world's largest coffee chain reportedly initially imagined that the protein blend would simply mix into drinks, but it kept getting clumpy — something that protein powder consumers may know a thing or two about — and they wanted to solve that problem. 3 The protein cold foam will reportedly be packed with somewhere between 15 and 18 grams of protein. Dontree – The development team found that blending the powder into foam got rid of the clumps, which led to the protein cold foam innovation. Starbucks shared that their protein powder should be able to be added to any of its cold foam flavors, but the current testing version is a banana cold foam, FoodSided reported. They're starting the testing with Starbucks' Iced Caffe Latte. While it's being tested in just five locations at the moment, Niccol told Axios he thinks the nationwide release of the protein cold foam will be sooner rather than later. 'It's not one of those things that's years away. It's months away,' he said.
USA Today
04-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Starbucks coffee competition draws top baristas for latte art, blind tasting challenges
Starbucks coffee competition draws top baristas for latte art, blind tasting challenges Show Caption Hide Caption Starbucks to cut 13 drinks from menu amid restructuring Starbucks cuts 13 drinks from menu, streamlining operations and improving service, with more reductions expected in coming months. Straight Arrow News For the past 15 weeks, Cali Hegeman's life has revolved around coffee. By day, the 22-year-old Starbucks barista crafts lattes and mochas at the Chicago Reserve Roastery. In her off hours, she reads coffee books, listens to coffee podcasts and combs through YouTube for coffee recipes. It's all part of her training for the inaugural Starbucks Global Barista Championship, a three-day event that kicks off June 9 in Las Vegas. Hegeman is set to compete against 11 other baristas from around the world, each showcasing their talents and knowledge of the morning staple through blind coffee tastings, latte art, storytelling, store rush simulations and their own signature beverages. The competition will showcase the winners of Starbucks' regional and Reserve Roastery championships, which featured more than 84,000 baristas. Starbucks named one champion for each of its six regions (North America, China, Japan, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and one for each Reserve Roastery location (Seattle, Chicago, New York, Shanghai, Tokyo and Milan). Hegeman was named champion at the Chicago Reserve Roastery last year after competing in front of a crowd full of friends and family holding signs like 'Rally for Cali' and 'You can brew it.' Now, she spends four hours each week working with an assigned trainer to prepare for Las Vegas, perfecting her latte art and writing a script for the storytelling challenge. Hegeman said she adds daily challenges during her regular shift hours as well, such as adding latte art to every tall order. Starbucks unveils 2025 summer menu: See the new food, drink items 'The one thing I'm really missing is the longevity with coffee – I've only been a partner for a little over two years – so I definitely felt that pressure,' she told USA TODAY. 'My roommate thinks I'm crazy, but gosh, probably over 200 hours (have been spent training). It's a lot.' The competition, which takes place during the Starbucks Leadership Experience conference, will be livestreamed on YouTube starting June 9. The winner will be named June 11, with the final four baristas competing in front of an audience of roughly 14,000 Starbucks employees starting at 7:30 a.m. PT.
USA Today
04-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
'200 hours' of training: How one barista is prepping for Starbucks' global championship
'200 hours' of training: How one barista is prepping for Starbucks' global championship Show Caption Hide Caption Starbucks to cut 13 drinks from menu amid restructuring Starbucks cuts 13 drinks from menu, streamlining operations and improving service, with more reductions expected in coming months. Straight Arrow News For the past 15 weeks, Cali Hegeman's life has revolved around coffee. By day, the 22-year-old Starbucks barista crafts lattes and mochas at the Chicago Reserve Roastery. In her off hours, she reads coffee books, listens to coffee podcasts and combs through YouTube for coffee recipes. It's all part of her training for the inaugural Starbucks Global Barista Championship, a three-day event that kicks off June 9 in Las Vegas. Hegeman is set to compete against 11 other baristas from around the world, each showcasing their talents and knowledge of the morning staple through blind coffee tastings, latte art, storytelling, store rush simulations and their own signature beverages. The competition will showcase the winners of Starbucks' regional and Reserve Roastery championships, which featured more than 84,000 baristas. Starbucks named one champion for each of its six regions (North America, China, Japan, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and one for each Reserve Roastery location (Seattle, Chicago, New York, Shanghai, Tokyo and Milan). Hegeman was named champion at the Chicago Reserve Roastery last year after competing in front of a crowd full of friends and family holding signs like 'Rally for Cali' and 'You can brew it.' Now, she spends four hours each week working with an assigned trainer to prepare for Las Vegas, perfecting her latte art and writing a script for the storytelling challenge. Hegeman said she adds daily challenges during her regular shift hours as well, such as adding latte art to every tall order. Starbucks unveils 2025 summer menu: See the new food, drink items 'The one thing I'm really missing is the longevity with coffee – I've only been a partner for a little over two years – so I definitely felt that pressure,' she told USA TODAY. 'My roommate thinks I'm crazy, but gosh, probably over 200 hours (have been spent training). It's a lot.' The competition, which takes place during the Starbucks Leadership Experience conference, will be livestreamed on YouTube starting June 9. The winner will be named June 11, with the final four baristas competing in front of an audience of roughly 14,000 Starbucks employees starting at 7:30 a.m. PT.
